Adrian McKinty
Encyclopedia
Adrian McKinty is an Irish
novel
ist. He was born in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
in 1968 and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus
, County Antrim
. He read law at the University of Warwick
and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford
. He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem
, New York
and from 2001 onwards Denver, Colorado
where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. He currently lives in Melbourne
, Australia
with his wife and two children.
: crime and mystery novels and young adult fiction. McKinty writes in a stylized prose manner with echoes of James Ellroy
, and Elmore Leonard
. Publishers Weekly has called him "one of his generation's leading talents" and Patrick Anderson of the Washington Post has praised McKinty as a leading light in the new wave of Irish crime novelists whose most celebrated members are Ken Bruen
, Declan Hughes and John Connolly
. McKinty has been criticised for the explicit use of violence in his novels, however John O'Connor reviewing McKinty's "Fifty Grand" in The Guardian called him a "master of modern noir, up there with the likes of Dennis Lehane
." McKinty uses the classic noir tropes of revenge and betrayal to explore his characters' existential quest for meaning in an often bleak but lyrically intense universe.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. He was born in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1968 and grew up in Victoria Council Estate, Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
. He read law at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
and politics and philosophy at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He moved to the United States in the early 1990s, living first in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and from 2001 onwards Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
where he taught high school English and began writing fiction. He currently lives in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with his wife and two children.
Writing career
McKinty has written twelve books, six of which form two trilogies. He is primarily known as a writer of genre fictionGenre fiction
Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre....
: crime and mystery novels and young adult fiction. McKinty writes in a stylized prose manner with echoes of James Ellroy
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
, and Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
. Publishers Weekly has called him "one of his generation's leading talents" and Patrick Anderson of the Washington Post has praised McKinty as a leading light in the new wave of Irish crime novelists whose most celebrated members are Ken Bruen
Ken Bruen
Ken Bruen is an Irish writer of hard-boiled and noir crime fiction.He was born in Galway, and educated at Gormanston College, County Meath and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Ph.D. in metaphysics. He spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, S.E. Asia and...
, Declan Hughes and John Connolly
John Connolly (author)
John Connolly is an Irish writer who is best known for his series of novels starring private detective Charlie Parker.-Life and works:...
. McKinty has been criticised for the explicit use of violence in his novels, however John O'Connor reviewing McKinty's "Fifty Grand" in The Guardian called him a "master of modern noir, up there with the likes of Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
." McKinty uses the classic noir tropes of revenge and betrayal to explore his characters' existential quest for meaning in an often bleak but lyrically intense universe.
Awards
- His debut crime novel Dead I Well May Be was short-listed for the CWA Steel Dagger Award 2004.
- His debut young adult novel The Lighthouse Land was shortlisted for the 2008 Young Hoosier Award and the 2008 Beehive Award
- The Dead Yard was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the 12 Best Novels of 2006 and won the 2007 Audie Award for best thriller/suspense.
- The Bloomsday Dead was long-listed for the 2009 World Book Day Award.
- Fifty Grand won the 2010 Spinetingler Award for best novel and was longlisted for the 2011 Theakston Best British Crime Novel Award
Journalism
McKinty has written articles and book reviews for The Washington Post, The Times, The Australian, The Melbourne Age and Harpers Magazine.Michael Forsythe Trilogy
- Dead I Well May Be (Scribner) 2003
- The Dead Yard (Scribner) 2006
- The Bloomsday Dead (Scribner) 2007
The Lighthouse Trilogy
- The Lighthouse Land (Abrams) 2006
- The Lighthouse War (Abrams) 2007
- The Lighthouse Keepers (Abrams) 2008
Individual novels
- Orange Rhymes With Everything (Morrow) 1998
- Hidden River (Scribner) 2005
- Fifty Grand (Holt) 2009
- Falling Glass (Serpents Tail) 2011
- Deviant (Abrams) 2011
Personal life
After graduating from Oxford University in 1993 McKinty moved to New York City and found work as a security guard, barman, bookstore clerk, rugby coach, door to door salesman and librarian. In 2000 he relocated to Denver, Colorado to become a high school English teacher. In 2008 he and his family moved to St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia.Trivia
- In 2008 McKinty alleged that he had been offered books for sale from Ernest Hemingway's Cuban residence, the Finca VigiaFinca VigíaFinca Vigía was the home of Ernest Hemingway in San Francisco de Paula, Cuba, , and now houses a museum.-History of the property :...
. - In 1999 McKinty played loose head prop forward for the Jerusalem Lions Rugby Team.
External links
- http://www.simonsays.com/content/destination.cfm?tab=2&pid=367379
- http://www.serpentstail.com/author_bio?id=10466
- http://adrianmckinty.blogspot.com
- Falling Glass - Book Review in SHOTS Crime and Thriller Ezine June 2011