Jennifer Johnston, the award-winning Irish writer, died yesterday, Tuesday, February 25. She was 95 years old.
Jennifer died while surrounded by family at a nursing home in Dún Laoghaire, her son Patrick Smyth confirmed to The Irish Times on Wednesday. She had been suffering from dementia in recent years.
Patrick said his mother's passing "leaves a big void in our lives."
He added: “She passed on to her children a love of life, of curiosity, of fun, and a need to challenge. And love of books."
“She once told an interviewer about her own childhood: ‘We read real books, right from the age of four up to 17. We also read history books. But it always seemed to me that history books were written by people who were trying to explain some enormous mess that we’d all got into but were never going to be able to explain. Whereas novelists can explain things in their own way. That’s why it’s so important that children read.’
“That is how we hope she will be remembered."
Jennifer Johnston was born in Dublin on January 12, 1930, to Irish actress and director Shelah Richards and Irish playwright Denis Johnston. She attended Trinity College Dublin but left in 1951 before completing her degree after marrying Ian Smyth. She received an honorary degree in 2001.
She and Ian had four children, Patrick, Sarah, Lucy, and Malachi.
Patrick told The Irish Times that he recalled his mother taking up writing in the 1960s as it was the only way “she could see of escaping the trap of domesticity and its isolation."
She moved to Derry in the 1970s after meeting her second husband, solicitor David Gilliland, and returned to Dublin on his death in 2019.
Jennifer was 42 years old when she published her first novel "The Captains and the Kings" in 1972. It was awarded the Evening Standard Award for Best First Novel.
She followed it with "How Many Miles to Babylon" two years later.
In 1977, she was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize for her fourth novel "Shadows on Our Skin," set during The Troubles. In 1979, she won The Whitbread Prize for "The Old Jest."
In 1989, she won the Giles Cooper Award for "O Ananias, Azarias and Misael."
She received the Irish PEN Award in 2006 and, in 2012, was honored with the Irish Book Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Immeasurable" influence
Jennifer was a member of Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland administered by Ireland's Arts Council.
Leading tributes on Wednesday, Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council, said: “Jennifer Johnston was an esteemed literary voice whose work captured the complexities of Irish life with extraordinary depth and sensitivity.
"Her novels and plays resonated across generations, and her contribution to Irish literature will endure.
"We extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said: “Jennifer Johnston’s passing is a great loss to the literary world.
"A gifted storyteller, she brought nuance, compassion, and truth to every page she wrote.
"Her influence on Irish writing is immeasurable, and her legacy will continue to inspire.
"Our thoughts are with her family at this time.”
"One of the finest of Irish novelists"
In a statement, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins also expressed his sadness on Jennifer's passing.
"Throughout her many novels and plays, Jennifer Johnston provided a deep and meaningful examination of the nature and limitations of identity, family and personal connections throughout the tumultuous events of 20th century Irish life," Higgins said.
"It is noteworthy that her work has always been championed by so many of her fellow writers, who have acknowledged her as one of the finest of Irish novelists. So many of them have recorded her as a strong influence on so much of their own work.
"The awarding of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Jennifer Johnston at the Irish Book Awards in 2012 was a well deserved public recognition of her work."
He added: "Jennifer Johnston’s passing reminds us of the important heritage which served as context to her work. The daughter of actress and director Shelah Richards, who made distinctive and unique contributions to Irish performance and writing, and playwright and war correspondent Denis Johnston, Jennifer Johnston leaves a significant legacy which stands proudly among the achievements of so many members of her family. These contributions include those which have been made by her own children, who are continuing a distinctive contribution."
"Rightly acclaimed"
Ireland's Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture, and Sport TD Patrick O'Donovan said he was saddened to learn of Jennifer's passing.
“From the very beginning of her literary career, when ‘The Captains and the Kings’ was awarded the Author’s Club First Novel Award in 1972, she has been rightly acclaimed among the best novelists in the world," he said.
He added: “Many Irish people of my generation will remember ‘How Many Miles to Babylon’ from our schooldays, and its examination of how war breaks apart the class structure and strengthens interpersonal bonds.
“I wish to express my deepest condolences Jennifer’s family, to her friends, and to her legion of loyal readers. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.”
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