THE Irish author Maeve Binchy has passed away. She was 72.
Quite simply, Ms Binchy was regarded as a national treasure in Ireland.
Many of her stories were set in the country with many featuring strong female characters. Her loyal readers loved her books. Since her first novel, Light A Penny Candle, appeared in 1982 more than 40 million copies of her books have been sold and they have been translated into 37 languages.
Ms Binchy had been a teacher before turning to journalism and working for The Irish Times. She once said the greatest influence on her books was the fact she had worked for a daily newspaper which meant she had learned how to write very quickly — “there is no time to sit and brood about what you are going to say”.
Two of her novels were made into films — Circle of Friends in 1995 and Tara Road in 2005.
Away from writing Ms Binchy would find time to become involved in community projects. She and fellow author Roddy Doyle worked closely with Amnesty to set-up the Voice Our Concern project which is aimed at informing the community about human rights.
She had grown up in the Dalkey area of County Dublin and it was there that she lived for most of her life.
Ms. Binchy passed away following a short illness. She is survived by her husband, the author Gordon Snell.
To view an interview in which Maeve Binchy discusses the problems of writing for a changing world, click here.
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