J/1
Maroon clothbound copy book labeled "A Diary Kept by Frank
O'Connor." 148 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand, with approximately 10
pages of typed inserts and two or three holograph inserts and two or three
holograph inserts; dated from 1927 into the 1930s. Includes predominantly
diaristic dated entries with some poems, brief sketches for stories and partial
drafts of stories and journalistic articles, etc. (HS1)
J/2
Marbled copy book with cloth spine. 126 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand with one additional typed insert; dates from the early 1930s. Includes
early working drafts of 21 separate stories including "Procession of
Life," "Orphans" and others. (HS2)
J/3
Paperbound copy book. 197 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dated
from 1930s into early 1940s. A very heavily worked book including early drafts
of a play, articles, stories and diaristic musings. Many early drafts of "A
Lost Child" are present, as well as pieces on the Abbey Theatre, Irish
Literature, Nationalism, etc. (HS3)
J/4
Paperbound copy book. 153 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates
from early to mid 1940s, not earlier than 1942. Includes many drafts of articles
(on Irish politics, war, Evelyn Waugh, Theatre, George Bernard Shaw, etc.) as
well as a number of stories and reviews. (HS5)
J/5
Stiff red legal-size copy book labeled "The Great Hunger,"
scored through with "The Common Chord" replacing it as a
title. 145 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates from around 1947. Includes
drafts of several stories intended for a collection: The Common Chord was
published in 1947. (HS6)
J/6
Stiff maroon legal-size copy book. 176 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; dates from 1945 on; includes drafts of many stories including "Custom
of the Country," "Babes in the Woods," "The
Lost Child," as well as essays on the Novel, Dickens, Stendhal and
more. (HS7)
J/7
Green paperbound brief book. 93 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand;
dates from 1950 to 1951. Includes several working drafts of stories, published
and unpublished, essays, articles. etc. (HS8)
J/8
Large stiff orange and maroon copy book, heavily worn. 243 pages in
Frank O'Connor's hand; dates from 1940s to early 1950s. Includes drafts of many
stories including "Custom of the Country," "Babes in
the Woods" and others, published and unpublished, as well as
autobiographical sketches, dreams, articles and essays including a lengthy piece
on Ireland and Irish literature and notes on Shakespeare for The Road to
Stratford. (HS 10)
J/9
Beige paperbound brief book. 108 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand;
dates from 1951-1953. Includes notes for a course Frank O'Connor taught at
Harvard on short story 19th Century literature and Anglo-Irish literature.
(HS11)
J/10
Beige paperbound brief book. 105 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand;
dates from 1951-1953. Includes teaching notes for Harvard course on 19th century
novels. (HS12)
J/11
Beige paperbound brief book. 36 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand;
dates from 1962-1964. Includes drafts of stories, essays and lectures including
"The Power of Prayer," "The Corkerys" a
talk on Yeats, Frank O'Connor's introduction to Tailor and Anstey by Eric Cross
(1964) and more. (HS13)
J/12
Beige paperbound brief book. 111 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand;
dates from mid to late 1950s. Includes drafts of many stories, published and
unpublished, and a number of autobiographical sections incorporated into An Only
Child.(HS14)
J/13
Small tan paperbound brief book. 138 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; no date. Includes many recorded dreams as well as drafts of "Little
Girl Lost" and a number of autobiographical sections incorporated into
An Only Child. (HS15 Dreams and Donnie)
J/14
Beige paperbound brief book, titled "The Little Town:
Scenes of Provincial Life." 97 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates
from 1960s. Contains a collection of stories intended to be published as a
series of chapbooks, a project that was never realized. Titles include: "The
Miser," "The House That Johnny Built," "The
New Teacher," "The Lady of the Sagas," "The
Luceys," and "The Holy Door." Seemingly transcribed
from earlier drafts as they are all relatively free of emendation. (HS Brief
Book A-"The Little Town")
J/15
Beige paperbound brief book, titled "Small Ones: Stories
of Children." 98 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates from 1960s.
Includes a collection of stories about children intended to be published as a
series, a project that was never realized. Titled include "My Oedipus
Complex," "The Patriot," "Old Fellows,"
"The Drunkard," "Christmas Morning," "The
Saint," "The Idealist," "First Confession,"
"Lady Brenda," "The Pretender." Probably
transcribed from earlier drafts as they are relatively free of emendation. (HS
Brief Book B-"Small Ones")
J/16
Beige paperbound brief book, titled "Small Ones II."
