A family of his own
Subtitle: a life of Edwin O'Connor
By: Charles F. Duffy.
Publisher: Catholic University of America Press
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 376
Subjects: O'Connor, Edwin.; Authors, American -- 20th century -- Biography.; Fathers and sons in literature.; Irish Americans in literature.; Irish Americans -- Biography.
Genres: Biography.
Description: A family of his own covers Edwin O'Connor's comfortable upbringing in Rhode Island, his formation at Notre Dame, his obscure years in radio and the Coast Guard during World War II, his adoption of Boston, his long association with his publishers at "Atlantic Monthly" and Little, Brown and Company, his toil in journalism and television reviewing, his several sojourns in Ireland, and his extraordinary dedication to his craft while living close to poverty. For the years after "The Last Hurrah," Duffy examines O'Connor's handling of newfound wealth and celebrity, his growing loneliness, the surprise and fulfillment of a late marriage, his failure on Broadway, and his return to fiction. Throughout his writing O'Connor's major subject was the family, especially the gains, losses, and conflicts within assimilated Irish America. Duffy examines the complex ways by which O'Connor's own experience of family and friendship formed essential patterns in his works.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 361-368) and index.