John Boyne
John Boyne (born April 30, 1971, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish author known for his novels, particularly The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006), a story that takes place during the Holocaust and follows the friendship between a German boy and a Jewish boy who is a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The novel was adapted into a movie titled The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008).
Boyne enjoyed reading and writing from an early age. He attended Trinity College in Dublin, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English literature. He then went to the University of East Anglia in Norwich, Norfolk, England, graduating with a master’s degree in creative writing. While there he won the Curtis Brown Prize, which is awarded annually to a student excelling in a creative writing program.
Boyne began his career writing short stories and then transitioned into novels for adults. His critically praised debut novel was The Thief of Time (2000), which chronicles the life of a man who does not grow older. The story blends historical elements from the 18th century to the 20th century, including the French Revolution and the 1920s American movie industry. The novel Crippen (2004) is based on a real-life murder of a doctor’s wife in 1910.
In 2006 Boyne published The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which is geared toward young adult readers. Mostly set at Auschwitz during World War II, the book explores the budding relationship and tragic ending of the lives of two young boys. One is the son of the concentration camp’s commandant, and the other is a Jew imprisoned there. The book earned critical praise, and Boyne later published a sequel, All the Broken Places (2022), for an adult audience. Boyne’s second book for younger readers was Noah Barleywater Runs Away (2010), a fairy tale combining elements of magic and fantasy with life lessons.
Boyne used World War I as the background for the novel The Absolutist (2011). The book explores themes of shame, guilt, jealousy, secrets, and betrayal. The Heart’s Invisible Furies (2017) follows the life of an adopted man as he searches for his identity in 20th-century Ireland. The Echo Chamber (2021) gives a comedic look at social media and the consequences of expressing oneself publicly.
Boyne also wrote several children’s books, including The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket (2012), Stay Where You Are & Then Leave (2013), and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain (2015). His other works for adult audiences include The Congress of Rough Riders (2001), The House of Special Purpose (2009), A History of Loneliness (2014), and A Ladder to the Sky (2018).
In additon to his novels for adults and younger audiences, Boyne published several collections of short stories. He also contributed numerous book reviews to The Irish Times. His work earned many awards, including the Hennessy Literary Hall of Fame Award (2012) and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize (2015).
