author
St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine
1883–1971
A Belfast-born writer of plays, novels, criticism, and biography, he helped bring everyday Ulster life onto the stage with sharp realism and human feeling. His best-known work includes the plays Mixed Marriage, Jane Clegg, and John Ferguson, along with biographies of figures such as George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde.
3 Audiobooks
The Foolish Lovers
by St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine
Some Impressions of My Elders
by St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine
Changing Winds A Novel
by St. John G. (St. John Greer) Ervine
About the author
Born in East Belfast on 28 December 1883, St. John Greer Ervine left school young and began working before making his name as a writer. He became known for dramas rooted in Ulster life and was among the early playwrights to use local realism in Irish theatre. His major plays include Mixed Marriage (1911), Jane Clegg (1913), and John Ferguson (1915).
Ervine’s career ranged well beyond playwriting. He worked as manager of Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, served in the First World War, and later wrote as a critic and broadcaster. He also published novels and biographies, showing a gift for both storytelling and sharp observation.
He died on 24 January 1971. Today he is remembered as an important Irish writer whose work captured the tensions, beliefs, and daily lives of his time, especially in Belfast and Ulster.