Irish author John Boyne wrote novels for both adults and children. He became a well-known author internationally after his children’s book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was published in 2006.

Boyne was born on April 30, 1971, in Dublin, Ireland. He enjoyed reading and writing from an early age. Boyne 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.

I was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1971 and studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, where I was awarded the Curtis Brown prize. I now offer a scholarship to Irish students undertaking the MA programme at UEA, more information about this can be found here.

I’ve published 11 novels for adults and 6 for younger readers, including The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas which was a New York Times no.1 Bestseller and was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 10 million copies worldwide. I’m also the author of the short story collection Beneath The Earth.

S THE acclaimed adaptation of his novel makes its way into UK cinemas, John Boyne, the author of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, talks about the inspiration behind the novel, as well as his thoughts on the Holocaust and Germany’s understanding of it.

In this interview Boyne discusses the parallels between the two children and explains why he chose to leave certain pertinent details deliberately ambiguous. He also elaborates on his main character's naïveté and its implications of society on a larger scale, examines the varying strengths of his female characters, and shares his enthusiasm for historical fiction.