Shamus Award
2 appearances
-
Edition 23 (2004) award
-
Edition 26 (2007) award
Ken Bruen
ケン・ブルーウン
Ken Bruen
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Galway, Ireland
- Died
- 2025-03-29 （Galway, Ireland） age 74
- Nationality
- Ireland
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Galway, Ireland → Africa (residence) → Japan (residence) → Southeast Asia (residence) → South America (residence) → Brazil (residence; period of imprisonment)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, English teacher
- Active Years
- 1993-2025
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gormanston College | — | — | — | — | Ireland |
| Trinity College Dublin | Humanities | Metaphysics (PhD) | PhD | — | Ireland |
Gormanston College
Country:
Ireland
Trinity College Dublin
Humanities
/ Metaphysics (PhD)
Degree:
PhD
Country:
Ireland
Reported to have earned a PhD in metaphysics
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shamus Award (Best Novel) | The Guards | 長編賞 | Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) | winner |
| 2005 | Macavity Award (Best Mystery Novel) | The Killing of the Tinkers | 長編賞 | Mystery Readers International | winner |
| 2007 | Shamus Award (Best Novel) | The Dramatist | 長編賞 | Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) | winner |
| 2007 | Barry Award / British Mystery Prize | Priest | — | Barry Awards organizers | winner |
| 2008 | David Goodis Award (inaugural) | — | — | David Goodis Award organizers | winner |
| 2010 | German Crime Fiction Prize (translation category, 3rd place) | The Guards (translation) | 翻訳作品部門 | German Crime Fiction Prize organizers | 3rd place |
| 2004 | Edgar Award (Best Novel - nominee) | The Guards | 長編賞 | Mystery Writers of America | nominee |
| 2008 | Edgar Award (Best Novel - nominee) | Priest | 長編賞 | Mystery Writers of America | nominee |
| 2008 | Anthony Award (Paperback Original - nominee) | Slide | ペーパーバック賞 | Bouchercon / Anthony Awards | nominee |
Shamus Award (Best Novel)
2004
Work:
The Guards
Category:
長編賞
Organization:
Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)
Result:
winner
Macavity Award (Best Mystery Novel)
2005
Work:
The Killing of the Tinkers
Category:
長編賞
Organization:
Mystery Readers International
Result:
winner
Shamus Award (Best Novel)
2007
Work:
The Dramatist
Category:
長編賞
Organization:
Private Eye Writers of America (PWA)
Result:
winner
Barry Award / British Mystery Prize
2007
Work:
Priest
Organization:
Barry Awards organizers
Result:
winner
David Goodis Award (inaugural)
2008
Organization:
David Goodis Award organizers
Result:
winner
German Crime Fiction Prize (translation category, 3rd place)
2010
Work:
The Guards (translation)
Category:
翻訳作品部門
Organization:
German Crime Fiction Prize organizers
Result:
3rd place
Edgar Award (Best Novel - nominee)
2004
Work:
The Guards
Category:
長編賞
Organization:
Mystery Writers of America
Result:
nominee
Edgar Award (Best Novel - nominee)
2008
Work:
Priest
Category:
長編賞
Organization:
Mystery Writers of America
Result:
nominee
Anthony Award (Paperback Original - nominee)
2008
Work:
Slide
Category:
ペーパーバック賞
Organization:
Bouchercon / Anthony Awards
Result:
nominee
Awards & Nominations
Macavity Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 19 (2005) award
-
Edition 24 (2010) award
Works
Major Works
The Guards
2001 Hardboiled / NoirThe first Jack Taylor novel, introducing the drunken ex-cop private investigator in Galway; explores crime, personal decay and Irish social change.
decline and redemptionsocial change in Irelanddecline of religious authority
Translations
- Japanese translation by Sayaka Higashino
The Killing of the Tinkers
2002 Hardboiled / NoirSecond Jack Taylor novel, further exploring the protagonist's struggles and the repercussions of crime.
alcohol dependencechain of crimeshadows of provincial towns
Translations
- Japanese translation by Sayaka Higashino
London Boulevard
2001 Crime / ThrillerA crime novel set in London. Adapted into a feature film in 2010 and translated into Japanese.
urban violenceprotection and revenge
Adaptations
- [Film] London Boulevard -LAST BODYGUARD- (2010)
Translations
- Japanese edition (Shinchosha / Shincho Bunko translation)
Bibliography
- Shades of Grace (1993)
- Martyrs (1994)
- Rilke on Black (1996)
- The Hackman Blues (1997)
- Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice (1998)
- A White Arrest (1998)
- Taming the Alien (1999)
- The McDead (2000)
- Blitz (2002)
- The Guards (2001)
- The Killing of the Tinkers (2002)
- The Magdalen Martyrs (2003)
- The Dramatist (2004)
- Dispatching Baudelaire (2004)
- Priest (2006)
- Cross (2007)
- Sanctuary (2008)
- The Devil (2010)
- Headstone (2011)
Adaptations
- Film: London Boulevard (2010)
- Film: Blitz (adapted from Blitz)
Translations of Works
- The Guards — Japanese translation by Sayaka Higashino (Hayakawa Mystery Bunko)
- London Boulevard — Japanese translation by Megumi Suzuki & Rie Homura (Shinchō Bunko)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- concise, terse prosemonologic narration with dark humor
- Recurring Motifs
- alcoholismGalway cityscapesCatholic Church and social changethemes of decline and redemption
Legacy
Ken Bruen was an internationally recognized Irish crime novelist best known for the Jack Taylor series set in Galway. His work, which often weaves social change and the waning influence of the Church into hardboiled noir, received critical acclaim and produced several film adaptations.
In Popular Culture
- Film adaptation: London Boulevard (2010)
- Work adapted as the film Blitz
Trivia
- Reportedly educated at Gormanston College and Trinity College Dublin.
- Worked as an English teacher for about 25 years across Africa, Japan, Southeast Asia and South America.
- Spent a period imprisoned in Brazil.
- The Guards won the Shamus Award and launched the Jack Taylor series.
- Died on March 29, 2025, in Galway hospital.