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Collected Stories
The definitive collection of short stories by a master of the form and one of Ireland's most celebrated authors
This indispensable volume contains the best of Frank O’Connor's short fiction. From “Guests of the Nation” to “The Mad Lomasneys” to “First Confession” to “My Oedipus Complex,” these tales of Ireland have touched generations of readers the world over and placed O'Connor alongside W. B. Yeats and James Joyce as the greatest of Irish authors.
Analyzing a Robert Browning poem, O'Connor once wrote: “Since a whole lifetime must be crowded into a few minutes, those minutes must be carefully chosen indeed and lit by an unearthly glow.” Each of the sixty-seven stories gathered here achieves the same incredible feat of the imagination, laying bare entire lives and histories within the space of a few pages. Dublin schoolteacher Ned Keating waves good-bye to a charming girl and to any thoughts of returning to his village home in the lyrical and melancholy “Uprooted.” A boy on an important mission is waylaid by a green-eyed temptress and seeks forgiveness in his mother’s loving arms in “The Man of the House,” a tale that draws on O'Connor’s own difficult childhood. A series of awkward encounters and humorous misunderstandings perfectly encapsulates the complicated legacy of Irish immigration in “Ghosts,” the bittersweet account of an American family’s pilgrimage to the land of their forefathers.
As a writer, critic, and teacher, O'Connor elevated the short story to astonishing new heights. This career-spanning anthology, epic in scope yet brimming with the small moments and intimate details that earned him a reputation as Ireland’s Chekhov, is a testament to Frank O’Connor's magnificent storytelling and a true pleasure to read from first page to last.
This indispensable volume contains the best of Frank O’Connor's short fiction. From “Guests of the Nation” to “The Mad Lomasneys” to “First Confession” to “My Oedipus Complex,” these tales of Ireland have touched generations of readers the world over and placed O'Connor alongside W. B. Yeats and James Joyce as the greatest of Irish authors.
Analyzing a Robert Browning poem, O'Connor once wrote: “Since a whole lifetime must be crowded into a few minutes, those minutes must be carefully chosen indeed and lit by an unearthly glow.” Each of the sixty-seven stories gathered here achieves the same incredible feat of the imagination, laying bare entire lives and histories within the space of a few pages. Dublin schoolteacher Ned Keating waves good-bye to a charming girl and to any thoughts of returning to his village home in the lyrical and melancholy “Uprooted.” A boy on an important mission is waylaid by a green-eyed temptress and seeks forgiveness in his mother’s loving arms in “The Man of the House,” a tale that draws on O'Connor’s own difficult childhood. A series of awkward encounters and humorous misunderstandings perfectly encapsulates the complicated legacy of Irish immigration in “Ghosts,” the bittersweet account of an American family’s pilgrimage to the land of their forefathers.
As a writer, critic, and teacher, O'Connor elevated the short story to astonishing new heights. This career-spanning anthology, epic in scope yet brimming with the small moments and intimate details that earned him a reputation as Ireland’s Chekhov, is a testament to Frank O’Connor's magnificent storytelling and a true pleasure to read from first page to last.
716 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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1907 people want to read
About the author
Frank O'Connor
164 books131 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 - 30 of 61 reviews
August 6, 2015
What an unpretentious little book, and who would have dreamed it would be so full of first-rate short stories? Mr. O’Connor wrote from the 1930’s to the 1960’s, and may be one of the finest writers Ireland has produced, which is saying a great deal. Thank you and thank you again to Open Road Media and Net Galley for the ARC. It’s been a real joy to read!
O’Connor’s early life was marked by alcoholism and domestic violence, and he tosses these into the stewpot of his stories that is so congenial, so resonant, that we little know the pain he went through before he wrote them. The quality of the writing is consistent throughout, which is even more remarkable given its length, which clocks in at over 700 pages! At times poignant and wrenching, and at other times witty and a little naughty, though never breaching the bounds of good taste, Mr. O’Connor delivers.
His protagonists are ordinary people, all of them in Ireland. They live in small villages for the most part; some are wives and mothers, some are brave young lads; some are involved in political conflict; there are noble priests and those who are not as noble, but all of them are believable and create an instant bond with the reader. His overarching theme is to remind us, in his folksy, understated way, that all of us are human. He lets us know that whether we believe in God or whether we don’t, for the moment we are all each other has.
