William Trevor was one of the most acclaimed writers in English of the twentieth century, above all in the short story form. Born William Trevor Cox in 1928 in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, Ireland, as a child his family moved around southern Ireland, his father being transferred to regional towns through his work as a bank official. Trevor studied Irish History at Trinity College, Dublin, and then became a schoolteacher. He left Ireland in 1954, moved to England and worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency and was, in the late 1950s, a successful sculptor. He settled in Devon, where he lived until he died. Trevor, however, always regarded himself as an Irish writer.

His parents’ marriage was not happy, and his childhood may have influenced the tone of his fiction. In addition, his

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Citation: Turner, Nick. "William Trevor". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 December 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4453, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4453 William Trevor 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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