John O'Brien (publisher)

John O'Brien
BornNovember 10, 1945
Chicago, Illinois
DiedNovember 21, 2020 (aged 74–75)
McLean, Illinois
NationalityIrish American
Occupation(s)Publisher, editor, author, and academic
Academic work
InstitutionsDalkey Archive Press
Northern Illinois University
Illinois Benedictine College
DePaul University
Illinois State University
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Houston–Victoria

John O'Brien (November 10, 1945 – November 21, 2020)[1] was an Irish American publisher, editor, author, and academic. He founded the journal Review of Contemporary Fiction in 1980, and the independent press Dalkey Archive Press in 1984. In the course of his career, O’Brien published almost 1,000 books from 50 countries.[2]

Life

O'Brien taught at Illinois Benedictine College, DePaul University, Illinois State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and then University of Houston-Victoria.[2]

O’Brien was awarded the Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle in 2011, and in 2015 O'Brien was made Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.[3] He was the father of Kathleen O’Brien, Emmett O’Brien, William O’Brien, and Kevin O’Brien. He died on November 21, 2020, in Illinois.[2]

References

  1. ^ "John O'Brien (1945-2020) | Dalkey Archive Press". Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  2. ^ a b c Ed Nawotka, Obituary: John O'Brien, Founder of Dalkey Archive Press, Publishers Weekly, November 25, 2020. Accessed December 19, 2020.
  3. ^ Sinéad Crowley, Death announced of Dalkey Archive Press founder John O'Brien, RTÉ, November 25, 2020. Accessed December 19, 2020.