''The Informer'' is a novel by

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

writer

Liam O'Flaherty Liam O'Flaherty ( ; 28 August 1896 – 7 September 1984) was an Irish novelist and short-story writer, and one of the foremost socialist writers in the first part of the 20th century, writing about the common people's experience and from their ...

published in 1925. It received the 1925

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Unit ...

Plot summary

Set in 1920s

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in the aftermath of the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, the novel centers on "Gypo" Nolan. Having disclosed the whereabouts of his friend Frankie McPhillip to the police for a reward, Gypo finds himself hunted by his revolutionary comrades for this betrayal.

Character list

*Gypo Nolan - The informer of the novel's title, he is an ex-policeman and member of the Revolutionary Organization. *Frankie McPhillip - Gypo Nolan's "bosom friend" and a member of the Revolutionary Organization, he is wanted for a murder committed during a farm labourers' strike and is betrayed to the police by Gypo. *Dan Gallagher - A commandant of the Revolutionary Organization bent on finding and killing the informer.

Adaptations

Most famously, the novel was made into a film of the same name by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

in 1935 starring

Victor McLaglen Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made se ...

as Gypo Nolan. The film won four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, including the Oscar for Best Actor for McLaglen, Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay for

Dudley Nichols Dudley Nichols (April 6, 1895 – January 4, 1960) was an American screenwriter and film director. He was the first person to decline an Academy Award, as part of a boycott to gain recognition for the Screen Writers Guild; he would later accept ...

and director Ford’s first of a record four wins for the Oscar for Best Directing. ''The Informer'' later served as the basis for Jules Dassin's American drama '' Uptight'', setting the story in the shadow of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

's assassination and adapting it to the American

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

. An earlier film adaptation also named '' The Informer'' was directed by

Arthur Robison Arthur Robison (June 25, 1883 – October 20, 1935) was a German film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 20 films between 1916 and 1935. Selected filmography * ''A Night of Horror'' (1916) * ''What Belongs to Darkness' ...

in 1929.

References

1925 novels Novels by Liam O'Flaherty Irish novels adapted into films Novels set in the 1920s Novels set in Dublin (city) Novels about revolutionaries 20th-century Irish novels {{1920s-poli-novel-stub