A life in dates
- 15 July 1919: Born – Dublin, Ireland
- 1985: The Good Apprentice – Novel
- 1985: The Good Apprentice – Shortlist, The Booker Prize
- 1987: The Book and the Brotherhood – Novel
- 1987: The Book and the Brotherhood – Shortlist, The Booker Prize
- 8 February 1999: Died – Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, Aged 79.