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*"Sassenach", ''[[Northern Review]]'' 5 (October-November 1951)
*"Sassenach", ''[[Northern Review]]'' 5 (October-November 1951)
*"Fly Away Finger, Fly Away Thumb", ''[[London Mystery Magazine]]'', #17, September 1953[http://www.crimetime.co.uk/community/mag.php/showarticle/587]; reprinted in ''Great Irish Tales of Horror'', ed. [[Peter Haining]], Souvenir Press 1995
*"Fly Away Finger, Fly Away Thumb", ''[[London Mystery Magazine]]'', 17, September 1953[http://www.crimetime.co.uk/community/mag.php/showarticle/587]; reprinted in ''Great Irish Tales of Horror'', ed. [[Peter Haining]], Souvenir Press 1995
*"Lion of the Afternoon", ''[[The Atlantic]]'', November 1957
*"Lion of the Afternoon", ''[[The Atlantic]]'', November 1957
*"Next Thing was Kansas City", ''The Atlantic'', February 1959
*"Next Thing was Kansas City", ''The Atlantic'', February 1959
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Schumacher, Antje, ''Brian Moore's Black Robe: Novel, Screenplay(s) and Film'' (European University Studies. Series 14: Anglo-Saxon Language and Literature. Vol. 494), Frankfurt am Main: [[Peter Lang]] (2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 3631603215 ISBN-13: 978-363160321


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 07:58, 24 August 2012

Brian Moore
Born(1921-08-25)25 August 1921
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Died11 January 1999(1999-01-11) (aged 77)
Malibu, California, US
LanguageEnglish
NationalityCanadian
Notable awardsJames Tait Black Memorial Prize (1975) Governor General's Award for English language fiction (1960 and 1975)

Brian Moore (first name /brˈæn/ bree-an; 25 August 1921 – 11 January 1999) was a novelist and screenwriter from Northern Ireland[1][2] who emigrated to Canada and later lived in the United States. He was acclaimed for the descriptions in his novels of life in Northern Ireland after the Second World War, in particular his explorations of the inter-communal divisions of The Troubles. He was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1975 and the inaugural Sunday Express Book of the Year award in 1987, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times.[3] Moore also wrote screenplays and several of his books were made into films.

Biography

Moore was born and grew up in Belfast. His father, James Bernard Moore, was a surgeon and his mother, Eileen McFadden Moore, was a nurse.[4][5] He grew up with eight siblings in a large Roman Catholic family, but reportedly rejected that faith early in life. [citation needed] Some of his novels feature staunchly anti-doctrinaire and anti-clerical themes, and he in particular spoke strongly about the effect of the Church on life in Ireland. A recurring theme in his novels is the concept of the Catholic priesthood. On several occasions he explores the idea of a priest losing his faith. These works were criticized by his sister, a Roman Catholic nun. [citation needed] At the same time, several of his novels are deeply sympathetic and affirming portrayals of the struggles of faith and religious commitment, Black Robe most prominently.

He was a volunteer air raid warden during the bombing of Belfast by the Luftwaffe. He also served as a civilian with the British Army in North Africa, Italy and France. After the war ended he worked in Eastern Europe for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. He emigrated to Canada in 1948, worked as a reporter for the Montreal Gazette, and became a Canadian citizen. While eventually making his primary residence in California, Moore continued to live part of each year in Canada up to his death.[5] He taught creative writing at UCLA.[6]

Moore lived in Canada from 1948 to 1958, and wrote his first novels there.[7] His earliest novels were thrillers, published under his own name or using the pseudonyms Bernard Mara or Michael Bryan.[8] Moore's first novel outside the genre, Judith Hearne, remains among his most highly regarded. The book was rejected by ten American publishers before being accepted by a British publisher.[5] It was made into a film, with British actress Maggie Smith playing the lonely spinster who is the book/film's title character.[5]

Other novels by Moore were adapted for the screen, including Intent to Kill, The Luck of Ginger Coffey, Catholics, Black Robe, Cold Heaven, and The Statement. He co-wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain, and wrote The Blood of Others, based on the novel Le Sang des autres by Simone de Beauvoir.

