Frank O’Connor
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Frank O'Connor (born Michael Francis O'Donovan; 17 September 1903 – 10 March 1966) was an Irish author and translator. He wrote poetry (original and translations from Irish), dramatic works, memoirs, journalistic columns and features on aspects of Irish culture and history, criticism, long and short fiction (novels and short stories), biography, and travel books. He is most widely known for his more than 150
short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
and for his memoirs. The
Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award __NOTOC__ The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award—named in honour of Frank O'Connor, who devoted much of his work to the form—was an international literary award presented for the best short story collection. It was presented betwe ...
was named in his honour, as is the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Fellowship.


Early life

Raised in
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
, he was the only child of Minnie (née O'Connor) and Michael O'Donovan. He attended Saint Patrick's School on Gardiner's Hill. One teacher, Daniel Corkery, introduced O'Connor's class to the Irish language and poetry and deeply influenced the young pupil. He later attended North Monastery Christian Brothers School. O'Connor's early life was marked by his father's alcoholism, debt, and ill-treatment of his mother. His childhood was strongly shaped by his mother, who supplied much of the family's income by cleaning houses, and his father was unable to keep steady employment due to alcoholism. O'Connor adored his mother and was bitterly resentful of his father. In his memoirs, he recalled his childhood as "those terrible years", and admitted that he had never been able to forgive his father for his abuse of himself and his mother. When his mother was seventy, O'Connor was horrified to learn from his own doctor that she had suffered for years from chronic
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...
, which she had endured with great stoicism, as she had never had the time nor the money to see a doctor.


Irish nationalism

In 1918 O'Connor joined the First Brigade of the
Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...
and served in combat during the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
. He opposed the
Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...
of 1921 and joined the
Anti-Treaty IRA The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...
during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 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 Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
, working in a small propaganda unit in
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
. He was one of twelve thousand Anti-Treaty combatants who were interned by the government of the new
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
. (see
1923 Irish hunger strikes In October 1923 mass hunger strikes were undertaken by Irish republican prisoners protesting the continuation of their internment without trial. The Irish Civil War had ended six months earlier yet the newly formed Provisional Government of the Iri ...
) In February 1923, O'Connor was imprisoned in
Cork City Gaol Cork City Gaol is a former prison, now a museum, located in Cork City, Ireland. History In 1806 an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the building of a new Cork City Gaol to replace the old gaol at the North Gate Bridge (the old gaol, wh ...
and in April moved to Gormanston, County Meath where he was held until just before Christmas. War is a major theme in most stories of O'Connor's first published collection, ''Guests of the Nation'', 1931.


Literary career

Following his release from Gormanston, O'Connor took various positions including that of teacher of Irish and theatre director. Thanks to his continuing connection with Corkery, he was introduced to
Lennox Robinson Esmé Stuart Lennox Robinson (4 October 1886 – 15 October 1958) was an Irish dramatist, poet and theatre producer and director who was involved with the Abbey Theatre. Life Robinson was born in Westgrove, Douglas, County Cork and raised in ...
, then the secretary for the Carnegie Trust. Robinson was organizing rural libraries and engaged O'Connor as a trainee. O'Connor worked first in Sligo and later under
Geoffrey Phibbs Jeoffrey "Geoffrey" Basil Phibbs (1900–1956) was an English-born Irish poet; he took his mother's name and called himself Geoffrey Taylor, after about 1930. Phibbs was born in Smallburgh, Norfolk. He was brought up in Sligo, and educated i ...
in Wicklow. Through Phibbs, he met and was befriended by
George William Russell George William Russell (10 April 1867 – 17 July 1935), who wrote with the pseudonym Æ (often written AE or A.E.), was an Irish writer, editor, critic, poet, painter and Irish nationalist. He was also a writer on mysticism, and a cen ...
(Æ), who requested O'Connor to send him material for publication. Russell introduced O'Connor to most of the well-known Irish writers of the day, including
W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...
, F. R. Higgins and
Augusta Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish dramatist, Folklore, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre a ...
. In his memoirs, he paid tribute to both Yeats and Russell for the help and encouragement they gave him. In December 1928, he moved to Dublin to take up the position of librarian at the Pembroke District Library. In 1935, O'Connor became a member of the board of directors of the
Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...
in Dublin, founded by Yeats and other members of the Irish National Theatre Society. In 1937, he became managing director of the Abbey. Following Yeats's death in 1939, O'Connor's long-standing conflict with other board members came to a head and he left the Abbey later that year. In 1950, he accepted invitations to teach in the United States, where many of his short stories had been published in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' and won great acclaim. He spent much of the 1950s in the United States, although it was always his intention to return eventually to Ireland.


