Trevor, William, 1928–, Irish fiction writer, b. Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, as William Trevor Cox, grad. Trinity College, Dublin (1950). He settled in London in 1960 and five years later moved to Devon. Trevor's novels are usually set in England or Ireland, and he has often written of the troubles afflicting his native country. His language is unadorned and understated, his humor subtle and wry, and his characterizations sharp and telling. He writes of ordinary people trapped by the limitations of circumstance and struggling for understanding and resolution. He first achieved success with The Old Boys (1964), a novel centering on the effects of unhappy schoolboy experiences on the rancorous relationships of the old men the boys became. His other novels include Elizabeth Alone (1973), The Children of Dynmouth (1976), Fools of Fortune (1983, Whitbread Prize), Felicia's Journey (1994, Whitbread Prize), Death in Summer (1994), and The Story of Lucy Gault (2002). Trevor is also a master of the spare and ironic short story. Among his collections are The Day We Got Drunk on Cake (1969), Angels at the Ritz (1975), The News from Ireland (1986), After Rain (1996), and A Bit on the Side (2004); his Collected Stories were published in 1993. Trevor has also written a study of literary Ireland (1984) and a memoir, Excursions in the Real World (1993).

Trevor, William

orig. William Trevor Cox

William Trevor, 1982.

(credit: Mark Gerson)

(born May 24, 1928, Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ire.) Irish writer. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he worked as a teacher, sculptor, and advertising copywriter before moving to England to write fiction full-time. His works, noted for their exquisite characterizations and finely tuned irony, focus largely on the psychology of eccentrics and outcasts. Trevor's second novel, The Old Boys (1964), tells the story of an “old boys” committee whose aging members plot against each other. His later novels include Felicia's Journey (1994) and Death in Summer (1998). He is perhaps best known for his acclaimed collections of wry and often macabre short stories.