Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, foreign translations and

literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Illinois, in

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 ...

, and in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The publisher is named for the novel ''

The Dalkey Archive ''The Dalkey Archive'' is a 1964 novel by the Irish writer Flann O'Brien. It is his fifth and final novel, published two years before his death. It was adapted for the stage by Hugh Leonard in 1965 as ''The Saints Go Cycling In''.

'', by the Irish author

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 ...

. Founded in

Elmwood Park, IL Elmwood Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 24,521 at the 2020 census. The community has long maintained a large Italian-American population, with a more recent influx of Polish-American and Hispanic res ...

in 1984 by John O’Brien, Dalkey Archive Press began as an adjunct press to the literary magazine '' Review of Contemporary Fiction'', itself founded by John O'Brien, John Byrne, and Lowell Dunlap and dedicated to highlighting writers who were overlooked by the mainstream critical establishment. Initially, the press reprinted works by authors featured in the ''Review'' but eventually branched out to other works, including original works that had not been published. Until 1988, Dalkey Archive was a two-person operation: O’Brien and office manager/typesetter Shirley Geever. That year O’Brien hired Steven Moore as managing editor. Later editors include Chad Post (who went on to found

Open Letter Books Open Letter Books is an American publishing house based at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. It was founded in 2008 by Chad W. Post, the Editor-in-Chief of Dalkey Archive Press. It specializes in translation, a less-populated ...

), and authors Martin Riker and Jeremy Davies. In 1992, the press accepted an invitation to move from suburban Chicago to

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

in Normal, Illinois. In December 2006, Dalkey Archive relocated to

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

to be part of the university's commitment to global projects that complement the press's commitment to translations. Modeled on such publishers as

Grove Press Grove Press is an United States of America, American Imprint (trade name), publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it in ...

and New Directions, Dalkey Archive's emphasis is decidedly upon

literary fiction Literary fiction, mainstream fiction, non-genre fiction or serious fiction is a label that, in the book trade, refers to market novels that do not fit neatly into an established genre (see genre fiction); or, otherwise, refers to novels that are ch ...

, usually of a

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

postmodernist Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

bent. In the publisher's own words, Dalkey Archive "place a heavy emphasis upon fiction that belongs to the experimental tradition of Sterne, Joyce, Rabelais,

, Beckett,

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

and

Djuna Barnes Djuna Barnes (, June 12, 1892 – June 18, 1982) was an American artist, illustrator, journalist, and writer who is perhaps best known for her novel ''Nightwood'' (1936), a cult classic of lesbian fiction and an important work of modernist litera ...

." One of the publisher's primary goals is to keep all of its books in print, regardless of their commercial success, in the interest of maintaining the availability of works that it deems culturally and educationally valuable. In 2011, Dalkey founder John O’Brien was awarded the

Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award The Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, established in 1981, is an annual literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle in honor of its first president, Ivan Sandrof. The award "is given to a person or institution who has, over ...

by the

National Book Critics Circle The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American nonprofit organization ( 501(c)(3)) with more than 700 members. It is the professional association of American book review editors and critics, known primarily for the National Book Critics C ...

. In 2015, O’Brien was appointed Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts & des Lettres in recognition of his significant contribution to French arts and literature by the Minister of Culture and Communication of France; its authors and translators have been recipients of many major awards, including the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

, the

Independent Foreign Fiction Prize The ''Independent'' Foreign Fiction Prize (1990–2015) was a British literary award. It was inaugurated by British newspaper ''The Independent'' to honour contemporary fiction in translation in the United Kingdom. The award was first launched i ...

, the

Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize The Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize is an annual literary prize named for the German–American publishers Helen and Kurt Wolff "honoring an outstanding literary translation from German into English" published in the USA the previous year ...

