Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of May 28th
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It is the 148th day of the year, leaving 217 days remaining in 2022.
On this date in 1940, the Irish author Maeve Binchy was born.
Starting out as a journalist in her native Dublin, and later in London, Binchy wrote with wit and candor, much like she spoke. Covering the royal wedding of Princess Anne, in 1972, she wrote, "The bride looked as edgy as it is were the Badminton Horse Trials, and she was waiting for the bell to gallop off."
Binchy wrote short stories on the side, tales of the lives of contemporary women living and working in Ireland.
Ten years later, she published her first novel, Light a Penny Candle. Like most of her oeuvre, it focused on the women's lives, giving them equal if not better play, and telling stories from their perspectives.
In her novels, she wrote about rural life in Ireland, life in its small towns, and in its cities. She wrote about those in poverty, and those living solid, middle-class lives. She told the tales of the changes in Irish lifestyles, and in its people -- both old and young -- particularly since the end of World War II. She wrote with sympathy for her characters, with humor, and with understanding.
Her most famous novel, perhaps, was Circle of Friends, which followed the lives of a group of university students in Dublin. In 1995, it was adapted into a movie of the same name, starring Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver.
She wrote 16 novels in her career, several published after her death. Some of her characters appeared in multiple novels. Among her more popular works were Tara Road, Scarlett Feathers, and Minding Frankie.
Binchy died in 2012 in her home outside of Dublin.
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