Haut Domaine

by Dan O'Brien

Eminent Domain bears the hallmark of a mature and talented author. While subtle metaphors and analogies resonate throughout the text, the surface of these stories is charged with vivid scenes of fishing, caring for game birds in winter, branding calves in Nebraska, and rescuing a wounded mountain climber.

With both humor and poignancy, Dan O'Brien explores the lives of his diverse characters. In "The Inheritance," a businessman goes fishing after the death of his father and realizes, through memories he tries to evade, the richness of the inheritance his father has left him. "Eminent Domain" tells the story of Willy Herbeck, who's "dirty, sloppy, unsociable, old-fashioned, moody, bullheaded, and ugly." But he's also "got class" and is willing to go to extremes to keep from selling his junkyard to the government.

At ease with a wide variety of characters and complex emotional circumstances, O'Brien enriches his stories with authentic voices and thought-provoking resolutions. These are stories you will return to again and again.

Genres: Fiction

217 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Dan O'Brien was born Daniel Hosler O'Brien in Findlay Ohio on November 23, 1947. He attended Findlay High School and graduated in 1966. He went to Michigan Technological University to play football and graduated with a BS degree in Math and Business from Findlay College in 1970 where he was the chairman of the first campus Earth Day. He earned an MA in English Literature from the University of South Dakota in 1973 where he studied under Frederick Manfred. He earned an MFA from Bowling Green University (of Ohio) in 1974, worked as a biologist and wrote for a few years before entering the PhD program at Denver University. When he won the prestigious Iowa Short Fiction in 1986 he gave up academics except for occasional short term teaching jobs. O'Brien continued to write and work as an endangered species biologist for the South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks and later the Peregrine Fund. In the late 1990s he began to change his small cattle ranch in South Dakota to a buffalo ranch. In 2001 he founded Wild Idea Buffalo Company and Sustainable Harvest Alliance to produce large landscape, grass fed and field harvest buffalo to supply high quality and sustainable buffalo meat to people interested in human health and the health of the American Great Plains. He now raises buffalo and lives on the Cheyenne River Ranch in western South Dakota with his wife Jill. Dan O'Brien is the winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, two National Endowment for the Arts Grants for fiction, A Bush Foundation Award for writing, a Spur Award, two Wrangler Awards from the National cowboy Hall of Fame, and an honorary PhD from the University of South Dakota. His books have been translated into seven foreign languages and his essays, reviews, and short stories have been published in many periodicals including, Redbook, New York Times Magazine, FYI. New York Times Book Review.

Reviews

[M. Sarki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every story is a good one and really gives an insight what to expect from the proceeding pen of Dan O'Brien. He is a dandy of a writer. One of the best. Enjoy the book as much as I did. Seems I read his first one last.

[Landon Schofield · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book we see many different story's about the Midwest. We see several different people with different occupations and the struggles they face and how they overcome them. I thought it was interesting but some of the stories seemed to drag on.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, Dan O'Brien masters the art of writing the short story! He's captures brilliantly the characters, the interpersonal dynamics, and the landscape. I loved these stories.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories that pull on my heart strings and make me think of them for days. Dan O'Brien is an expert on richly developing his scenes and characters.