, the Vondel Prize, and the

Premio Valle-Inclán The Premio Valle-Inclán is a literary translation prize. It is awarded by the Society of Authors (London) for the best English translation of a work of Spanish literature. It is named after Ramón del Valle-Inclán. The prize money is GBP £2,000. ...

award. Founder and publisher John O’Brien died on November 21, 2020. He leaves behind 7 dogs, daughter Kathleen O’Brien, sons Emmett, William, and Kevin, brother Eddie, and many other family and friends.

Offices

Dalkey Archive Press has multiple offices, which are located in

McLean, Illinois McLean is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 743 at the 2020 census, down from 830 in 2010. It is part of the Bloomington– Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area. McLean is the home of the Dixie Travel Plaza ...

; Dutch House in

; and the

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Centre for Literary Translation in

.Contact
" Dalkey Archive Press. Retrieved on October 18, 2016.

Selected publications

Dalkey Archive has published a variety of books and authors from many countries. In some cases, the publication of certain books by Dalkey Archive has led to a resurgence in their author's popularity, particularly in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, as happened with

Felipe Alfau Felipe Alfau (24 August 1902 – 18 February 1999) was a Spanish-born American novelist and poet. Most of his works were written in English. Biography Born in Barcelona, Alfau emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of four ...

and

. Some notable books and authors published by Dalkey Archive are listed below. *

, '' Chromos'' and ''Locos: A Comedy of Gestures'' *

, ''

Ryder Ryder System, Inc., commonly known as Ryder, is an American transportation and logistics company. It is especially known for its fleet of commercial rental trucks. Ryder specializes in fleet management, supply chain management, and transp ...

'', ''

Nightwood ''Nightwood'' is a 1936 novel by American author Djuna Barnes that was first published by publishing house Faber and Faber. It is one of the early prominent novels to portray explicit homosexuality between women, and as such can be considered ...

: The Original Version and Related Drafts'' *

Roger Boylan Roger Boylan is an American writer (b. 1951) who was raised in Ireland, France, and Switzerland. His Irish novel ''Killoyle, ''called "a virtuoso performance" by ''Publishers Weekly'', is published by Dalkey Archive Press. His second Irish nove ...

, ''Killoyle, An Irish Farce'' *

Anne Carson Anne Carson (born June 21, 1950) is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator, classicist, and professor. Trained at the University of Toronto, Carson has taught classics, comparative literature, and creative writing at universities across the Unit ...

, ''

Eros the Bittersweet ''Eros the Bittersweet: An Essay'' (1986) is the first book of criticism by the Canadian poet, essayist, translator, and classicist Anne Carson. A reworking of her 1981 doctoral thesis ''Odi et Amo Ergo Sum'' ("I Hate and I Love, Therefore I Am" ...

'' * Joshua Cohen, '' Witz'' *

Robert Coover Robert Lowell Coover (born February 4, 1932) is an American novelist, short story writer, and T.B. Stowell Professor Emeritus in Literary Arts at Brown University. He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction. Background C ...

, ''A Night at the Movies'' *

Jean Echenoz Jean Echenoz (born 26 December 1947) is a French writer. Biography Jean Echenoz was born in Orange, Vaucluse, the son of a psychiatrist, He studied in Rodez, Digne-les-Bains, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Paris, where he has lived sinc ...

, ''Chopin's Move'' *

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist. Biography Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood wr ...

, '' Melancholy'', '' Melancholy II'' * Kass Fleisher, ''Talking out of School: Memoir of an Educated Woman'' *

Carlos Fuentes Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (1962), '' Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), ''The Old Gringo'' (1985) and ''Christophe ...

, '' Terra Nostra'' *

William Gaddis William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. (December 29, 1922 – December 16, 1998) was an American novelist. The first and longest of his five novels, ''The Recognitions'', was named one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005 and two othe ...

, ''

J R ''J R'' is a novel by William Gaddis published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1975. In the story, a schoolboy secretly amasses a fortune in penny stocks. ''J R'' won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1976.The Recognitions ''The Recognitions'' is the 1955 debut novel of US author William Gaddis. The novel was initially poorly received by critics. After Gaddis won a National Book Award in 1975 for his second novel, ''J R'', his first work gradually received new ...

