Aosdána expresses its sadness at the passing of writer and member Jennifer Johnston

Born in Dublin in 1930, Jennifer Johnston studied at Trinity College, Dublin.   

Johnston’s novels include The Captains and the Kings (1972), The Gates (1973), How Many Miles to Babylon? (1974), The Christmas Tree (1981), The Railway Station Man (1984), Fools’ Sanctuary (1987), The Invisible Worm (1991), The Illusionist (1995), Two Moons (1998) and The Gingerbread Woman (2000). In 1977, Shadows on our Skin was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and in 1979, she won the Whitbread Award for The Old Jest, which was later made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins. In 2002, she published This Is Not a Novel and Grace and Truth in 2004. 

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.” 

Cecily Brennan Chair of the Toscaireacht, said: “On behalf of the members of Aosdána I express our sadness at the death of Jennifer Johnston. Her writing spans almost half a century of creativity that began with the dazzling debut series of 1970s novels. The independence of mind and experimentation with new forms are evidence of a writer who faced with authority the history of her own time in Ireland and in Europe.”

Her novels have been translated into several languages, all of which into French.  She received the Robert Pitman Award and the Yorkshire Post Award. 

Her plays include The Nightingale Not the Lark, which was published with The Porch and The Invisible Man in 1988, and O Ananias Azarias and Misael, which won the Giles Cooper Award, the British award for best radio play of the year, in 1989. Other plays include Moonlight and Music (2000) and Desert Lullaby (1996). 

She moved to Derry in the 1970s after meeting her second husband, solicitor David Gilliland, and returned to Dublin on his death in 2019.  She is survived by her four children; Patrick, Sarah, Lucy and Malachi.