Frank O’Connor (Agents)

Context

Creator(s): Joan Daves

• Administrative History ↴

  Don Congdon of The Harold Matson Company was Frank O’Connor’s originally US Agent, but the two fell out over Congdon’s handling of the assignment of rights to a dramatic production of ‘Guests of the Nation’ (see/9 &ff). O’Connor felt too much had been signed away and as a result in September 1962, on learning that Cyrilly Abels had left her position as editor at The Reporter magazine and set up as an independent literary agent, he switched agencies. Abels’ relationship with O’Connor’s literary estate continued after his death as shown by the correspondence here with his widow, Harriet O’Donovan Sheehy. In 1975 Abels herself became ill and transferred much of her client list to Joan Daves who continued to represent the O’Connor estate until her retirement.

• Archival History ↴

  The Frank O’Connor (Agents) collection is a group of files mainly generated by 3 agents, Don Congdon (1918 – 2009), Cyrilly Abels (1903 – 1975) and Joan Daves (1919 – 1977), who handled O’Connor’s literary affairs. In 2010 they were offered for sale to University College Cork via a consultant Roger Manco.

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Purchase