Death

O'Connor had a stroke while teaching at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1961, and he later died from a heart attack in Dublin, Ireland on 10 March 1966. He was buried in
Deans Grange Cemetery Dean's Grange Cemetery (; also spelled ''Deansgrange'') is situated in the suburban area of Deansgrange in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, County Dublin, Ireland. Since it first opened in 1865, over 150,000 people have been buried there. It is, toge ...
on 12 March 1966.


Family

In 1939 O'Connor married Evelyn Bowen (who had previously been married to the actor
Robert Speaight Robert William Speaight (; 1904 – 1976) was a British actor and writer, and the brother of George Speaight, the puppeteer. Speaight studied under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based in the Royal Albert Hall, ...
): they had two sons and a daughter. They were divorced in 1953. O'Connor married, secondly, Harriet Rich of Baltimore, whom he met while lecturing at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
. They had one daughter. Between his marriages to Bowen and Rich, he was romantically involved with Joan Knape, with whom he had a son,
Oliver O'Donovan Oliver Michael Timothy O'Donovan (born 28 June 1945) is a British Anglican priest and academic, known for his work in the field of Christian ethics. He has also made contributions to political theology, both contemporary and historical. He was ...
.


Work

O'Connor was perhaps best known for his varied and comprehensive short stories but also for his work as a literary critic, essayist, travel writer, translator and biographer. He was also a novelist, poet and dramatist. O'Connor's career began in 1922 and accelerated with the appearance of poetry in translation, articles on early Irish poets, book reviews by stories and original poetry. Much of this material appeared in Æ's journal ''
Irish Statesman The ''Irish Statesman'' was a weekly journal promoting the views of the Irish Dominion League. It ran from 27 June 1919 to June 1930, edited by Warre B. Wells, assisted by James Winder Good, and with contributions from W. B. Yeats, George Bern ...
''. From the early 1930s following the publication of his first volume of short stories, ''Guests of the Nation'' (1931), to his death in 1966 he was a prolific writer of short stories (c. 160), translations of a wide range of Irish poetry (c. 120), plays, both alone and in collaborations (c.10), novels (2) as well as works in non-fiction covering topics in literary criticism and theory, travel, Irish culture, and biography. His work as an Irish teacher complemented his plethora of translations into English of Irish poetry, including his initially banned translation of
Brian Merriman Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre (c. 1747 – 27 July 1805) was an 18th-century Irish-language bard, farmer, hedge school teacher, and Irish traditional musician from rural County Clare. Long after his death, Merriman's li ...
's ''Cúirt an Mheán Oíche'' (''The Midnight Court''). Many of O'Connor's writings were based on his own life experiences – notably his well-known ''The Man of the House'' in which he reveals childhood details concerning his early life in County Cork. The Sullivan family in this short story, like his own boyhood family, is lacking a proper father figure. In other stories, his character Larry Delaney, in particular, is reminiscent of events in O'Connor's own life. O'Connor's experiences in the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
and the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 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 Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
are reflected in ''The Big Fellow'', his biography of Irish revolutionary leader
Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...
, published in 1937, and one of his best-known short stories, ''Guests of the Nation'' (1931), published in various forms during O'Connor's lifetime and included in ''Frank O'Connor – Collected Stories'', published in 1981. O'Connor's early years are recounted in ''An Only Child'' (1961), a
memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...
which has the immediacy of a precocious diary. U.S. President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
remarked anecdotally from ''An Only Child'' at the conclusion of his speech at the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center in San Antonio on 21 November 1963: "Frank O'Connor, the Irish writer, tells in one of his books how, as a boy, he and his friends would make their way across the countryside, and when they came to an orchard wall that seemed too high and too doubtful to try and too difficult to permit their voyage to continue, they took off their hats and tossed them over the wall—and then they had no choice but to follow them. This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space and we have no choice but to follow it." O'Connor continued his autobiography through his time with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, which ended in 1939, in his book, ''My Father's Son'', which was published in 1968, posthumously. It contains valuable character sketches of many of the leading Irish literary figures of the 1930s, in particular, Yeats and Russell (who wrote with the pseudonyms Æ and Æon).


