John Banville reflects on grief and storytelling in new memoir project

John Banville, the acclaimed Irish novelist, is working on a new memoir titled "Out of True," which he humorously describes as "a pack of lies." At 78, he is still processing the grief of losing his wife three years ago during the pandemic. Banville has spent the past month as a writer in residence at the Prado Museum in Madrid. He reflects on his writing journey, noting that he has always been drawn to the lives of artists and the power of storytelling, influenced by his family's storytelling tradition. Despite previously stating he would focus on crime fiction, Banville is now combining ideas for his memoir and a fictional narrative about survival. He continues to explore themes of love and loss, drawing from his complex personal history.