Trevor, William (1928-2016), was an Irish novelist and short-story writer known for the subtle humor and irony of his style. His work shows a keen psychological insight into the lives of his characters, especially the elderly, the lonely, and outcasts of society.
Trevor’s given and family name was William Trevor Cox. He was born on May 24, 1928, in Mitchelstown in County Cork, Ireland. He was educated at Trinity College in Dublin. Trevor moved to England in 1953. He worked as a teacher, sculptor, and advertising copywriter before settling in Devon in England to devote himself to writing. Although he lived in England, most of his fiction takes place in his native Ireland.
Trevor gained recognition with his second novel, The Old Boys (1964), a comic story about eight elderly men at their class reunion. His many other novels include The Boarding-House (1965), Miss Gomez and the Brethren (1971), The Children of Dynmouth (1976), Other People’s Worlds (1980), Fools of Fortune (1983), Felicia’s Journey (1994), Death in Summer (1998), and Love in Summer (2009). His novels Reading Turgenev and My House in Umbria were published together as Two Lives (1991).
Trevor ranks among the leading short-story writers of his time. His stories were published in such collections as The Stories of William Trevor (1983), The Collected Stories (1992), and Selected Stories (2010). Trevor’s memoirs were published as Excursions in the Real World (1993). Trevor died on Nov. 20, 2016.
