Life
1948-1997; b. Dublin; dg. Conor Cruise O’Brien and Christine [née]
Foster; baptised Catholic but educated in Protestant schools, Rathgar
Junior School and Park House, Rathfarnham, and TCD; her first story, ‘Henry
Died’ appeared in New Irish Writing (David Marcus, ed., in
Irish Press) winning the Hennessy Award, 1971; m. Joseph Kearney,
1971; one son, Alexander,. 1974; A Gift Horse and Other Stories (Poolbeg
1978); columnist in Irish Independent; The Homesick Garden
(1991), novel; succeeded Jo Donoghue as literary editor of Poolbeg Press;
ed., If Only (Dublin: Poolbeg [q.d.]); extended fiction list, drawing
on new talent who she strongly encouraged; resisted dictation from Patricia
Scanlon, the leading author on the Poolbeg list; died suddenly, of brain
haemorrhage in mid-conversation with London publisher Penny Hoare, March
1997; memorial service conducted at Trinity College Chapel. DIW DIL
ATT
Criticism
‘Kate Cruise O’Brien: Fiction Finder’ [interview], Books
Ireland (Dec. 1997), p.323.
Notes
A. N. Jeffares & Anthony Kamm, eds., An Irish
Childhood, An Anthology (Collins 1987) incls. Childhood episode [short
story] cited.
Desmond Fennell, ‘Nation of Navel-gazers?’ [letter to
the editor], Books Ireland (Nov. 1994), p.290, complains about
the unwillingness of Irish publishers to print anything but Irish-subject
books, precluding Irish travel writing and reports that Kate Cruise O’Brien
regards it as inadvisable to put a further foreign travel book on their
lists [at Poolbeg].
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Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco)