Edwin O'Connor facts for kids

Edwin Greene O'Connor (born July 29, 1918 – died March 23, 1968) was an American writer. He was a journalist, a novelist, and a radio commentator.

He won a very important award called the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962. He won it for his novel The Edge of Sadness. Edwin O'Connor had Irish-American family roots. His books often told stories about Irish-American life. They also often featured characters who were politicians or priests.

Early Life and Beginnings

Edwin O'Connor was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His father was a doctor. He grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

He went to La Salle Academy and then to the University of Notre Dame. After college, he joined the United States Coast Guard. He served during World War II.

In 1946, he started working as a freelance writer. This means he wrote stories and reports for different magazines. One of these was Atlantic Monthly.

A Career in Writing

In the 1950s, Edwin O'Connor began writing about television. He was a television critic for two newspapers in Boston. He continued this job for the rest of his life.

His first novel, The Oracle, came out in 1951.

The Last Hurrah

Soon after, he published his most famous novel, The Last Hurrah (1956). This book is about an old-fashioned politician named Frank Skeffington. He lives in Boston and is trying to win another election.

Frank Skeffington is a kind and polite man. He often uses quotes from books when he talks. He was known for helping the people in his city. He was also good at balancing the needs of different groups in Boston.

However, times were changing, and he eventually lost the election. The character of Skeffington reminded many people of a real Boston Mayor, James Michael Curley.

The Last Hurrah was made into a movie in 1958. John Ford directed it, and Spencer Tracy starred in it.

Pulitzer Prize Winner

Edwin O'Connor won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962. He won for his next novel, The Edge of Sadness (1961). This book tells the story of a middle-aged priest. The story takes place in a city in New England. Many people think the city is based on Providence, where O'Connor was born.

Other Novels

His novel I Was Dancing (1964) is about an old performer. This performer tries to get to know his son again. They had not been close for twenty years.

His last novel was All in the Family, published in 1966. This book is about a family in Massachusetts. The father in the family has big political dreams for his sons. This family in the book reminded some readers of the Kennedy family.

Edwin O'Connor passed away suddenly in 1968. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Legacy

After he died, a book called The Best and the Last of Edwin O'Connor was published in 1970. This book included parts of his published novels. It also had pieces of unfinished works and articles he had written.

Edwin O'Connor is remembered for creating the phrase "the last hurrah." This phrase means a final effort or performance. There is even a bar named "The Last Hurrah" at The Omni Hotel in Boston.

Books

• The Oracle (Harper, 1951)
• The Last Hurrah (Little, Brown, 1956)
• Benjy: A Ferocious Fairy Tale (Little, Brown, 1957), illustrated by Ati Forberg
• The Edge of Sadness (Little, Brown, 1961)
• I Was Dancing (Little, Brown, 1964)
• All in the Family (Little, Brown, 1966; Cluny Media, 2019)
• The Best and the Last of Edwin O'Connor (Little, Brown, 1970) — selections and fragments with contributions by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.; Edmund Wilson; John V. Kelleher
• Benjy: A Ferocious Fairy Tale (Godine, 1994), illus. Catharine O'Neill