'' *

William Gass William Howard Gass (July 30, 1924 – December 6, 2017) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, critic, and philosophy professor. He wrote three novels, three collections of short stories, a collection of novellas, and seven vol ...

, '' The Tunnel'' *

Henry Green Henry Green was the pen name of Henry Vincent Yorke (29 October 1905 – 13 December 1973), an English writer best remembered for the novels '' Party Going'', ''Living'' and ''Loving''. He published a total of nine novels between 1926 and 1952 ...

, ''

Concluding ''Concluding'' is a novel by British writer Henry Green first published in 1948. It is set entirely on the expansive and idyllic premises of a state-run institution for girls somewhere in rural England and chronicles the events of one summer's ...

'' *

Aidan Higgins Aidan Higgins (3 March 1927 – 27 December 2015) was an Irish writer. He wrote short stories, travel pieces, radio drama and novels. Among his published works are '' Langrishe, Go Down'' (1966), '' Balcony of Europe'' (1972) and the biographic ...

, ''Flotsam and Jetsam'' and ''Bornholme Night Ferry'' *

G. Cabrera Infante Guillermo Cabrera Infante (; Gibara, 22 April 1929 – 21 February 2005) was a Cuban novelist, essayist, translator, screenwriter, and critic; in the 1950s he used the pseudonym G. Caín, and used Guillermo Cain for the screenplay of the ...

, ''Three Trapped Tigers'' *

Hugh Kenner William Hugh Kenner (January 7, 1923 – November 24, 2003) was a Canadian literary scholar, critic and professor. He published widely on Modernist literature with particular emphasis on James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and Samuel Beckett. His major ...

, ''Flaubert, Joyce, and Beckett: The Stoic Comedians'' * Danilo Kis, ''

A Tomb for Boris Davidovich ''A Tomb for Boris Davidovich'' (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian: ''Grobnica za Borisa Davidoviča / Гробница за Бориса Давидовича'') is a collection of seven short stories by Danilo Kiš written in 1976 (transla ...

'' *

António Lobo Antunes António Lobo Antunes, GCSE (; born 1 September 1942) is a Portuguese novelist and retired medical doctor. He has been named as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He has been awarded the 2000 Austrian State Prize, the 2003 Ovid ...

, ''Knowledge of Hell'' * Yuri Lotman, ''Non-Memoirs'' *

Ben Marcus Ben Marcus (born October 11, 1967) is an American author and professor at Columbia University. He has written four books of fiction. His stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in publications including ''Harper's'', ''The New Yorker'', ''The P ...

, ''

The Age of Wire and String ''The Age of Wire and String'' is Ben Marcus's first book, published in 1995. The book is composed of 8 sections, divided into 41 parts, which combine technical language with lyrical imagery to form a sort of Postmodern catalog by turns surreal, ...

'' *

David Markson David Merrill Markson (December 20, 1927 – June 4, 2010)The_Egyptian_Book_of_the_Dead.html" ;"title="'The Egyptian Book of the Dead">'The Egyptian Book of the Dead'' (p. 147) * "A kind of verbal fugue" (p. 170) * "A classic traged ...

, '' Wittgenstein's Mistress'' *

Harry Mathews Harry Mathews (February 14, 1930 – January 25, 2017) was an American writer, the author of various novels, volumes of poetry and short fiction, and essays. Mathews was also a translator of the French language. Life Born in New York City to an ...

, ''My Life in CIA'' *

Nicholas Mosley Nicholas Mosley, 3rd Baron Ravensdale, 7th Baronet, MC, FRSL (25 June 1923 – 28 February 2017) was an English novelist. Life Mosley was born in London in 1923. He was the eldest son of Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet, a British politician, ...

