Edwin O'Connor, a renowned American author, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1918. His early life was spent in Woonsocket, and he attended La Salle Academy in Providence before pursuing higher education at the University of Notre Dame. Upon graduating in 1939, he embarked on a career as a radio announcer.
However, his professional trajectory took a significant turn when he enlisted in the Coast Guard during World War II, serving for three years. Following his military service, he relocated to Boston and began working as a writer-producer for the Yankee Network. This marked the beginning of his writing career, which would go on to span multiple decades.
In 1946, O'Connor left the world of radio and transitioned to freelance writing. This decision proved to be a pivotal moment in his career, as he sold his first magazine piece, a satirical article on radio, to the Atlantic Monthly later that year. The following year, he sold his first short story to the same publication.
Throughout the subsequent decade, O'Connor continued to hone his craft, writing numerous articles and short stories. He also contributed television columns to two Boston-based newspapers and authored two novels, The Oracle (1951) and The Last Hurrah (1956). Three additional novels followed: The Edge of Sadness (1961),I Was Dancing (1964),and All in the Family (1966).
The Edge of Sadness, one of O'Connor's most notable works, earned him the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Tragically, O'Connor's life was cut short when he passed away in Boston on March 23, 1968, just four months shy of his 50th birthday.
In his obituary, historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., paid tribute to O'Connor's literary legacy, stating that his books left behind an "ironic chronicle of a vital part of American society" that future historians would consult to understand a way of living that would soon cease to exist.
