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63rd out of 212 books
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Collected Stories
"One of the masters of the short story".--NEWSWEEK. "In almost all the stories in this excellently balanced collection O'Connor's people explode from the page. The nice are here and the nasty: the gentle, the generous, the mean, the absurd, those rich in dignity, those without a shred of it. . . . Without adornment, he simply tells the truth".--WASHINGT...more
Paperback, 720 pages
Published
August 12th 1982
by Vintage
(first published 1981)
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My mother used to read me his stories when I was a kid - I especially loved "First Confession." His beautifully written, mostly autobiographical stories are a perfect balance of sentiment and humor.
An enjoyable, quaint look into the nuances of life in Ireland. I only read a few of the stories, but "First Confession" and "My Oedipus Complex" stand out most. O'Connor's characters grapple with life questions and encounter various struggles. These stories are one of a kind, and have some to say that's worth listening to. There's a bit of that quintessential magic contained in this collection that's unique to the Emerald Isle and the works of the writers it produces.
This is a great collection of almost 70 stories by an Irish master. I picked up this volume in advance of attending a scientific conference in Armagh, Northern Ireland, last summer with the idea of spending some free evenings in a genuine Irish pub reading Irish short stories. I quickly discovered, however, that the lighting in Irish pubs is more conducive to telling stories (after a pint or two of Smithwick's or Guinness of course!) than to reading stories. So instead I have enjoyed slowly r...more
I'm not usually a short story reader, but Frank O'Connor was on my list of Irish authors to be read before my trip, and he is a master of the art. "Guests of the Nation" is a stunning anti-war sentiment; "First Confession", an amusing childhood memory.
I've read this book 2 or 3 times and it remains one of my favorite collections of all time. Frank O'Connor's stories are savagely funny, and they leave you thinking in an Irish accent for days after you turn the last page.
Read this collection--it's a master class on how to craft the short story.
(I have a weakness for Irish literature--O'Connor, James Joyce, Edna O'Brian, and William Trevor are masterful writers).
(I have a weakness for Irish literature--O'Connor, James Joyce, Edna O'Brian, and William Trevor are masterful writers).
Some of these tales (they really are "tales") are pretty good, like "My Oedipus Complex," and "Guest of a Nation," are really good, but overall, I found O'Connor to be a bit dull and repetitive. The stories are slow moving and they all seem to blur together, most of the characters in the stories even have the same names as the ones before it. If someone had only handed me a few of his best works, I'd probably come away feeling like he was a highly masterful writer...more
Became more and more repetitive the longer I read... Then again, these stories are mainly autobiographically inspired, if not, strictly-speaking, autobiographical pieces separately. And anyone who's studied O'Connor knows that the majority of the second-half of his life focused on his marriages, divorces, trips to America, and that's what we get here. One really good thing is that pretty much all of O'Connor's essays can be found in this collection, so this is ideal for a scholar of Irish litera...more
"Guests of a Nation" has to be one of the very best short stories ever to be written. Gives Joyce a run for his (short story) money.
Abedalrahman Zeidan
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If you aren't already familiar with the short stories of Frank O' Connor, do yourself a favor, and buy this (relatively fat) collection. His stories will make you laugh ("First Confession"), weep ("Guests of the Nation", one of the most powerful anti-war stories I've ever read), or just lose yourself in the humanity of his characters. Although, in my opinion, the stories of Seán Ó Faoláin are slightly more nuanced and psychologically perceptive, it's a close call. Both author...more
I started reading Frank O'Connor's short stories after my trip to Ireland with the Harnetts. For the most part, they depict slices of Irish life in the early 20th century, including issues of family, emigration, and of course, the Church. Some are wickedly funny, and others poingant.
This is my favorite book of all time. Frank O'Connor avoids trying to boil the ocean instead finding the humanity in the drab little lives of Dubliners. His humor is subtle and you can't help but love his characters for all their imperfections.
Many, many college literature students have been introduced to the brilliance of Mr. O'Connor's gifts. I was one such lucky gal and I am forever grateful to that professor for the introduction! Read him!!!!!!!
A master of the short story. Pick up a copy and read it, especially with St. Patrick's Day coming. I don't suppose Ireland is like this anymore, but the characters and dialogue are priceless.
The voice! The humor! The characters! The voice! Talk about "writing what you know"...and mining your culture for all that it's worth...O'Connor's stories are wonderful.
I liked the stories in this collection but I thought they all sounded so similar to each other that I didn't make it all the way through.
i'm not really reading, i'm LISTENING to Miette read them to me
http://www.miettecast.com/
http://www.miettecast.com/
I love me some Irish lit. These stories are cute, clever, and witty.
My answer to the question "What is a short story?": "Guests of the Nation."
Possibly the best short story writer of all time.
Carol
marked it as to-read
Lemon Jefferson
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Frank O’Connor 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 sho...more
More about Frank O'Connor...
He was perhaps Ireland's most complete man of letters, best known for his varied and comprehensive sho...more
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