John Boyne
John Boyne
John Boyneis an Irish novelist. He is the author of nine novels for adults and five novels for younger readers. His novels are published in 50 languages...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth30 April 1971
CountryIreland
children book writing
I don't change the language for children books. I don't make the language simpler. I use words that they might have to look up in the dictionary. The books are shorter, but there's just not that much difference other than that to be honest. And the funny thing is, I have adult writer friends [to whom I would say], "Would you think of writing a children's book?" and they go, "No, God, I wouldn't know how." They're quite intimidated by the concept of it. And when I say to children's books writers, would they write an adult book, they say no because they think they're too good for it.
children book writing
Children's book writers tend to feel quite superior, and adult writers tend to feel they wouldn't know how to write a children's book - which might surprise you because I think a lot of people think it's the other way around.
children book writing
I think that books for young people should have serious and important themes, they shouldn't be trivial. So the books I write, they would be the kind of stories you would write in an adult novel only they just happen to feature a child at the center of them.
employed entirely far term
What makes a classic is difficult to define. It's entirely subjective, of course. And the term is employed far too promiscuously.
adult change enjoy move nice pace quite time
I move between the two: I write an adult novel, and then I write a children's book. I quite enjoy that. It's a nice change of pace each time.
people unless
Unless you're very boring, I think most people who've lived long enough have something in their past which will never go away.
glorify people tend war
People try to glorify war, particularly those who aren't actually fighting in them. People tend to make heroes of those who are fighting in them.
life suppose
I suppose books are my real passion in life.
buy
I don't buy into the idea that an Irish writer should write about Ireland, or a gay writer should write about being gay.
age children
I can remember being eight, and I like writing about that age of innocence when children still have a sense of wonder.
charles christmas dickens excite failed teenage throughout
Throughout my teenage years, I read 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens every December. It was a story that never failed to excite me, for as well as being a Dickens enthusiast, I have always loved ghost stories.
authors talk younger
Children's authors don't talk down or patronise their younger readers.
age wrote
I wrote my first book at 20, but my whole focus from about the age of 12 was to be a writer.
It's a wonderful thing to write for children.