The Literary Encyclopedia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sean O'Casey
(1880-1964)

Active: 1900-1964 in Ireland, Britain, Europe

(John O'Casey)

By Catherine Rees (University of Loughborough)

Indexing Data:

  • Active In: Ireland, Britain, Europe
  • Born In: Ireland, Britain, Europe
  • Activity: Playwright

Life, Works and Times

Reader Actions

Sean O’Casey’s theatrical career spanned numerous decades, nations and dramatic styles, but he is largely remembered as a quintessentially Irish dramatist. His Dublin Trilogy, written between 1923 and 1926, forms the basis of this reputation, as the plays deal with conflicts in Ireland in the early 20th century. O’Casey, and his plays, are thus often assumed to represent his nation, which achieved independence from Britain in 1922 after a bitter struggle. O’Casey’s “Irishness” was made even more explicit because he frequently wrote for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, a venue generally associated with drama which explored themes involving Ireland and Irish politics, and although his later work was

This article in full comprises 2489 words but only the first 150 or so words are available to non-members.

All our articles have been written recently by experts in their field, more than 95% of them university professors. To read about membership,
please click here.

First published 29 August 2005

Citation: Rees, Catherine. "Sean O'Casey". The Literary Encyclopedia. 29 August 2005.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3371, accessed 9 February 2010.]