O’Connor lived through revolutionary times, and was no stranger to the Irish struggle, which is near and dear to my own heart. His famous opening story, Guest of the Nation, focuses on a card game that takes place between Republican soldiers and their prisoners. Its blend of the ordinary and every-day with the wrenching emotion that ran high at such a time makes it immortal. The soldiers’ ambivalence and humanity lends it much of its authenticity.
One of my own favorite quotes appears early in the collection in a story titled “The Luceys”, in which Charlie visits his uncle, a priest. Charlie thinks his uncle is eccentric and cannot fathom how the man thinks:
“One conversation in particular haunted him for years as showing the dangerous state of lunacy to which a man could be reduced by reading old books.”
May we all suffer similarly!
I loved the references he made to “a gang of women” outside of Mrs. Roche’s house in “The Drunkard”. I also laughed at his reference to “…the mood of disillusionment that follows Christmas”. And in “Darcy in the Land of Youth”, I liked how Mick traveled to work in England and “He found the English very queer as they were supposed to be, people with a great welcome for themselves and very little for anyone else.” Here I would hasten to add that I am descended of both Irish and English, though I tend to lay claim more to the former than the latter; Mr. O’Connor’s gift is in wryly touching upon the cultural nuances that sometimes lead to misunderstandings, and others to genuine disagreement, culture or no.
I could continue quoting marvelous passages, but I think it is better for you to ferret out some of your own, and let’s face it, if I haven’t sold you on this book right now, I never will.
Except for this one last bit, which is really a commentary on all strong short story collections: this time of year, many of us will have guests in our homes. If yours is a family that reads, you may choose to set something out in your guest room, and short stories are especially lovely for them to have, because whereas one may not finish a great thick book during a visit over the holidays, one can pick up a short story at bedtime and finish that story before turning out the light.
And the glorious thing is, guests don’t expect a book that is left for their perusal to be brand new; they can enjoy a well-thumbed book without worrying if they inadvertently crease a corner. Right now, you have the chance to get the book for yourself, finish it, and then leave it for company.
That’s a good thing to do, because in the end, all we have really is one another.
O’Connor’s early life was marked by alcoholism and domestic violence, and he tosses these into the stewpot of his stories that is so congenial, so resonant, that we little know the pain he went through before he wrote them. The quality of the writing is consistent throughout, which is even more remarkable given its length, which clocks in at over 700 pages! At times poignant and wrenching, and at other times witty and a little naughty, though never breaching the bounds of good taste, Mr. O’Connor delivers.
His protagonists are ordinary people, all of them in Ireland. They live in small villages for the most part; some are wives and mothers, some are brave young lads; some are involved in political conflict; there are noble priests and those who are not as noble, but all of them are believable and create an instant bond with the reader. His overarching theme is to remind us, in his folksy, understated way, that all of us are human. He lets us know that whether we believe in God or whether we don’t, for the moment we are all each other has.
O’Connor lived through revolutionary times, and was no stranger to the Irish struggle, which is near and dear to my own heart. His famous opening story, Guest of the Nation, focuses on a card game that takes place between Republican soldiers and their prisoners. Its blend of the ordinary and every-day with the wrenching emotion that ran high at such a time makes it immortal. The soldiers’ ambivalence and humanity lends it much of its authenticity.
One of my own favorite quotes appears early in the collection in a story titled “The Luceys”, in which Charlie visits his uncle, a priest. Charlie thinks his uncle is eccentric and cannot fathom how the man thinks:
“One conversation in particular haunted him for years as showing the dangerous state of lunacy to which a man could be reduced by reading old books.”
May we all suffer similarly!
I loved the references he made to “a gang of women” outside of Mrs. Roche’s house in “The Drunkard”. I also laughed at his reference to “…the mood of disillusionment that follows Christmas”. And in “Darcy in the Land of Youth”, I liked how Mick traveled to work in England and “He found the English very queer as they were supposed to be, people with a great welcome for themselves and very little for anyone else.” Here I would hasten to add that I am descended of both Irish and English, though I tend to lay claim more to the former than the latter; Mr. O’Connor’s gift is in wryly touching upon the cultural nuances that sometimes lead to misunderstandings, and others to genuine disagreement, culture or no.
I could continue quoting marvelous passages, but I think it is better for you to ferret out some of your own, and let’s face it, if I haven’t sold you on this book right now, I never will.
