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Stories by Frank O'Connor #1
Stories of Frank O'Connor, The
A collection of 27 short stories by the 20th century Irish author
Hardcover
First published August 18, 1952
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About the author
Frank O'Connor
164 books130 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Frank O’Connor (born Michael Francis O'Connor O'Donovan) was an Irish author of over 150 works, who was best known for his short stories and memoirs. Raised an only child in Cork, 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.
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 literary critic, essayist, travel writer, translator and biographer.[5] He was also a novelist, poet and dramatist.[6]
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 plethora of translations into English of Irish poetry, including his initially banned translation of Brian Merriman's Cúirt an Mheán Oíche ("The Midnight Court"). Many of O'Connor's writings were based on his own life experiences — his character Larry Delaney in particular. O'Connor's experiences in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War are reflected in The Big Fellow, his biography of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins, 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, a memoir published in 1961 but which has the immediacy of a precocious diary. U.S. President John F. Kennedy quoted from An Only Child in his remarks introducing the American commitment to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Kennedy described the long walks O'Connor would take with his friends and how, when they came to a wall that seemed too formidable to climb over, they would throw their caps over the wall so they would be forced to scale the wall after them. Kennedy concluded, "This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space and we have no choice but to follow it."[7] 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, after O'Connor's death.
Frank O’Connor (born Michael Francis O'Connor O'Donovan) was an Irish author of over 150 works, who was best known for his short stories and memoirs. Raised an only child in Cork, 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.
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 literary critic, essayist, travel writer, translator and biographer.[5] He was also a novelist, poet and dramatist.[6]
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 plethora of translations into English of Irish poetry, including his initially banned translation of Brian Merriman's Cúirt an Mheán Oíche ("The Midnight Court"). Many of O'Connor's writings were based on his own life experiences — his character Larry Delaney in particular. O'Connor's experiences in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War are reflected in The Big Fellow, his biography of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins, 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, a memoir published in 1961 but which has the immediacy of a precocious diary. U.S. President John F. Kennedy quoted from An Only Child in his remarks introducing the American commitment to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Kennedy described the long walks O'Connor would take with his friends and how, when they came to a wall that seemed too formidable to climb over, they would throw their caps over the wall so they would be forced to scale the wall after them. Kennedy concluded, "This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space and we have no choice but to follow it."[7] 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, after O'Connor's death.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 8, 2023
Reading these stories is like spending an afternoon watching a few black and white movies from the British cinema of the 40s and 50s. Think 'Passport to Pimlico', 'The Titfield Thunderbolt', 'Whiskey Galore' - that kind of thing. Not that these are all comedic tales, some are quite moving, but they took me back to those old films nontheless with references to 'the Mother' and stories of priests who were a lot smarter than you'd give them credit for.
July 2, 2015
In preparation for a trip to Ireland in late summer, I am reading some good Irish short stories. I've read James Joyce ("Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses"), Flann O'Brien ("The Poor Mouth"), and William Trevor ("Two Lives"), now I'm reading Frank O'Connor. This author writes with versatility in different styles, capturing different characters in different Irish settings. I read "Guests of A Nation" with an opening of warm comradery and an ending that underscores the cruel demands of war for Irish independence. "Orpheus and His Lute" is a funny, but truthful and relevant story that all musicians should read. "In the Train" and "the Majesty of the Law" both underscore the humanity of many in the police force and their frustrations with enforcing unfair British laws (at that time) on the Irish people. "The Long Road to Ummera" challenges with strong Irish tradition the famous American title "You Can Never Go Home." A "Song without Words" is a humorous and insightful story of monks in a monastery, one was a famous horse jockey in his previous life and is still an expert on horse racing (and horse betting); he inspires another brother in this avocation, to an expected fault! In "Uprooted" two adult brothers, one a priest and the other a teacher, return home to their small town to do one last favor for their headstrong and "celebrative" father. Ned Lowry and Rita Lomasney were best friends since childhood, Ned was well-bred, well-mannered, and educated, Rita from a typical Irish family, but Rita is flamboyant and fiercely independent in both life and love: "The Mad Lomasneys." The sibling rivalry of "The Luceys" shows how far the resentment and pride between two brothers can divide a family for at least two generations. "News for the Church" recounts an episode in the confessional booth between a busy priest and a young woman active in life and love, the concantenation prompts the reader to ask "what next?" The story "Judas" concerns two young lovers with demanding single mothers seeking to win maternal approval as they strive to stay together. That's as far as I got-- still seven more to go! Now I'm also reading "Midsummer Night Madness and Other Stories" by Sean O'Faolain!
April 11, 2013
I read this collection as a teenager in rural Ireland. It threw a poignant spotlight on the era of my grandparents' youth; a time of hard work and simple pleasures in a country dominated by the doctrine of the Catholic church. O'Connor's stories are humorously crafted and many of the stories had me laughing aloud. This is a collection hat I have revisited many times since my first reading and it is one that I am sure my son will enjoy in he future.
July 24, 2019
It brought back memories reading some of these stories again. A few of them were on the school syllabus when I did my inter cert in the early 1980's. I was fortunate to have a decent teacher, Mr Ryan, who clearly enjoyed teaching English. There is a vast range in the stories, from self-deprecating accounts of early childhood in Cork city, to the passing of traditional ways of life as the people moved to the city away from their roots. There is some resonance of O' Connor in the writing of later Irish writers like John B Keane and John McGahern. The edition that I read concludes with the timeless and deeply moving " Guests Of the Nation ". Although some of the stories are very much of their time, I highly recommend this for fans of Irish fiction.
November 10, 2013
One of two short story collections of Frank O'Connor that I went through. I had the same reaction to them that I have with all but a handful of short story writers -- that while a few of the author's works really captured my attention, the rest really didn't. The ones that stood out for me here were "Guests of the Nation," "The Drunkard" and "Legal Aid."
November 15, 2012
Honestly, I only read "Internment." Since the story was in a textbook and not in a personal book, I just marked this as read...
The story was alright. It definitely did a good job of describing everyday life during that time period.
The story was alright. It definitely did a good job of describing everyday life during that time period.
October 20, 2012
Frank O'Connor seems to be an absolute master when he writes short stories centred on the lives of children; My Oedipus Complex and First Confession being some of the greatest examples of this. In such stories he can make you laugh and cry, and you simply end up just gawking at his talent.
However, his adult stories, which make up the last 2/3 of this book, are not nearly as enjoyable nor fun. While his childhood stories at the beginning of this book are all 5 stars each, his adulthood short stories really drop the ball. Hence my overall 3/5 star rating.
I'm thinking I should pick up and read his first biography, An Only Child as it centres on his childhood. Hopefully it's written with the same talent as his fiction is!
However, his adult stories, which make up the last 2/3 of this book, are not nearly as enjoyable nor fun. While his childhood stories at the beginning of this book are all 5 stars each, his adulthood short stories really drop the ball. Hence my overall 3/5 star rating.
I'm thinking I should pick up and read his first biography, An Only Child as it centres on his childhood. Hopefully it's written with the same talent as his fiction is!
November 10, 2013
One of two short story collections of Frank O'Connor that I went through. I had the same reaction to them that I have with all but a handful of short story writers -- that while a few of the author's works really captured my attention, the rest really didn't. The ones that stood out for me here were "The Drunkard," "Christmas Morning" and "News for the Church."
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews