Bennett, Ronan (1956- ) novelist, nonfiction writer, screenwriter

Ronan Bennett was born on January 14, 1956, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he attended St. Mary’s Christian Brothers School. While still in school, he was arrested and tried in a juryless court on charges of Republican activities and spent 1974 to 1975 in Long Kesh prison before his conviction was overturned. After moving to London, he was arrested again and spent more than a year in prison before being acquitted in 1979. He then studied history at King’s College, London, receiving a B.A. in 1983 and a Ph.D. in 1988. In 1986 to 1987, he was a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research in London. In his fiction, he is steadfastly committed to examining questions of political violence and its impact on individuals.

Bennett’s first novel, The Second Prison (1991), was shortlisted for the Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for First Book. A thriller about a group of Irish Republican activists, it drew on his personal experience as well as his nationalist politics. Its protagonist learns the hard way that being released from prison does not amount to freedom, since he cannot escape the culture of political conflict that led him to imprisonment. His second novel, Overthrown by Strangers (1992), also features an Irish ex-prisoner caught in a web of political violence.

Bennett’s third novel, The Catastrophist (1997), finally brought him to the public’s attention by winning the Irish Post Literature Award as well as the Belfast Arts Award for Literature; it was also short-listed for the Whitbread Novel Award. Its protagonist, James Gillespie, is an Irish novelist pursuing a romantic interest in the Belgian Congo in 1959, during its turbulent struggle for independence. Gillespie faces the difficult choice of becoming involved in the conflict, thus abandoning his treasured objectivity as a writer, or withdrawing, leaving behind his love, an Italian journalist passionately committed to the independence movement.

Havoc, in Its Third Year (2004), Bennett’s fourth novel, won the Hughes & Hughes / Irish Independent Irish Novel of the Year award. Set in 17th-century England during a time of Puritan persecution of Catholics, this historical novel focuses on the religious aspect of political division. It was widely praised by critics as a satisfying thriller and admirable intellectual work.

In addition to his fiction, Bennett has written screenplays for film and television, including Face, Love Lies Bleeding, Rebel Heart, Lucky Break, and Fields of Gold. He also contributes to the Guardian and the Observer and has written several nonfiction works about political prisoners.

Other Works by Ronan Bennett:
- Double Jeopardy: The Retrial of the Guildford Four. London: Penguin, 1993.
- Stolen Years: Before and After Guildford. With Paul Hill. London: Doubleday, 1990.
- Zugzwang. London: Bloomsbury, 2007.

Works about Ronan Bennett:
- Bowman, David. Interview with author. Salon.com Books. Available online. URL: http://www. salon.com/books/int/1999/11/16/bennett. Accessed January 28, 2008.
- Rubin, Martin. “‘Zugzwang’ by Ronan Bennett.” Los Angeles Times. Available online. URL: http:// www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et- book12nov12,0,3015860.story?coll=la-books- headlines. Accessed January 28, 2008.