Except for this one last bit, which is really a commentary on all strong short story collections: this time of year, many of us will have guests in our homes. If yours is a family that reads, you may choose to set something out in your guest room, and short stories are especially lovely for them to have, because whereas one may not finish a great thick book during a visit over the holidays, one can pick up a short story at bedtime and finish that story before turning out the light.
And the glorious thing is, guests don’t expect a book that is left for their perusal to be brand new; they can enjoy a well-thumbed book without worrying if they inadvertently crease a corner. Right now, you have the chance to get the book for yourself, finish it, and then leave it for company.
That’s a good thing to do, because in the end, all we have really is one another.
July 15, 2007
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 authors are to be recommended highly.
September 6, 2007
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.
August 9, 2014
Disclaimer: ARC read via Netgalley and Open Road Media.
Certain places enter the imagination, and for whatever reason Ireland is one of those places. Perhaps more recently, those views have been influenced by such shows as Ballykissangel, or movies such as Undine. Who knows? Perhaps Yeats had something to do with it. Or perhaps, most likely, it is because of the Diaspora that occurred in the country.
O’Connor’s short stories speak to the reader because while they are Ireland, they are also everywhere. Take for instance, “Even if there were only two men in the world and both of them saints they wouldn’t be happy. One of them would be bound to try and improve the other. That is the nature of things.” The story, “Song Without Words” might be describing two Irish men, but everyone knows the truth of the statement.
O’Connor’s stories focus on the everyday people, lower middle class, not upper class and not really those living below the poverty. They exist in a time that is at once secure and fluid. There is a priest who attempts to confront a girl about her wayward ways, though it isn’t so much those ways not annoy him. There is the struggle to get something for Christmas, young boys adjusting to the arrival of younger brothers, there is a marriage (or is it), men who don’t understand their women, women who want their men to own up, and women who run with the man’s money. The class of characters is board and sure, the oldest daughter stepping up as mother just as believable as the man with his circus animals.
The choices and hardships that the characters face are not those that will change society or the world, but they are those choices and hardships that can change a life, can make or break a person. For all that, they become far more dangerous and humorous than slaying the dragon or saving the prime minster.
Yeats called O’Connor the Irish Chekov, but in many ways he is also like Joyce in the power and resonance of his short stories. If you enjoyed Dubliners, give O’Connor a try.
December 4, 2020
I read all of these stories. They were written between 1930 and 1965 very much Irish. The first few stories were 3 stars. The last third of them 5 stars.
November 25, 2025
داستان ترحم رو گوش دادم، پیشنهاد میشه:)
January 7, 2015
So I love Frank O'Connor. He wrote my favourite short story that I read in my teens (My Oedipus Complex) and my favourite short story I read in my twenties (Guests of the Nation) (fun and embarrassing me-fact: I did not realize it was the same Frank O'Connor who wrote both these stories until I was, maybe, 26). On more than one occasion, I've lamented that they don't teach Frank O'Connor much in school (maybe they do in Ireland, but not here in Canada). Instead, I had five years of our short-story English component being The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber and All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury (they couldn't even find the same two Canadian short stories for us to read from grades seven through eleven).
So I love Frank O'Connor. I know that the previous paragraph also started that sentence, but I do. He has stories that don't have a plot and they work. He has stories that are heavy with back story that's never revealed and they work. He has stories with the artifice of a narrator telling a story about someone telling a story and they work. He has a story about a lion tamer, in Ireland, in this collection and it works. You can read Frank O'Connor and see that you can strip so much away and still have something amazing. You can also read Frank O'Connor and see a story that, if I were to write it, would collapse under all the strain, the history, the religion, the family, the expectations, but his stories don't. They soar. They are funny, in a desperate, despairing way. They are sad in a way that makes one smile. I think it bears repeating: so I love Frank O'Connor. I mean, how can you not love someone who: "was always a great believer in buttered toast."
This sounds harsh, but I think it's true: If you are a short fiction writer and you knowingly haven't read Frank O'Connor, then there may be something wrong with you.
Still, loving Frank O'Connor is not without its difficulties. He's a product of a time and locale. He uses the word Jew as a pejorative and Oriental as a description. Both those, at least in this collection, aren't frequent. What is frequent is that women are generally secondary, and there are times when the comments on or depictions of women just skirt the line of misogyny. I'd like to think O'Connor is just being accurate regarding the treatment of women in such a staunch Catholic setting, but reading O'Connor, I've never really been able to shake the feeling that he can't imagine how frustrating it would have been for so many of these women, treated like second-class citizens and expected to be baby machines, like his imagination just cannot imagine something like that.
