Bernard MacLaverty
Growing Up
MacLaverty has lived nearly half his life in Scotland. But the inspiration for nearly all of his writing comes from his early life in the forties, fifties and sixties, when he grew up in North Belfast.
One of the best things for a young boy growing up in North Belfast was that you could climb up on the big basalt shoulders of the Cave hill and make the world you came from look small and less significant. The young MacLaverty would have been able to achieve a sense of freedom, but with home in sight.
For a young MacLaverty and a spirited gang of friends from off the Antrim Road, North Belfast, Cave Hill proved to be an adventure playground, and a place for cementing friendships that have lasted a lifetime.
MacLaverty grew up in the quiet, residential street of Atlantic Avenue. His father, Johnny, was a commercial artist. But MacLaverty's father died when he was twelve, which led to a big change in family life. MacLaverty's books often deal with twelve-year-old boys in difficult circumstances, a theme that may recall his own difficulties in dealing with his father's death.
