Seán Ó Faoláin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seán Ó Faoláin
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait of Seán Ó Faoláin by Howard Coster, 1930's
|
|
| Born |
John Francis Whelan
February 27, 1900 Cork, Ireland
|
| Died | April 20, 1991 (aged 91) Dublin, Ireland
|
| Occupation | Writer |
Seán Proinsias Ó Faoláin (born John Francis Whelan) was a very important Irish writer. He lived from 1900 to 1991. He was famous for his short stories, which were read all over the world. He also shared his opinions as a critic and commentator.
Contents
About Seán Ó Faoláin's Life
Seán Ó Faoláin was born as John Francis Whelan. This happened in Cork City, Ireland. He went to school at the Presentation Brothers Secondary School in Cork.
He was inspired by a writer named Daniel Corkery. Seán joined the Cork Dramatic Society. He also learned more about the Irish language, which he had started studying in school.
After starting at University College, Cork, he joined the Irish Volunteers. He fought in the Irish War of Independence. This was a fight for Ireland's freedom. During the Irish Civil War, he helped share information for the IRA. He also checked news for the Cork Examiner newspaper.
After the war, he earned special degrees from the National University of Ireland. He also studied for three years at Harvard University in the United States.
Early Writing and Return to Ireland
Seán Ó Faoláin started writing stories in the 1920s. Over 60 years, he wrote 90 stories. From 1929 to 1933, he taught at St Mary's College in England. During this time, he wrote his first two books.
His first book, Midsummer Night Madness, came out in 1932. It was a collection of stories. Some of these stories were based on his experiences during the Civil War. After this, he moved back to Ireland.
He wrote many different kinds of books. These included novels, short stories, and biographies. He also wrote travel books and literary criticism. One of his special books was The Short Story (1948). It was a detailed study of how short stories are written. In 1947, he wrote a book about Irish culture called The Irish.
Leading The Bell Magazine
From 1956 to 1959, he was a director for the Arts Council of Ireland. He also helped start and edit an important Irish magazine called The Bell. This was from 1940 to 1946.
Many famous Irish writers contributed to The Bell. These included Patrick Kavanagh, Flann O'Brien, Frank O'Connor, and Brendan Behan. Seán Ó Faoláin died in Dublin on April 20, 1991. His Collected Stories were published in 1983.
Seán Ó Faoláin's Published Works
Seán Ó Faoláin had a very long career as a writer. He wrote eight books of short stories. His first short story collection, Midsummer Night Madness, came out in 1932. His last one, Foreign Affairs, was published over 40 years later in 1976.
He also wrote four novels and three travel books. He wrote six biographies about famous people. Plus, he wrote a play, a memoir about his own life, and a history book. He also wrote studies about novels and short stories. He wrote many articles and reviews for magazines in Ireland, Britain, and America.
The Bell Magazine and Its Impact
He is most famous for co-founding and editing The Bell magazine. This was a very important magazine from 1940 to 1946. Under Seán Ó Faoláin's leadership, The Bell discussed many big topics of the day. It also gave a place for new and established writers to share their work. This was especially helpful during the difficult war years.
A common idea in Ó Faoláin’s writing was that national identities change over time. He also believed that Irish history should be seen as part of European history.
Challenges and Legacy
Seán Ó Faoláin was a person who caused some debate. Two of his books were not allowed to be sold in Ireland. This was because some people thought they were inappropriate. These books were his first short story collection and his second novel, Bird Alone (1936).
His work was very important for how Irish writing developed. He was also a strong voice in the fight against censorship in Ireland. Censorship is when certain books or ideas are not allowed to be shared.
Seán Ó Faoláin's Family Life
Seán Ó Faoláin married Eileen Gould in 1929. Eileen was a writer of children's books. She published several books of Irish folk tales.
They had two children. Their daughter, Julia (1932–2020), became a successful novelist and short-story writer. Their son, Stephen, was born in 1938.
Books by Seán Ó Faoláin
- Midsummer Night Madness and Other Stories (1932, short stories)
- A Nest of Simple Folk (1933, novel)
- The Average Revolutionary (1934, biography)
- Constance Markievicz (1934, biography)
- Bird Alone (1936, novel)
- The Autobiography of Theobald Wolfe Tone (1937, biography)
- A Life of Daniel O'Connell (1938, biography)
- A New Ireland (1938, magazine article)
- An Irish Journey (1940)
- Come Back to Erin (1940, novel)
- The Great O'Neill (1942, biography, about Hugh O'Neill)
- The Story of Ireland (1943, Collins series 'Britain in Pictures')
- The Irish: A Character Study (1947)
- The Man Who Invented Sin (1948, short stories, with pictures by Elizabeth Rivers)
- The Short Story (1948, literary criticism)
- A Summer In Italy (1949, travel)
- The Story of the Irish People (1949)
- Newman's Way: The Odyssey of John Henry Newman (1952)
- An Autumn in Italy (1953, travel)
- With the Gaels of Wexford (Enniscorthy, 1955, gaelic games)
- The Vanishing Hero - Studies in Novelists of the Twenties (1956)
- Vive moi! (1964, memoir)
- the center of the earth (1966, short stories)
- The Talking Trees (1971, short stories)
- Foreign Affairs, and Other Stories (1976, short stories)
- Selected Stories (1978, short stories)
- And Again? (1979, novel)
- Collected Stories of Sean O'Faolain I (1980, short stories)
- The Trout
- De Valera (1939, Penguin books)
