Robert C. O'Brien (author)
Robert C. O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Robert Leslie Carroll Conly January 11, 1918 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1973 (aged 55) Washington, D.C. |
| Pen name | Robert C. O'Brien |
| Occupation |
|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts in English |
| Alma mater | University of Rochester |
| Period | 1968–73 |
| Genre | Children's literature, fantasy, science fiction |
| Notable works | Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Z for Zachariah |
| Notable awards | Newbery Medal 1972 |
| Spouse |
Sally McCaslin (m. 1943) |
| Children | 4 |
Robert Leslie Carroll Conly (January 11, 1918 – March 5, 1973), better known by his pen name Robert C. O'Brien, was an American novelist and a journalist for National Geographic magazine.
Early life
Conly was born in
Writings
Journalism
After his university graduation, Conly had a brief stint in an advertising agency, and then began working for Newsweek. He was ineligible for conscription during World War II, as unfit due to physical and mental ailments (classification 4-F in later terms). He then covered national and city news for the Washington Times-Herald beginning in 1944 and later the Pathfinder, a news magazine. In 1951, he began working as an editor and writer for National Geographic, a job which was to take him around the world.[1] From 1970 until his death he was a senior assistant editor there.[2]
Fiction writer
In the 1960s Conly developed glaucoma. Because he could no longer drive to work, he and his family moved in 1963 from Virginia closer to his office in Washington, D.C. In the time he saved from not having to commute, he began to write children's stories.[1] Conly is best known for writing novels under the name "Robert C. O'Brien", from his mother's maiden name, used because his National Geographic contract "forb[ade] him from publishing with any other company".[3]
His first books were the children's stories
Jane Leslie Conly later published two sequels to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH: Racso and the Rats of NIMH (1986) and R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH (1990).
Personal life
Robert Conly married Sally McCaslin in 1943. The couple had four children, three daughters and a son. The marriage lasted until his death from a heart attack thirty years later in 1973. Mrs. Conly has written about her husband under the name Sally O'Brien.[1]
Published books
All are novels published as by Robert C. O'Brien:
- The Silver Crown (Atheneum Books, 1968)
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Atheneum, 1971)
- A Report from Group 17 (Macmillan, 1972)
- Z for Zachariah (Atheneum, 1974)
References
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8242-0568-3. Reprinted in Masis (1997).
- ^ "Robert O'Brien Won Newbery Book Prize". The New York Times. March 8, 1973. Reprinted in Masis (1997). Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- ^ a b Silvey, Anita (January 11, 2011)."Robert C. O'Brien". Children's Book-a-Day Almanac (childrensbookalmanac.com). Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- ^ O'Brien, Sally M. "About Robert C. O'Brien". The Horn Book Magazine (1972): 349–51. Reprinted in Masis (1997).
- ^ O'Brien, Robert C. "About the Author". Z for Zachariah. 1974. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007.
Sources consulted
- Masis, Boris (1997). "What has been said about Robert C. O'Brien". The Z for Zachariah Nuclear Comparison Page (borism.net/zforz).
External links
- Robert C. O'Brien at IMDb
- Robert C. O'Brien at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Robert C. O'Brien at Library of Congress, with 12 library catalog records
- O'Brien's entry at The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
