The Best of Frank O’Connor: Introduction by Julian Barnes

Acknowledgment Introduction Select Bibliography Chronology About the Editor 1. WARPreface Guests of the Nation Attack Jumbo’s Wife September Dawn Machine-Gun Corps in Action Laughter Soirée Chez une Belle Jeune Fille From An Only Child — The Fight for Freedom From The Big Fellow: Michael Collins and the Irish Revolution From My Father’s Son — A Case of Hypnotism 2. CHILDHOODPreface My Oedipus Complex From An Only Child — MotherThe Genius First ConfessionFrom Writing a Story — One Man’s Way The Study of History From An Only Child — A Love of Heights The Man of the WorldFrom An Only Child — The Bandsmen The Cornet Player Who Betrayed Ireland 3. WRITERSPreface Introduction to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man From James Joyce: A Post-Mortem From My Father’s Son — George Russell and W. B. Yeats From Leinster, Munster and Connaught — Yeats Centenary Address at the Graveside of W. B. Yeats From Leinster, Munster and Connaught — The Tailor and Anstey 4. LONELY VOICESPreface The Procession of Life The Majesty of the Law After Fourteen Years May Night There is a Lone HouseUprooted The Bridal Night A Bachelor’s Story Lonely Rock 5. IRELANDPreface A Learned Mistress Advice to Lovers I am Stretched on Your GraveA Word of Warning A Grey Eye Weeping From My Father’s Son — Yeats as Editor Kilcash Hope From Irish Miles — Father and Son From Leinster, Munster and Connaught — —Cork and Mental Age of Cities —Cork —Sligo From The Backward Look From Holiday Magazine 6. BETTER QUARRELLINGPreface From My Father’s Son — First Fiction From The Saint and Mary Kate The Luceys Peasants Fish for Friday Old-Age Pensioners A Thing of Nothing News for the Church The Mad Lomasneys In the Train7. ABROADPreface The Babes in the Wood The Paragon Darcy in the Land of Youth The American Wife A Story by Maupassant The ConversionThe Late Henry Conran Michael’s Wife From My Father’s Son — The American Liner 8. LAST THINGSPreface From Leinster, Munster and Connaught — Monastery Song without Words ‘The Star that Bids the Shepherd Fold’ The Frying-PanThis Mortal Coil The Wreath From An Only Child — Grandmother The Long Road to Ummera From My Father’s Son — Tim TraynerThe Mass Island