John O'Brien (November 10, 1945 – November 21, 2020) was an Irish American publisher, editor, author, and academic. He founded the journal '' Review of Contemporary Fiction'' in 1980, and the independent press

Dalkey Archive Press Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...

in 1984. In the course of his career, O’Brien published almost 1,000 books from 50 countries.Ed Nawotka
Obituary: John O'Brien, Founder of Dalkey Archive Press
''Publishers Weekly'', November 25, 2020. Accessed December 19, 2020.

Life

O'Brien taught at Illinois Benedictine College,

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

, and then University of Houston-Victoria. O’Brien was awarded the Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the

National Book Critics Circle The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American nonprofit organization (501(c) 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 N ...

in 2011, and in 2015 O'Brien was made Chevalier of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

.Sinéad Crowley
Death announced of Dalkey Archive Press founder John O'Brien
''

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

'', November 25, 2020. Accessed December 19, 2020. He was the father of Kathleen O’Brien, Emmett O’Brien, William O’Brien, and Kevin O’Brien. He died on November 21, 2020, in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

References

External links

An Interview with John O'Brien
Dalkey Archive Press
John O'Brien Interview
Trafika Europe Radio {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, John 1945 births 2020 deaths American book publishing company founders Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres American people of Irish descent Benedictine University faculty Illinois State University faculty University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty University of Houston–Victoria faculty