Sean O'Casey: Political Activist and Writer

This book explores the life and work of Irish playwright and political activist Sean O Casey, placing him in the context of his literary and political contemporaries. It examines the influence of the Young Ireland writers, Charles Stewart Parnell, the Gaelic League, and James Larkin on his development as a writer and political activist. It also highlights his involvement in shaping modern Ireland's cultural and political history, and his political and dramatic critique of post-independent Ireland and the wider world. O Casey was a political writer who explored the boundaries between literature and politics, and his life reflects the history of the early twentieth century, shaped by nationalism and socialism. His drama gave voice to the working-class, the poor, and the dispossessed, shaping their lives into works of art.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 30 April 2023
Publisher: Cork University Press

On the auspicious occasion of the centenary of the production of Sean O Casey's Dublin plays at the Abbey Theatre, this timely book, Sean O Casey: Political Activist and Writer, presents O Casey within the literary and political milieu of his era. Crafted in a readily accessible style, it will captivate both a broad and scholarly audience. Widely celebrated as one of Ireland's foremost dramatists, O Brien delves into the profound influence exerted by the Young Ireland writers, Charles Stewart Parnell, The Gaelic League, and notably, the Irish labor leader James Larkin, on the evolution of O Casey as a writer and political activist. This book positions O Casey at the epicenter of Ireland's cultural and political tapestry, tracing his profound involvement in the formation of modern Ireland, intricately intertwined with a political and dramatic critique of post-independent Ireland and the broader world. O Casey, a distinguished political writer of his generation, relentlessly pushed the boundaries between literature and politics. Similar to his close friend Bernard Shaw, he wrote with a clear purpose. His life unfolds against the backdrop of the early twentieth century, a time defined by two transformative ideas: nationalism and socialism. History and politics permeate the very fabric of his life and his drama. This book offers an engaging and profoundly original exploration of one of the finest dramatists of the twentieth century, with a particular emphasis on the social and political movements that fueled his writing throughout his illustrious career. By centering his drama on the working class, O Casey provided a powerful voice to those who are often marginalized and unheard.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781782053415