Robert Leslie Carroll Conly (January 11, 1918 – March 5, 1973), better known by his pen name Robert C. O'Brien, was an American novelist and a journalist for ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' magazine.

Early life

Conly was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...

, the third of five children in a wealthy

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

family. With interests in music and literature, Conly entered

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was killed i ...

in 1935 but left in his second year. He then went through a period that he referred to as his "breakdown", briefly working in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City. ...

, before going back to his family in disgrace. Although he later studied for a time at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

, he went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts in English at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

in 1940.O'Brien, Sally M. (1978). "Biographical Sketch of Robert Leslie Conly". ''Fourth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators''. New York: HW Wilson. Pp. 276–78. . Reprinted in Masis (1997).

Writings

Journalism

After his university graduation, Conly had a brief stint in an advertising agency, and then began working for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

''. He was ineligible for conscription during World War II, as unfit due to physical and mental ailments (classification 4-F in later terms). He then covered national and city news for the ''

Washington Times-Herald The ''Washington Times-Herald'' (1939–1954) was an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It was created by Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson of the Medill–McCormick–Patterson family (long-time owners of the '' Chicago Tribune'' ...

'' beginning in 1944 and later the ''Pathfinder'', a news magazine. In 1951, he began working as an editor and writer for ''

'', a job which was to take him around the world. From 1970 until his death he was a senior assistant editor there.

Fiction writer

In the 1960s Conly developed

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

. Because he could no longer drive to work, he and his family moved in 1963 from Virginia closer to his office in Washington, D.C. In the time he saved from not having to commute, he began to write children's stories. Conly is best known for writing novels under the name "Robert C. O'Brien", from his mother's maiden name, used because his ''National Geographic'' contract "forbid him from publishing with any other company". His first books were the children's stories '' The Silver Crown'' (1968) and ''

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH ''Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH'' is a 1971 children's science fiction/fantasy book by Robert C. O'Brien, with illustrations by Zena Bernstein. The novel was published by the New York City publishing house Atheneum Books. This book was the ...

'' (1971). He won the 1972

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

for the latter and his comments at the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

annual conference were read by his editor Jean Karl to preserve his anonymity. According to Sally Conly, his last two novels, '' A Report from Group 17'' (1972) and ''

Z for Zachariah ''Z for Zachariah'' is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction novel by Robert C. O'Brien that was published posthumously in 1974. The name Robert C. O'Brien was the pen name used by Robert Leslie Conly. After the author's death in March 1973, hi ...

'' (1974), were intended for adults. After his death in 1973, Sally and their daughter Jane finished the latter novel using his notes so it could be published posthumously.O'Brien, Robert C. "About the Author". ''Z for Zachariah''. 1974. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007. ''Z for Zachariah'' received a 1976

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for Best Juvenile Mystery from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award, ...

. Jane Leslie Conly later published two sequels to ''Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH'': '' Racso and the Rats of NIMH'' (1986) and '' R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH'' (1990).

Personal life

Robert Conly married Sally McCaslin in 1943. The couple had four children, three daughters and a son. The marriage lasted until his death from a heart attack thirty years later in 1973. Mrs. Conly has written about her husband under the name Sally O'Brien.

Published books

All are novels published as by Robert C. O'Brien. *'' The Silver Crown'' (

Atheneum Books Atheneum Books was a New York City publishing house established in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr., Simon Michael Bessie and Hiram Haydn. Simon & Schuster has owned Atheneum properties since its acquisition of Macmillan in 1994 and it created Athen ...

, 1968) *''

'' (Atheneum, 1971) *'' A Report from Group 17'' (Macmillan, 1972) *''

'' (Atheneum, 1974)

References

Notes

Sources consulted

* Masis, Boris (1997)
"What has been said about Robert C. O'Brien"
''The Z for Zachariah Nuclear Comparison Page'' (borism.net/zforz).

External links

* * *
O'Brien's entry
at The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Robert C. 1918 births 1973 deaths American people of Irish descent American children's writers American male journalists Journalists from New York City American speculative fiction writers Edgar Award winners Newbery Medal winners Writers from Brooklyn Williams College alumni Writers from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers