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| John O'Brien | |
John O'Brien, founder of the Review of Contemporary Fiction and Dalkey Archive Press, died November 22. He was 75. "A bold, visionary publisher, O'Brien was dedicated to producing, promoting, and keeping in print, experimental works of international literature," noted Deep Vellum Publishing, which will help carry on that legacy. "Dalkey Archive Press was founded with the mission of recovering works that had fallen out of print due to market forces and making them available forever....
"O'Brien's editorial taste was unmatched.... Over its history, the press published 1,000 works of fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, and scholarly works, including several Nobel Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics' Circle Award winners, as well as the Best European Fiction anthology series."
O'Brien was awarded the Sandrof lifetime achievement award from the National Book Critics' Circle in 2011, and in 2015 was appointed Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts & des Lettres in recognition of his significant contribution to French arts and literature by the Minister of Culture and Communication of France.
Before his death, the Dalkey Archive's board of directors approved an agreement to merge with Deep Vellum, where publisher Will Evans will honor O'Brien's legacy by keeping Dalkey Archive's backlist in print and by signing future titles, with the assistance of editorial consultant Chad W. Post, of Open Letter Books at the University of Rochester. Will O'Brien, John's son and current president of Dalkey Archive's board of directors, will join Deep Vellum's board of directors as part of the merger.
An online memorial service to honor John O'Brien's life and work will be held December 9. Details to follow.