, ''

Natalie Natalia ''Natalie Natalia'' is a novel by Nicholas Mosley first published in 1971 about a middle-aged British MP who, while seemingly on the brink of insanity, conducts an adulterous affair with the wife of a colleague. Plot summary The protagonist o ...

'' *

, ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' *

Patrik Ouředník Patrik Ouředník (in French sometimes known as Patrick; born 23 April 1957 in Prague) is a Czech author and translator, living in France. Ouředník spent his youth in Prague. In 1984 he emigrated to France, where he first worked as a chess con ...

, ''Europeana: A Brief History of the Twentieth Century'' *

Raymond Queneau Raymond Queneau (; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo ('' Ouvroir de littérature potentielle''), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau w ...

, ''Pierrot Mon Ami'' *

Ann Quin Ann Quin (17 March 1936 – 27 August 1973) was a British writer noted for her experimental style. The author of ''Berg'' (1964), ''Three'' (1966), ''Passages'' (1969) and ''Tripticks'' (1972), she died by drowning in 1973 at the age of 37. Life ...

, ''Berg'' and ''Passages'' *

Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known work is '' M ...

, ''

Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down ''Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down'', by the African-American writer Ishmael Reed, is a satirical take on the traditional Western. It is Ishmael Reed's second novel, following '' The Freelance Pallbearers'' (1967), and was first published in 1969. It ...

'' *

Arno Schmidt Arno Schmidt (; 18 January 1914 – 3 June 1979) was a German author and translator. He is little known outside of German-speaking areas, in part because his works present a formidable challenge to translators. Although he is not one of the p ...

, ''

Bottom's Dream ''Bottom's Dream'' ( or ''ZETTEL’S TRAUM'' as the author wrote the title) is a novel published in 1970 by West German author Arno Schmidt. Schmidt began writing the novel in December 1963 while he and Hans Wollschläger began to translate the w ...

'' *

Viktor Shklovsky Viktor Borisovich Shklovsky ( rus, Ви́ктор Бори́сович Шкло́вский, p=ˈʂklofskʲɪj; – 6 December 1984) was a Russian and Soviet literary theorist, critic, writer, and pamphleteer. He is one of the major figures ass ...

, ''Theory of Prose'' and ''Energy of Delusion'' *

Gilbert Sorrentino Gilbert Sorrentino (April 27, 1929 – May 18, 2006) was an American novelist, short story writer, poet, literary critic, professor, and editor. In over twenty-five works of fiction and poetry, Sorrentino explored the comic and formal possibili ...

, ''Blue Pastoral'' and '' Mulligan Stew'' *

Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sulliva ...

, '' Heartsnatcher'' *

Douglas Woolf Douglas Woolf (March 23, 1922 – January 18, 1992) was an American author of short stories, novels and book reviews. Biography Born in New York City, Woolf grew up in Larchmont, New York and attended Harvard University from 1939 to 1942. Dur ...

, ''Wall to Wall'' *

Philip Wylie Philip Gordon Wylie (May 12, 1902 – October 25, 1971) was an American writer of works ranging from pulp science fiction, mysteries, social diatribes and satire to ecology and the threat of nuclear holocaust. Early life and career Born in Bever ...

, '' Generation of Vipers''

References

*Dennis Barone, "What's in a Name? The Dalkey Archive Press." ''Critique'' 37.3 (Spring 1996): 222–39.

External links

*
Interview with Martin Riker
nthWORD Magazine Shorts
Interview with John O'Brien, publisher, and founderA Conversation with Nobel Laureate in Literature Claude Simon
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140206112456/http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/a-conversation-with-claude-simon-by-anthony-cheal-pugh/ , date=2014-02-06
A Conversation with Raymond QueneauA Conversation with Richard PowersA Conversation with David Foster WallaceFinding aid to Dalkey Archive Press at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Book publishing companies based in Illinois Publishing companies established in 1984 Companies based in Champaign County, Illinois