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Frank O’Connor’s “First Confession” & Open Thread

By Taters on December 24, 2007 at 11:21 PM in Current Affairs

May this Christmas and the upcoming year bring you and yours joy.  I was looking for a short story by my favorite practitioner of the genre – gifted Irish writer Frank O’ Connor. 

 I couldn’t find the touching “A Christmas Day” by O’Connor but I was able to find “First Confession” and I envy those that read it for the first time, recalling the delight it brought me.

I remember when I saw “The Crying Game” that I was struck by certain similarities which made me think that it seemed to have been inspired by O’Connor’s masterpiece,”Guests of the Nation.” It was.

So I offer this to you my friends, from my favorite writer of the short story. I hope you enjoy it.

First Confession

  • TeakWoodKite

    Thanks Tater. Good story. and to you and yours…and to “The Preachers Wife”. LOL hope you get some new strings under the tree for next year.

    • Taters

      Best to you & yours TeakwoodKite. Thank you for the kind words my friend.

  • wethornet

    i think i’ve heard of frank o’connor. taters/anyone, who was the irish writer, very famous in the last decade, who was a teacher and wrote. or was he american with an irish name? frank mccall? so many irish writers…so little time. ;-)

    anyway, my favorite short story is “ransom of red chief” by o. henry. 2 bad guys kidnap a farmer’s (?) son. he may about 8 or 10 years old. maybe 12. and they demand ransom.

    chaos ensues. :-)

    ~~~~~
    taters, could you email me offline please? susanunpc has my email. my intention is that i need your help in tracking down a song by the master, ray charles. i would like to make it THE ANTHEM of this election. thanks.

    separately, i thought of you w/i the past few days. somebody referred to michigan, (and the distressed econ. state due to the auto industry and w.) as the “foreclosure capital of america.” something like that. foreclosure.

  • wethornet

    ps. taters/anyone. i read of irish ballads. (scots too.) what are some of the classic ballads? singers who sing them? any links giving background would be greatly appreciated. i am real curious about this.

    i also want to take a moment to honor all artists. of whatever genre. for me, they make the world a much better place.

    some people don’t like ‘em. say they’re weird. i reply: “as ezra pound said, ‘artists are the antennae of the human race.’”

    to which i say, “thank god.”

    wethornet, part of my tribe came from county cork, in the old country.

    • Taters

      Merry Christmas Wethornet,
      Frank McCourt?
      I love “Ransom…” too, I’m smiling thinking about it.
      Yes, we’ve been hit pretty hard in MI.
      I’m pretty sure 20 is Crsy’s. his wife helped put the shoot together. If I can be of any assistance, I’m at
      bobbymrgfATgmailDOTCOM

      • wethornet

        frank mccourt it is.
        i appreciate your offer of assistance. i’ll be in touch w/i a few days. thx.

  • http://noquarterusa.net/blog/ Leslie

    Happy Holidays Taters and everyone!

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