30 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates from 1960s. Continuation of above
entry, containing drafts of the following stories: "My Da," "Man
of the House," and "Babes in the Wood." (HS Brief
Book C-"Small Ones II")
J/17
Beige paperbound brief book, titled "Growing Pains."
49 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates from 1960s, probably contemporary with
above two entries. Includes drafts of the following stories: "The Land
of Youth" "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," "Judas,"
"First Love," "A Romantic," "My
First Protestant," and an article on teaching in America: "Stories
and the Beginner." (HS Brief Book D)
J/18
Small red paperbound notebook, covers detached. 67 pages in Frank
O'Connor's hand; no date. Contains translations from Irish poetry in working
drafts. (HS s-1)
J/19
Small clothbound notebook. 53 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand with
approximately 15 pages in holograph inserts; dates from mid-1960s. Contains
versions of Irish poems, possibly for the Golden Treasury. (HS s-2)
J/20
Spiral bound paper notebook. 25 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand;
dates from 1960s. Includes brief passages of verse, drafts of articles on Irish
monuments and autobiographical sections incorporated into My Father's Son. (HS
s-6)
J/21
Small spiral bound paper notebook. 84 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; dates from early 1950s. Includes versions of Irish poems, drafts of
stories, travel sketches and more. (HS s-4)
J/22
Small paperbound composition book titled "Annals"
50 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; no date. Includes some versions of Irish
prose, narrative passages and autobiographical portions incorporated into An
Only Child. (HS 2-5)
J/23
Small paperbound composition book. 82 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; no date. Includes drafts of a dramatic adaptation of "The Luceys,"
"The Bishop and the King," a number of articles, and more. (HS
s-6)
J/24
Long format brief book, front cover detached. 205 pages in Frank
O'Connor's hand; dates from early 1940s. Includes drafts of a drama about
Parnell, an article on Swift and many stories, published and unpublished,
including "News of the Church," "Celt and Saxon,"
"Beginnings," etc. (HS XX-addenda)
J/25
Small maroon leatherette notebook. 152 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand. Entirely autobiographical, incorporated into "Mother's Boy,"
later, An Only Child.
J/26
Small spiral bound paper notebook. 64 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; dates from 1950s. Includes fragmentary texts of some stories as well as a
number of recorded dreams.
J/27
Small paperbound composition book. 19 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; dates probably from 1950s. Includes the beginning of a story, a poem,
notes and outlines for other pieces. (s-9)
J/28
Small hardbound diary. 77 pages in Frank O'Connor's hand; dates
from 1960s. Contains versions of Irish poems executed for the Golden Treasury.
J/29
Small paperbound composition book. 88 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand with a one page holograph insert; no date. Includes a mixture of passages
in Irish, non fiction prose, travel sketches, drafts of articles on Irish
monuments, etc.
J/30
Small spiral-bound paper notebook. 51 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; no date. Includes an outline for a book on The Winter’s Place in the
Theatre as well as drafts of the stories "Last Post," "This
Mortal Coil" and more. (s-l1)
J/31
Yellow spiral-bound paper notebook. 30 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; dates from around 1961. Contains notes on 19th Century novels probably
used for teaching at Stanford University but possibly also incorporated into
Frank O'Connor's book on the modern novel, Mirror in the Roadway.
J/32
Brown spiral-bound paper notebook. 36 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand. Dates from 1960s. Contains notes for lectures on Trollope as well as an
article on Shaw and an early draft of "Why Don't You Write About
America."
J33
Orange spiral-bound paper notebook. 61 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; no date. Includes a draft of "The American Hamlet," some
passages in Irish, as well as notes on Irish architecture, and more.
J/34
Brown spiral-bound paper notebook. 31 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand; no date. Includes notes for "Why Don't You Write About America,"
a draft of an article on satire, notes for a course on Irish literature, a
foreword for a book on Brendan Behan etc.
J/35
Small format 'theme book' with over 100 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand. Used over a period of years to record potential themes for stories, some
of which were developed into fully realized fictions. Includes 122 individual
themes.
J/36
Small format leatherette notebook with approximately 125 pages in
Frank O'Connor's hand; dates from 1940s-19SOs. Used to record dreams immediately
upon awakening. A key document to Frank O'Connor's long term interest in dreams.
J/37
A pair of oblong daybooks used by Frank O'Connor for both
diaristic and fictional writing. Approximately 750 pages in Frank O'Connor's
hand in all. Includes at least a dozen drafts of complete stories.