UCC symposium will mark the 50th anniversary of Frank O’Connor
Frank O’Connor was born Michael O’Donovan in Cork in 1903. He went on to become one of the foundational writers and theorists of the short story in the 20th century, though critics have yet to fully chart the significance of O’Connor as writer, translator, autobiographer, playwright and letter writer, in Ireland and America.
Funded by an Irish Research Council New Foundations award and supported by UCC school of English, the event will feature papers by scholars including Paul Delaney (TCD), Ellen McWilliams (University of Exeter), Prof Frank Shovlin (University of Liverpool), and Prof Alan Titley (UCC).
“Frank O’Connor was a man of many voices — a master of the poetic realist short story, a superlative translator of Irish-language poetry, a formidable public intellectual, and an inspiring lecturer,” said Hilary Lennon, school of English, UCC.
The UCC symposium builds on and contributes to the growing research field of Frank O’Connor studies, while importantly assessing his impact and legacy at national and international levels.
The day will also feature the presentation of more than 700 original O’Connor letters, which were generously donated to UCC Library by O’Connor’s son, Professor Emeritus Oliver O’Donovan FBA (Edinburgh University).
A group of distinguished Irish and American writers will gather to mark the event: Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Danielle McLaughlin, Mary Morrissy, and Brendan Matthews will read from a selection of O’Connor stories and discuss his craft and technique.
