William Trevor, born in Mitchelstown, County Cork, is widely regarded as one of the best literary fiction authors to come out of England. He has written numerous novels and has received many prestigious awards for his work, including the Hawthornden Prize, the Yorkshire Post Book of the Year Award, and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. His most recent novel, "Love and Summer," was even longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Trevor was born in Ireland and attended a number of schools, eventually graduating from Trinity College in Dublin with a degree in history. He initially pursued a career in sculpting and even taught art in Northern Ireland. However, when the school when bankrupt, he emigrated to England in search of work. It was there that he published his first novel, "A Standard of Behaviour," in 1958, although it received little critical success. He then turned to writing copy for a London advertising agency and began writing short stories, which would go on to win him numerous awards.
Trevor became a full-time writer in 1965 and has since published nearly 40 novels, short story collections, plays, and nonfiction works. He has won three Whitbread Awards, a PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 1977, Trevor was appointed an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to literature and in 2002 he was elevated to honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). Despite his success in England, Trevor regularly spends half the year in Italy or Switzerland, often visiting Ireland in the other half. He now lives in Devon, in South West England, on an old mill surrounded by 40 acres of land.
Trevor is not only a renowned novelist but also a celebrated short-story writer. His two-volume Collected Stories was published by Viking Penguin in 2009. In 1999, he received the prestigious David Cohen Literature Prize in recognition of a lifetime's literary achievement. In 2002, he was knighted for his services to literature. His works have been translated into many languages and have been adapted for stage, screen, and radio. Trevor's writing is known for its depth, insight, and ability to capture the complexities of human relationships and emotions. His works continue to be widely read and studied, and he is considered one of the greatest writers of his generation.