As for this collection, it's a bit baffling if one is looking for background. I have another collection of Frank O'Connor stories (Vintage's Stories by Frank O'Connor) where Frank O'Connor himself tells you why he chose the stories he did. But in this collection, there is no introduction or essay at the end saying why these stories were picked. It's called Collected Works, but not every Frank O'Connor story is there, and the publisher is actually pedaling three other Frank O'Connor collections as well. Is there overlap between these collections? Are there links between them? In the collection I read, characters tend to reappear, certain priests, certain families; are all occurrences of, say Father Ring, in the collection I just read, or does he appear in other collections as well? Other than reading the other collections, I have no idea. I find it odd (I'd like to say disrespectful, this is Frank O'Connor we're talking about here! Does the publisher not know that I love him?) that they couldn't find anyone willing to write an intro to Frank O'Connor, to say why these stories were chosen, and maybe why others were left out. That's pretty much the only negative I have to say about this collection, and, of course, it has nothing to do with Frank O'Connor himself.
Again, I love Frank O'Connor. I read him and I feel closer to some of my family, who were a big Irish Catholic brood. Most immigrated to Canada generations ago, but there are still echoes of their behaviour in these stories. And maybe that's why I love Frank O'Connor when on paper (ha! writing pun!) one wouldn't think so; I've complained about male-view stories enough that perhaps my love of Frank O'Connor seems a bit mystifying. But you can't deny good writing. You can't deny that Frank O'Connor loves all his characters, even the despicable ones like Jeremiah Donovan. Each character is like a universe to him-(or her, rarely)-self. Just like people. Just like life.
Collected Stories by Frank O'Connor went on sale August 12, 2014, but the I think it may be a reissue of a collection from 1981, and the stories within have publication dates spanning from 1931 to 1965.
I received a copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
So I love Frank O'Connor. I know that the previous paragraph also started that sentence, but I do. He has stories that don't have a plot and they work. He has stories that are heavy with back story that's never revealed and they work. He has stories with the artifice of a narrator telling a story about someone telling a story and they work. He has a story about a lion tamer, in Ireland, in this collection and it works. You can read Frank O'Connor and see that you can strip so much away and still have something amazing. You can also read Frank O'Connor and see a story that, if I were to write it, would collapse under all the strain, the history, the religion, the family, the expectations, but his stories don't. They soar. They are funny, in a desperate, despairing way. They are sad in a way that makes one smile. I think it bears repeating: so I love Frank O'Connor. I mean, how can you not love someone who: "was always a great believer in buttered toast."
This sounds harsh, but I think it's true: If you are a short fiction writer and you knowingly haven't read Frank O'Connor, then there may be something wrong with you.
Still, loving Frank O'Connor is not without its difficulties. He's a product of a time and locale. He uses the word Jew as a pejorative and Oriental as a description. Both those, at least in this collection, aren't frequent. What is frequent is that women are generally secondary, and there are times when the comments on or depictions of women just skirt the line of misogyny. I'd like to think O'Connor is just being accurate regarding the treatment of women in such a staunch Catholic setting, but reading O'Connor, I've never really been able to shake the feeling that he can't imagine how frustrating it would have been for so many of these women, treated like second-class citizens and expected to be baby machines, like his imagination just cannot imagine something like that.
As for this collection, it's a bit baffling if one is looking for background. I have another collection of Frank O'Connor stories (Vintage's Stories by Frank O'Connor) where Frank O'Connor himself tells you why he chose the stories he did. But in this collection, there is no introduction or essay at the end saying why these stories were picked. It's called Collected Works, but not every Frank O'Connor story is there, and the publisher is actually pedaling three other Frank O'Connor collections as well. Is there overlap between these collections? Are there links between them? In the collection I read, characters tend to reappear, certain priests, certain families; are all occurrences of, say Father Ring, in the collection I just read, or does he appear in other collections as well? Other than reading the other collections, I have no idea. I find it odd (I'd like to say disrespectful, this is Frank O'Connor we're talking about here! Does the publisher not know that I love him?) that they couldn't find anyone willing to write an intro to Frank O'Connor, to say why these stories were chosen, and maybe why others were left out. That's pretty much the only negative I have to say about this collection, and, of course, it has nothing to do with Frank O'Connor himself.
