Frank O’Connor

Frank O’Connor (pseudonym of Michael Francis O’Donovan) was born and raised in the Irish city of Cork, where he attended primary and secondary school. The only child of Michael and Minnie O’Donovan, O’Connor grew up in a tumultuous household. Michael O’Donovan Sr. was a former soldier whose severe alcoholism prevented him from holding down a job after leaving the army. Despite having bitter feelings towards his father, O’Connor had a close relationship with his mother, who cared for Frank and provided for the family by cleaning houses. O’Connor worked as a librarian before becoming a member of the Irish Republican Army in 1918, which resulted in his imprisonment between 1922 and 1923. Upon his release, O’Connor became somewhat of a Renaissance man. In addition to working as an Irish teacher and librarian, O’Connor served as a broadcaster for the Ministry of Information for the United Kingdom during World War II, as well as a member of the Abbey Theatre Board of Directors. After publishing several works, including his short story “Guests of the Nation” (1931), O’Connor began to acquire fame as a writer. Following the separation from his first wife, Welsh actress Evelyn Bowen, O’Connor accepted American university teaching positions at Northwestern (where he met his second wife, Harriet Rich) and Harvard. While in the United States, O’Connor became known for his short stories, many of which were featured in The New Yorker. O’Connor returned to Ireland in 1961, prompted by a stroke he suffered while teaching at Stanford University. A year later he was granted a Doctor of Letters from Trinity College, Dublin. Frank O’Connor continued to write until his death, dying from a heart attack in Dublin on March 10, 1966.