Frank O'Connor Festival and Prize

Since 2000, The Munster Literature Centre in O'Connor's hometown of Cork has run a festival dedicated to the short story form in O'Connor's name. The longest-established annual festival dedicated to the short story form in an English-speaking country, it regularly hosts readings, workshops and masterclasses for contemporary practitioners of the form, as well as celebrating the work of O'Connor and other local short fiction writers such as
Elizabeth Bowen Elizabeth Dorothea Cole Bowen ( ; 7 June 1899 – 22 February 1973) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writer notable for her books about "The Big House in Ireland, the Big House" of Irish Landed gentry, landed ...
,
Seán Ó Faoláin Seán Proinsias Ó Faoláin (27 February 1900 – 20 April 1991) was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Irish culture. A short-story writer of international repute, he was also a leading commentator and critic. Biography Ó ...
and
William Trevor William Trevor Cox (24 May 1928 – 20 November 2016) was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer. One of the elder statesmen of the Irish literary world, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest contemporary writers of sho ...
.Munster Literature Centre Festival
, munsterlit.ie; accessed 9 November 2014.
The festival has hosted readings by:
Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story author, and writer of a series of novels featuring the character Frank Bascombe. Ford's first collection of short stories, ''Rock Springs (short stories), Rock Springs ...
,
Julia O'Faolain Julia O'Faolain (6 June 1932 – 27 October 2020) was an Irish novelist and short story writer. Early life and education O'Faolain's parents were Irish writers Seán Ó Faoláin and Eileen Gould. She was educated at University College Dublin, Sa ...
,
James Lasdun James Lasdun (born 8 June 1958) is an English novelist and poet. Life and career Lasdun was born in London, the son of Susan (Bendit) and British architect Sir Denys Lasdun. Lasdun has written four novels, including , a New York Times Notable B ...
,
Alasdair Gray Alasdair James Gray (28 December 1934 – 29 December 2019) was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, ''Lanark'' (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays, poetry and translations, and ...
, Dan Rhodes, Eugene McCabe,
Bernard MacLaverty Bernard MacLaverty (born 14 September 1942) is a Northern Irish fiction writer and novelist. His novels include '' Cal'' and '' Grace Notes''. He has written five books of short stories. Biography MacLaverty was born in no. 73 Atlantic Avenue ...
,
Desmond Hogan Desmond Hogan (born 10 December 1950) is an Irish writer. Awarded the 1977 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and 1980 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, his oeuvre comprises novels, plays, short stories and travel writing. The ''Cork Examiner'' said: ...
,
James Plunkett James Plunkett Kelly, or James Plunkett (21 May 1920 – 28 May 2003), was an Irish writer. He was educated at Synge Street CBS. Kelly grew up among the Dublin working class and they, along with the petty bourgeoisie and lower intelligentsi ...
, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Rebecca Miller,
Anne Enright Anne Teresa Enright (born 11 October 1962) is an Irish writer. The first Laureate for Irish Fiction (2015–2018) and winner of the Man Booker Prize (2007), she has published eight novels, many short stories, and a non-fiction work called ''Mak ...
, Mike McCormack,
Etgar Keret Etgar Keret (; born August 20, 1967) is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television. Early life Keret was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1967. He is a third child to parents who survive ...
,
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne Éilís Ní Dhuibhne (; born 22 February 1954), also known as Eilis Almquist and Elizabeth O'Hara, is an Irish novelist and short story writer who writes both in Irish and English. She has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, and ...
,
Cónal Creedon Cónal Creedon is an Irish novelist, dramatist, playwright and documentary filmmaker. Published books Creedon has written a number of novel-length works. * ''Pancho and Lefty Ride Out ''(Collins Press 1995) * ''Passion Play ''(Poolbeg Press ...
,
