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Darcy O'Brien

ダーシー・オブライエン

Darcy O'Brien

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1939-07-16 （Los Angeles, California）
Died
1998-03-02 （Tulsa, Oklahoma） age 58
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Los Angeles, California → Claremont, California → Berkeley, California → Cambridge, United Kingdom → Tulsa, Oklahoma

Career

Occupations
author, literary critic, professor
Active Years
1965-1998
Affiliations
Pomona College (Professor of English), University of Tulsa (Professor)

Education

Princeton University
Country: United States
University of Cambridge
Country: United Kingdom
University of California, Berkeley
Degree: 修士号、博士号
Country: United States
Received a master's degree and doctorate from UC Berkeley

Awards

Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
1978
Work: A Way of Life, Like Any Other
Category: 最優秀初作品賞（Best First Novel）
Organization: Hemingway Foundation / PEN
Result: Winner
Edgar Allan Poe Award
1997
Work: Power to Hurt
Organization: Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Awards)
Result: Winner
Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame
1997
Organization: Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame
Result: Inducted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Way of Life, Like Any Other

1977 Novel (fiction with autobiographical elements)

A semi-autobiographical novel depicting childhood in Hollywood, exploring family relationships and coming of age.

familyHollywoodmemoryidentity

Moment by Moment

1979 Novelization

A novelization of the screenplay by Jane Wagner.

The Silver Spooner

1981 Novel

A work of fiction (detailed information not provided).

Two of a Kind: The Story of the Hillside Stranglers

1985 Nonfiction (true crime)

A true crime account of the Hillside Stranglers; later adapted into a made-for-television film.

crimeinvestigationviolence
Adaptations
  • [TV film] The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

Murder in Little Egypt

1989 Nonfiction (true crime)

A true crime work (detailed information not provided).

Margaret in Hollywood

1991 Nonfiction / biographical

A reflective work related to Hollywood.

A Dark and Bloody Ground

1993 Novel / mystery elements

A work of fiction (detailed information not provided).

Power to Hurt

1996 Nonfiction (true crime)

A 1996 true crime book; recipient of an Edgar Award.

crimeviolencepsychology

The Hidden Pope

1998 Nonfiction / criticism

Published in 1998 (detailed information not provided).

The Conscience of James Joyce

2016 Literary criticism

Literary criticism on James Joyce (2016 edition may be a reissue or posthumous edition).

literary criticismmodern literature

Bibliography

  • A Way of Life, Like Any Other
  • Moment by Moment
  • The Silver Spooner
  • Two of a Kind: The Story of the Hillside Stranglers
  • Murder in Little Egypt
  • Margaret in Hollywood
  • A Dark and Bloody Ground
  • Power to Hurt
  • The Hidden Pope
  • The Conscience of James Joyce

Adaptations

  • TV film 'The Case of the Hillside Stranglers'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
realistic prosedescriptive, investigative nonfiction writingcritical and analytical literary commentary
Recurring Motifs
Hollywood and the film industryfamily secretscrime and criminal psychologymoral ambiguity

Health

  • heart attack
    1998-03-02
    Died of a heart attack on March 2, 1998

Legacy

Darcy O'Brien was an author and literary critic active in both fiction and true crime. He was recognized with awards for his debut novel and an Edgar Award for his crime writing. Inducted into the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame in 1997, he is known for his Hollywood-centered memoir fiction and investigative true crime works.

In Popular Culture

  • 'Two of a Kind' was adapted into the TV film 'The Case of the Hillside Stranglers'

Trivia

  • Son of silent-film actor George O'Brien and actress Marguerite Churchill.
  • His sister Orin O'Brien is a double bassist with the New York Philharmonic.
  • Taught English at Pomona College and the University of Tulsa.
  • Married three times; had one daughter, Molly O'Brien.
  • Died of a heart attack in Tulsa on March 2, 1998.