Again, I love Frank O'Connor. I read him and I feel closer to some of my family, who were a big Irish Catholic brood. Most immigrated to Canada generations ago, but there are still echoes of their behaviour in these stories. And maybe that's why I love Frank O'Connor when on paper (ha! writing pun!) one wouldn't think so; I've complained about male-view stories enough that perhaps my love of Frank O'Connor seems a bit mystifying. But you can't deny good writing. You can't deny that Frank O'Connor loves all his characters, even the despicable ones like Jeremiah Donovan. Each character is like a universe to him-(or her, rarely)-self. Just like people. Just like life.
Collected Stories by Frank O'Connor went on sale August 12, 2014, but the I think it may be a reissue of a collection from 1981, and the stories within have publication dates spanning from 1931 to 1965.
I received a copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2012
This is a wonderful collection of stories. The voice is inviting and very Irish; when I tried reading passages out loud I found myself falling into a (bad) Irish accent, because the rhythms of the language just seem to push the voice into those patterns. The stories are almost entirely set in the area in and around Cork in the first half of the twentieth century. His favourite subjects are the lives of priests and children, and the effects on ordinary people of the Irish civil war and struggles for independence. He's particularly good at the strangeness of childhood--or, rather, the strangeness of the world as seen by children--and the complex moral morass created by the fighting.
May 23, 2015
I hate being a quitter but I quit this book. It's too depressing. I quit, being only about 303 pages into the 701-page book. But I have been trying to finish it since 2010. I just can't. After 300 pages, I think I've read enough of O'Connor's short stories to get the point: Ireland is dreary, Catholic, repressive, rainy. This is like Frank McCourt, minus the beautiful writing and redemption in the end. I'm doing some spring cleaning, and this book is going out.
October 26, 2010
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).
November 4, 2007
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.
September 23, 2011
i'm not really reading, i'm LISTENING to Miette read them to me
http://www.miettecast.com/
http://www.miettecast.com/
May 10, 2007
My answer to the question "What is a short story?": "Guests of the Nation."
May 10, 2024
I found this volume at the library unexpectedly and about three stories in, I was convinced that Frank O'Connor was one of the greatest short story writers of all time. 700 or so pages later, my opinion did not waver.
June 15, 2023
I love being in Frank O‘Connor‘s world. Such a warm and generous writer.
March 9, 2022
I got this collection because it contained the hilarious tale "First Confession," and I must confess that that one is still my favourite ever since I read it in college years ago. I generally enjoyed the stories written from a child's point of view. However some of the others saddened or mystified me. There is something about Irish literature I don't quite get, and it may have something to do with my lack of knowledge about the history and culture. Sigh.
August 17, 2014
I received an ARC of this book from Open Road Integrated Media through NetGalley.
The first story in the collection, “Guests of the Nation”, is arguably one of his most famous. Four men are sitting around a cottage playing cards, talking and relaxing with each other and their hostess who is a kind old lady. It becomes apparent from the story that two of the men are English and are actually being held as captive by the other two characters in the story who are presumably IRA soldiers. The juxtaposition of the slow-paced and calm first part of the story and the fast moving climax in the second half of the story is a testament to O’Connor’s writing genius.
In “The Bridal Night,” a mother tells the story of how her shy son’s love for a local school teacher has driven him mad and now the son lives out his days in an asylum. This is a tragic story and the reader feels the pain of the mother and son, but there is a surprising twist at the end when the woman with whom the young man is in love does him a kindness that no one expects.
I was very glad to see a story in this collection that was loosely tied to World War I since I have been reviewing so many World War I historical fiction books. In “My Oedipus Complex”, a young boy, Larry, is used to his mother’s undivided attention while his father is away fighting in World War I. But when the war is over, the boy’s father comes home and now the boy must share his mother’s attention. I found it fascinating to see this story from the child’s point of view. As adults we are oftentimes so caught up with our own problems, we tend to minimize and ignore the complaints of children, which to them seem like the end of the world. There is also a humorous change of fortunes at the end of this story when the father and his son are compelled to become allies instead of sworn enemies.
Overall, this is an impressive collection of short stories and even though I have only highlighted a few of my favorites, I enjoyed all of the stories in this volume.
Read more reviews on my blog: www.thebookbindersdaughter.com
The first story in the collection, “Guests of the Nation”, is arguably one of his most famous. Four men are sitting around a cottage playing cards, talking and relaxing with each other and their hostess who is a kind old lady. It becomes apparent from the story that two of the men are English and are actually being held as captive by the other two characters in the story who are presumably IRA soldiers. The juxtaposition of the slow-paced and calm first part of the story and the fast moving climax in the second half of the story is a testament to O’Connor’s writing genius.
