Sean O'Casey

Sean O'Casey (1880-1964), Irish dramatist, whose plays deal realistically with Dublin slum life and the Irish struggle for independence. He was an important figure in the Irish literary revival of the early 20th century.

O'Casey was born in Dublin on March 30, 1880. As a young man living in the slums, he worked as an unskilled labourer. He became active in the Irish labour movement and in the nationalist struggle against British rule, but, disillusioned with the middle-class leadership of the nationalists, he did not take part in the Easter Rising and turned to the theatre as a means of social and political protest. His plays, often from episodes in his own life, are characterized by a lyrical prose style; tense and compelling dramatic situations; and a rich sense of irony and wit. At the same time, they evince a deep feeling for the tragedy of ordinary lives and a hatred of political and religious oppression.

Many of O'Casey's plays were first produced at Dublin's noted Abbey Theatre. Although recognized early in his career as one of Ireland's important dramatists, O'Casey left Ireland and moved to England in 1926, because of the bad reception his plays encountered. An Abbey Theatre audience, enraged by his truthful depiction of the Irish people in The Plough and the Stars (1926), incited a riot. Among his other plays are The Shadow of a Gunman (1923) and Juno and the Paycock (1924).

In addition to the straightforward realistic manner employed in these powerful and effective dramas, O'Casey experimented successfully with Expressionism and Symbolism in The Silver Tassie (1928), Red Roses for Me (1942), a semiautobiographical work, and Cock-a-Doodle Dandy (1949).

O'Casey's six-volume autobiography appeared from 1939 to 1954; in it he discussed, in subjective, stream of consciousness style, his personal life and his experience in the theatre. O'Casey died in Torquay, England, on September 18, 1964.