Samrat Upadhyay Samrat Upadhyay (, born 1964) is a Nepalese born American writer who writes in English. Upadhyay is a professor of creative writing and has previously served as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Indiana University Bloomington. He is ...
,
Philip Ó Ceallaigh Philip Ó Ceallaigh (; born 23 March 1968) is an Irish short story writer and translator who lives in Bucharest. Ó Ceallaigh won the 2006 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and was shortlisted twice (2006 and 2009) for the Frank O'Connor Inte ...
, Rachel Sherman, David Marcus,
Panos Karnezis Panagiotis Karnezis (; born 1967 in Amaliada), known as Panos Karnezis, is a Greek people, Greek writer. Born in Greece, he moved to England in 1992 to study Engineering. He was later awarded a Master of Arts, M.A. in Creative Writing by the Unive ...
, Nisha da Cunha, William Wall,
Bret Anthony Johnston Bret Anthony Johnston is an American author. He wrote the novel ''Remember Me Like This'' and the story collection, ''Corpus Christi: Stories''. He is also the editor of the non-fiction work, ''Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creat ...
, David Means,
Claire Keegan Claire Keegan (born 1968) is an Irish writer known for her short stories, which have been published in ''The New Yorker'', '' Best American Short Stories'', ''Granta'', and ''The Paris Review''. She is also known for her novellas, two of which ha ...
,
Miranda July Miranda July (born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger; February 15, 1974) is an American film director, screenwriter, actress and author. Her body of work includes film, fiction, monologue, digital presentations and live performance art. She wrote, di ...
,
Rick Moody Hiram Frederick Moody III (born October 18, 1961) is an American novelist and short story writer best known for the 1994 novel '' The Ice Storm'', a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families over Thanksgiving weekend in 1 ...
,
Jhumpa Lahiri Nilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" LahiriMinzesheimer, Bob, ''USA Today'', August 19, 2003. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. (born July 11, 1967) is a British-American author known for her short stories, novels, and essays in English and, more recently, in I ...
,
Yiyun Li Yiyun Li (Chinese: 李翊雲 - ''Li Yiyun'') (born November 4, 1972) is a Chinese-born writer and professor who has lived and worked in the United States since entering graduate school. She writes exclusively in English. Her short stories and no ...
, Julie Orringer,
ZZ Packer Zuwena "ZZ" Packer (born January 12, 1973) is an American writer, primarily of works of short fiction. She is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award, a Whiting Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her book ''Drinking Coffee El ...
, Simon Van Booy,
Wells Tower Wells Tower (born April 14, 1973) is an American writer of short stories, non-fiction, feature films and television. In 2009 he published his first short story collection, ''Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) to m ...
,
Charlotte Grimshaw Charlotte Grimshaw (born December 1966) is a New Zealand novelist, short-story writer, columnist and former lawyer. She has written both fiction and non-fiction, often drawing on her legal experience. Her short stories and longer works often ha ...
and
Kevin Barry Kevin Gerard Barry (20 January 1902 – 1 November 1920) was an Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier and medical student who was executed by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence. He was sentenced to death for his part in a ...
among others. It also has a tradition of encouraging younger writers at the start of their career
Jon Boilard
for example. The
Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award __NOTOC__ The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award—named in honour of Frank O'Connor, who devoted much of his work to the form—was an international literary award presented for the best short story collection. It was presented betwe ...
, is awarded to the best short fiction collection published in English anywhere in the world in the year preceding the festival. The prize is also open to translated works and in the event of a translation winning the prize is divided equally between author and translator. The award is described as "the richest prize for the short story form" and at €35,000 in 2010 is one of the most valuable literary prizes for any category of literature.


