Frank O'Connor
| Born: | September 17,1903 Cork City, Ireland
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|---|---|
| Died: | March 10, 1966 Dublin, Ireland
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| Occupation(s): | Short story writer, playwright |
| Nationality: | Irish |
| Influences: | Anton Chekhov |
| Influenced: | Colm Toibin, Julian Barnes |
Frank O’Connor (born Michael Francis O'Connor O'Donovan) (September 17, 1903 – March 10, 1966) was an Irish author of over 150 works, who was best known for his short stories and books of memoirs. Born an only child in Cork (city, Ireland, to Minnie O'Connor and Michael O'Donovan, his early life was marked by his father's alcoholism, indebtness and ill-treatment of his mother.
Childhood
Frank O'Connor was raised in an extremely chaotic environment in which his only refuge was his mother, Minnie. While his father was an addicted drunkard who could not refrain from exceeding all credit limits, O'Connor's mother took full responsibility of the household and supported the family single-handedly. In addition, O'Connor's father berated him with derogatory comments toward his masculinity. His father found it outlandish that instead of wrestling, Frank preferred to read. As a result, O'Connor's writing is scarred with the stains of his tumultuous childhood.
Life
He has recounted the early years of his life in one of his best books An Only Child, a memoir not published until 1961, but which had the immediacy of a precocious diary. His childhood was shaped in part by his saintly mother, who supplied much of the family's income because his father was unable to keep steady employment due to his drunkenness. In fact, writing and books were his safe haven from the terrifying family life he was forced to endure. In the process, O'Connor successfully taught himself French and German, which reaped great rewards for him as he would go on to write over 150 short stories.
In 1918 he joined the First Brigade of the Irish Republican Army in its resistance to British rule. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and took the Anti-Treaty side in the ensuing Irish Civil War. He worked in a small propoganda unit in Cork City. O'Connor was subsequently among the twelve thousand anti-Treaty Irish Republicans who were interned by the nascent Irish Free State forces. He was imprisoned in the Gormanstown camp between 1922 and 1923. Following the war, the polyglot O'Connor took various positions including that of Irish teacher and librarian. He was perhaps Ireland's most complete man of letters, best known for his varied and comprehensive short stories but also for his work as a noble literary critic, essayist, travel writer, translator and biographer.
From the 1930s to the 1960s he was a prolific writer of short stories, poems, plays, and novellas. His work as an Irish teacher complemented his numerous translations into English of Irish poetry, including his initially banned translation of Cúirt an Mheán Oíche. Many of O'Connor's writings were based on his own life experiences — his character Larry Delaney in particular.
Timeline
Michael Francis O'Donovan was born on September 17, 1903 in Cork. In 1914, he attended St. Patrick's National School under tutelate of Corkery. Four years later, he joined the First Brigade of the Irish Republican Army. Frank O'Connor did an assortment of occupations. In 1923, O'Connor was imprisoned in the Gormanstown Internment Camp. The next four years saw him as a teacher of the Irish language in rural schools, a librarian in Sligo, Wicklow, and Cork, and an essayist whose work appeared in the Irish Statesmen. In 1931, Mr. O'Donovan switched over completely to Frank O'Connor, and went from a businessmen to a full time writer. This is when his first volume of stories were produced, specifically, "Guests of the Nation." In 1932, he published his first novel, The Saint and Mary Kate, and first translations of Irish poetry, Wild Bird's Nest (Cuala). He was apponted to the Board of Directors of the Abbey Theatre in 1935 and produced "Three Old Brothers," and "Bones of Contention," in the following year.
1937—First broadcast on Radio Eireann. Made Managing Director of the Abbey. With Hugh Hunt produces "In the Train" and "The Invincibles." The Big Fellow.
1938—Lords and Commons (Cuala). "Moses' Rock" (in collaboration with Hugh Hunt) and "Time's Pocket" produced at the Abbey. Resigns post in Pembroke Library. Marries Evelyn Bowen Speaight.
1939—Fountain of Magic (Cuala). Forced to resign from the Board of Directors of the Abbey Theatre after the death of Yeats.
1940—Dutch Interior (officially banned on 10 July), Lament for Art O'Leary (Cuala).
1941—The Statue's Daughter produced at the Gate Theatre. Working with the BBC in London.
1942—Three Tales (Cuala).
1944—Crab Apple Jelly.
1946—Selected Stories. The Midnight Court (banned on 30 April).
1947—Irish Miles. Art of the Theatre. The Common Chord (banned on 12 December).
1948—Road to Stratford. Separated from his wife.
1950—Leinster, Munster, and Connaught.
1951—Traveller's Samples (banned on 20 April). Teaches at Northwestern University and Harvard.
1952—Divorce. Death of his mother on 10 November.
1953—The Stories of Frank O'Connor. Marries Harriet Rich.
1954—More Stories.
1956—Mirror in the Roadway. Domestic Relations.
1959—Book of Ireland. Kings, Lords, & Commons.
1961—An Only Child. While teaching at Stanford University suffers a stroke. Returns to Ireland.
1962—Awarded D. Litt. from Trinity College, Dublin.
1963—Little Monasteries.
1964—The Lonely Voice. Collection Two.
1966—Death on 10 March in Dublin: burial 12 March, Dean's Grange.
Works
- Guests of the Nation
- My Oedipus Complex
- First Confession
- An Only Child
- The Bridal Night
- The Luceys
- The Long Road to Ummera
- The Big Fellow (biography of Michael Collins)
- The Drunkard
and others collected in: O'Connor's Collected Stories, edited by Richard Ellmann (1981)
Legacy
External links
- Biography
- Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
- Beyond Appearances
- Interview with his wife
- Online O'Connor fan page
- The Paris Review Interview
- Dublin Quarterly article on O'Connor's work
- Irish Writers Online page
- Frank O'Connor at the IMDB
Credits
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