LONDON — Bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy, who was known for her depictions of small-town Irish life, has died in Dublin after a brief illness, according to Irish media reports. She was 72.
The Irish Times, her former employer, told the AP it had spoken to Binchy’s family and said the acclaimed author died in a Dublin hospital Monday with her husband, Gordon Snell, by her side.
Binchy, author of “Circle of Friends” and “Tara Road,” was considered one of Ireland’s most popular writers and sold more than 40 million books worldwide.
She wrote 16 novels, four collections of short stories, a play and a novella. Her work landed her on The New York Times’ bestseller list and in Oprah’s Book Club.
Describing her childhood in Ireland, Binchy wrote on her official website that she was “full of enthusiasms, mad fantasies, desperate urges to be famous and anxious to be a saint.”
After graduating from University College Dublin, Binchy worked as a teacher before becoming a journalist, columnist and editor at the Irish Times. She later moved to England, where she assumed the post of the newspaper’s London editor in the early 1970s.
Her first novel, “Light and Penny Candle,” was published in 1982 and went on to become a bestseller.
Several of her works were turned into films. “Tara Road” was chosen by U.S. TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey for her popular book club.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.