In popular culture

O’Connor's short story " Guests of the Nation" has been the basis of several films. The story is set during the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
and chronicles the doomed friendship between the members of an I.R.A. unit and the two
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
hostages whom they are guarding. The first film was a silent one, directed in 1934 by
Denis Johnston (William) Denis Johnston (18 June 1901 – 8 August 1984) was an Irish writer. Born in Dublin, he wrote mostly plays, but also works of literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work on c ...
and featuring
Barry Fitzgerald William Joseph Shields (10 March 1888 – 4 January 1961), known professionally as Barry Fitzgerald, was an Irish stage, film and television actor. In a career spanning almost forty years, he appeared in such notable films as ''Bringing Up Bab ...
and
Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...
.
Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish filmmaker and writer. He first achieved recognition for his short story collection, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia,'' which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in ...
's award-winning film ''
The Crying Game ''The Crying Game'' is a 1992 crime thriller film, written and directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Stephen Woolley and Nik Powell, and starring Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jaye Davidson, Adrian Dunbar, Ralph Brown, and Forest Whitak ...
'' was inspired in part by this story.


Bibliography


Short story collections

* '' Guests of the Nation'' (1931), including the famous title story. * '' Bones of Contention'' (1936), including the story "The Majesty of Law", a short story adapted as an episode of the 1957 film ''
The Rising of the Moon "The Rising of the Moon" is an Irish ballad recounting a battle between the Society of United Irishmen, United Irishmen, led by Wolfe Tone, against British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Description The ballad's singer is told th ...
''. * '' Crab Apple Jelly'' (1944) * '' The Common Chord'' (1947) * '' Traveller's Samples'' (1951), including the classic story "First Confession". * '' The Stories of Frank O'Connor'' (1952), including the first publication of perhaps his most popular story "My Oedipus Complex". * '' More Stories by Frank O'Connor'' (1954) * ''
Domestic Relations In the common law tradition, the law of domestic relations is a broad category that encompasses: * divorce; * property settlements; * alimony, spousal support, or other maintenance; * the establishment of Paternity (law), paternity; * the establ ...
'' (1957) * '' A Set of Variations'' (1969) * '' The Cornet Player Who Betrayed Ireland'' (1981) * '' The Collected Stories'' (Edited by
Richard Ellmann Richard David Ellmann, Fellow of the British Academy, FBA (March 15, 1918 – May 13, 1987) was an American Literary criticism, literary critic and biographer of the Irish writers James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and W. B. Yeats, William Butler Yeats. ...
) (1981) * ''The Collar: Stories of Irish Priests'' (1993) * '' A Frank O'Connor Reader'' (1994)


Novels

* ''The Saint and Mary Kate'' (1932) * ''Dutch Interior'' (1940)


Autobiography

* *


Poetry

* ''Three Old Brothers and Other Poems'' (1936)


Poetry from the Irish

* ''The Wild Bird's Nest'' (1932) * ''Lords and Commons, Translations from the Irish'' (1938) * '' Lament for Art O'Leary'' (1940) * ''
The Midnight Court Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre (c. 1747 – 27 July 1805) was an 18th-century Irish-language bard, farmer, hedge school teacher, and Irish traditional musician from rural County Clare. Long after his death, Merriman's life ...
'' (1945) * ''Kings, Lords, and Commons'' (1959) * ''The Little Monasteries'' (1963)


Irish history

* ''
The Big Fellow ''The Big Fellow'' is a 1937 biography of the famed Irish leader, Michael Collins, by Frank O'Connor. ''The Big Fellow'' covers the period of Collins's life from the Easter Rising in 1916 to his death during the Irish Civil War in 1922. Unl ...
'', biography of
Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...
(1937)


Travel writing

* ''Irish Miles'' (1947) * ''Leinster, Munster and Connaught'' (1950)


Criticism

* '' The Road to Stratford'' (1948; revised edition published in 1960–61 in the US as ''Shakespeare's Progress'') * ''The Mirror in the Roadway: A Study of the Modern Novel'' (1956) * '' The Lonely Voice: A Study of the Short Story ''(1962) * ''The Backward Look: A Survey of Irish Literature ''(1967; published in the US as ''A Short History of Irish Literature: A Backward Look'')


See also

*
Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award __NOTOC__ The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award—named in honour of Frank O'Connor, who devoted much of his work to the form—was an international literary award presented for the best short story collection. It was presented betwe ...
*
List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland This is a list of people on stamps of Ireland, including the years when they appeared on a stamp. Because no Irish stamps were designed prior to 1929, the first Irish stamps issued by the Provisional Government of Ireland were the then-current ...


References


Notes


Sources

* * * *


Further reading

* ''Irish Writers on Writing'' featuring Frank O'Connor. Edited by
Eavan Boland Eavan Aisling Boland ( ; 24 September 1944 – 27 April 2020) was an Irish poet, author, and professor. She was a professor at Stanford University, where she had taught from 1996. Her work deals with the Irish national identity, and the role o ...
(
Trinity University Press Trinity University Press is a university press affiliated with Trinity University, which is located in San Antonio, Texas. Trinity University Press was officially founded in 1967 after the university acquired the Illinois-based Principia Press. T ...
, 2007). *


External links


Profile
, frankoconnor.ucc.ie; accessed 8 November 2014.

Non-profit arts organisation The Munster Literature Centre – Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland.
Frank O'Connor: Critical Essays
Amazon; accessed 9 November 2014.

accessed 9 November 2014

usna.edu; accessed 9 November 2014

munsterlit.ie; accessed 9 November 2014. *

accessed 9 November 2014. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Frank 1903 births 1966 deaths Abbey Theatre Book censorship in the Republic of Ireland Burials at Deans Grange Cemetery Censorship in the Republic of Ireland Irish–English translators 20th-century Irish memoirists Irish male short story writers Irish republicans interned without trial Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members Writers from Cork (city) People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side) Translators from Irish Translators of Brian Merriman 20th-century Irish translators 20th-century Irish short story writers 20th-century Irish male writers People educated at North Monastery