Timothy O'Keeffe (27 September 1926 – 11 January 1994) was an Irish-born editor and publisher. He was born in Scilly,

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, and served as editorial director of the London publishing house MacGibbon & Kee. He later formed his own publishing house, Martin, Brian & O'Keeffe. O'Keeffe was instrumental in the republication of

Flann O'Brien Brian O'Nolan ( ga, Brian Ó Nualláin; 5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966), better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth cen ...

's novel ''

At Swim-Two-Birds ''At Swim-Two-Birds'' is a 1939 novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It is widely considered to be O'Brien's masterpiece, and one of the most sophisticated examples of metafiction. The novel's title d ...

'' in 1959, as well as the posthumous publication of O'Brien's ''

The Third Policeman ''The Third Policeman'' is a novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It was written in 1939 and 1940, but after it initially failed to find a publisher, the author withdrew the manuscript from circulation ...

'' in 1967; had it not been for O'Keeffe's determined efforts, the books would largely be unknown today. The ''

Review of Contemporary Fiction The Review of Contemporary Fiction is a tri-quarterly journal published by Dalkey Archive Press. It features a variety of fiction, reviews and critical essays on literature that has an experimental, avant-garde or subversive bent. Founded in 1980 ...

'' has hailed O'Keeffe as "among the most important publishing editors of the century." He died in London in 1994, aged 67. His former colleague, Martin Green, writing in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', said that his death "closes a chapter on the London publishing scene."

References

1926 births 1994 deaths People from Kinsale Irish publishers (people)