Fun Facts Friday: Brian Moore

Brian Moore (25 August, 1921 – 11 January, 1999) was an Irish novelist and screenwriter. He is known for novels describing life in Northern Ireland during World War II.

Books by Brian Moore*

Fun Facts about Brian Moore:

1. Brian Moore was born in Belfast along with eight siblings. His father was a prominent surgeon, and his mother was a nurse.
2. The Moore family were observant Roman Catholics with several prominent members, including Professor Eoin MacNeill, founder of the Gaelic League.
3. During World War II, Brian Moore was a volunteer air warden, and served during the Belfast Blitz. Afterwards was a civilian serving in the British Ministry of War Transport in France, Italy, and North Africa.
4. By 1948 Mr. Moore found himself working different newspaper jobs in Canada, where he eventually became a citizen. While in Canada, he started writing fiction.
5. He went on to writer 19 books, including three pulp novels which he tried not to mention.
6. His first  novel is considered to be The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, and is still considered very highly. It was rejected by ten American publisher before finding a home with a British one. Dame Maggie Smith portrayed the title character in the 1987 film.
7. In 1959, Brian Moore and his wife Jacqueline Sirois, a French-Canadian journalist, moved to New York City where he had a Guggenheim Fellowship waiting for him. He remained in NYC until 1967, when the couple divorced.
8. Shortly afterwards Brian Moore settled in Malibu, California with his new wife Jean Russell, a Canadian TV personality. During this time, he taught creative writing at UCLA. He still went back to Canada every year for an extended period.
9. Mr. Moore wrote screenplays for several movies, including Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain.
10. Even though Mr. Moore was no longer practicing religion, his novels are very sympathetic to faith.

Books by Brian Moore*

Zohar – Man of la Book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account, the money is usually spent on books

Sources:

Brian Moore at 100 | John Wilson | First Things

Brian Moore | Novelist, Screenwriter, Irish-Canadian | Britannica

Celebrating the centenary of novelist Brian Moore, Belfast’s literary genius | The Irish News

Brian Moore (novelist) | Wikipedia