In “The Bridal Night,” a mother tells the story of how her shy son’s love for a local school teacher has driven him mad and now the son lives out his days in an asylum. This is a tragic story and the reader feels the pain of the mother and son, but there is a surprising twist at the end when the woman with whom the young man is in love does him a kindness that no one expects.
I was very glad to see a story in this collection that was loosely tied to World War I since I have been reviewing so many World War I historical fiction books. In “My Oedipus Complex”, a young boy, Larry, is used to his mother’s undivided attention while his father is away fighting in World War I. But when the war is over, the boy’s father comes home and now the boy must share his mother’s attention. I found it fascinating to see this story from the child’s point of view. As adults we are oftentimes so caught up with our own problems, we tend to minimize and ignore the complaints of children, which to them seem like the end of the world. There is also a humorous change of fortunes at the end of this story when the father and his son are compelled to become allies instead of sworn enemies.
Overall, this is an impressive collection of short stories and even though I have only highlighted a few of my favorites, I enjoyed all of the stories in this volume.
Read more reviews on my blog: www.thebookbindersdaughter.com
May 3, 2011
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 reading these stories over the last several months.
"My Oedipus Complex" is my favourite, and perhaps the author's best known story, but there are many other great stories here including the opening "Guests of the Nation", "The Study of History", "Fish for Friday", etc. Highly recommended for short story lovers.
"My Oedipus Complex" is my favourite, and perhaps the author's best known story, but there are many other great stories here including the opening "Guests of the Nation", "The Study of History", "Fish for Friday", etc. Highly recommended for short story lovers.
May 22, 2009
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, but I'd suggest staying away from the entire collection. The majority of the stories start out, "Mrs. Ryan knew a boy named Jack Conrad as a child..." and end with "she saw him now in a completely different light..."
March 25, 2008
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 literature or one who wants to learn a set pattern for putting together a short story (pretty much all of the stories "read" the same way, too).
August 11, 2014
I didn't read all the stories, but that wasn't my aim when I borrowed it this book from the library. I love O'Connors work and I will read all of these at some point. I had to return the book to the library, so, I read a good number of them, mostly to learn from him. One could do worse for a teacher of writing short stories.
Some place Frank O'Connor in the ranks with James Joyce. I agree. His stories give a look at Irish life during the time of his writing. And, many of them are humorous and poignant.
If you're looking for enjoyable short stories, you could do worse than any by Frank O'Connor.
Some place Frank O'Connor in the ranks with James Joyce. I agree. His stories give a look at Irish life during the time of his writing. And, many of them are humorous and poignant.
If you're looking for enjoyable short stories, you could do worse than any by Frank O'Connor.
July 28, 2016
One of a handful of books I wish to have with me at all times. O'Connor is a born storyteller, and uses his natural, verbal gift to best effect in his stories of confused children, unwed daughters, and priests of low esteem. Bizet once said of Saint-Saens that he lacked nothing but inexperience; O'Connor has everything and inexperience to boot. His phrases can sometimes seem clumsily chosen, but the effect is always studied, re-written, edited for clumsiness, where any other writer would treat an important moment with condescendion by being perfect. He detests giving his reader hermetically sealed sentences. What he gives instead is a knowing voice that never becomes too wise to confide in.
August 11, 2014
This is exactly what it says it, the collected stories from Frank O’Connor’s long and illustrious career. Considered one of Ireland’s, and indeed the world’s, best short story writers, this collection offers the reader stories that will delight and sadden and enlighten, and although in any comprehensive collection covering so many years, there are inevitably some that are less successful than others, or some that simply appeal to some readers less than others , nevertheless there are hours of pleasure to be obtained from this book and I am delighted to have received a copy from Netgalley.
May 26, 2011
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.
March 30, 2012
Perhaps the best writer I've ever read at mastering the child's perspective. The stories are so funny and heartwarming and it astounds me how O'Connor can speak so authentically from that imaginative, innocent but knowing place. Christmas Morning is one of my all time favorites, and First Confession is darling.
June 6, 2008
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.
July 24, 2008
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.
August 19, 2008
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!!!!!!!
September 12, 2009
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.
May 17, 2010
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.
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