Death

Brian Moore died in 1999 at his home in Malibu, California, aged 77, from pulmonary fibrosis. He had been working on a novel about the 19th-century French symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud.[9]

Personal life

Moore was married twice — in 1951 to Jacqueline Sirois and in 1966 to Jean Denny.[4][10]

Legacy

Moore has been the subject of two biographies, Brian Moore: The Chameleon Novelist (1998) by Denis Sampson and Brian Moore: A Biography (2002) by Patricia Craig. One of the first critical retrospectives of Moore's entire body of work can be found in Brian Moore and the Meaning of the Past (2007) by Patrick Hicks. [citation needed]

Information about the publishing of Moore's novel, Judith Hearne, and the break-up of his marriage can be found in Diana Athill's memoir, Stet (2000).[11]Moore's archives, which include unfilmed screenplays, drafts of various novels, working notes, a 42-volume journal (1957–1998), and his correspondence, are now at The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas.[12]

Prizes and honours

  • 1960 Governor General's Award for Fiction (for The Luck of Ginger Coffey)
  • 1975 James Tait Black Memorial Prize For Fiction (for The Great Victorian Collection)
  • 1975 Governor General's Award for Fiction (for The Great Victorian Collection)
  • 1976 Nominee, Booker Prize (for The Doctor's Wife)
  • 1987 Nominee, Booker Prize (for The Colour of Blood)
  • 1987 Sunday Express Book of the Year (for The Colour of Blood)
  • 1990 Nominee, Booker Prize (for Lies of Silence)

Bibliography

Non-fiction

Novels

Short story collection

  • Two Stories (1978) Northridge, California: Santa Susana Press. Contains Uncle T and Preliminary Pages for a Work of Revenge

Short stories

  • "Sassenach", Northern Review 5 (October-November 1951)
  • "Fly Away Finger, Fly Away Thumb", London Mystery Magazine, 17, September 1953[2]; reprinted in Great Irish Tales of Horror, ed. Peter Haining, Souvenir Press 1995
  • "Lion of the Afternoon", The Atlantic, November 1957
  • "Next Thing was Kansas City", The Atlantic, February 1959
  • "Grieve for the Dear Departed", The Atlantic, August 1959
  • "Uncle T", Gentleman's Quarterly, November 1960
  • "Preliminary Pages for a Work of Revenge", Midstream 7 (Winter 1961)
  • "Hearts and Flowers", The Spectator, November 24, 1961
  • "Off the Track", Ten for Wednesday Night, ed. Robert Weaver. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd, 1961, pp. 159-167
  • "The Sight", Irish Ghost Stories, ed. Joseph Hone. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1977, pp. 100-119; reprinted in Black Water, ed. Alberto Manguel, Picador 1983; reprinted in The Oxford Book of Canadian Ghost Stories, ed. Alberto Manguel, Toronto: Oxford University Press 1990

Screenplays

Other films on Moore or based on his work

  • The Lonely Passion of Brian Moore (1986)[14]
  • Uncle T (1985),[15] a half-hour drama based on a short story by Moore

References

  1. ^ "Brian Moore: Forever influenced by loss of faith". BBC Online. 12 January 1999. Retrieved 23 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Cronin, John (13 January 1999). "Obituary: Shores of Exile". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Brian Moore". The Man Booker Prizes. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  4. ^ a b Flood, Jeanne (1974). "Brian Moore". Bucknell University Press. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Smith, Denitia (12 January 1999). "Brian Moore, Prolific Novelist on Diverse Themes, Dies at 77". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Brian Moore". New York Review Books. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  7. ^ Profile in The Canadian Encyclopedia
  8. ^ Sampson, Denis. Brian Moore: The Chameleon Novelist. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1998, pg. i
  9. ^ Fulford, Robert (12 January 1999). "A writer who never failed to surprise his readers". The Globe and Mail.
  10. ^ Craig, Patricia (2002). "Brian Moore: A Biography". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  11. ^ Athill, Diana (2000) Stet: a memoir, London: Granta ISBN 1-86207-388-0
  12. ^ "Brian Moore: A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers". Harry Ransom Center.
  13. ^ "Our Collection: The Sight". National Film Board of Canada. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  14. ^ "The Lonely Passion of Brian Moore". National Film Board of Canada. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  15. ^ "Uncle T". National Film Board of Canada. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.

Further reading

  • Schumacher, Antje, Brian Moore's Black Robe: Novel, Screenplay(s) and Film (European University Studies. Series 14: Anglo-Saxon Language and Literature. Vol. 494), Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang (2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 3631603215 ISBN-13: 978-363160321

External links

See also

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