James Moran is Head of Drama in the School of English Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK.

There is no question that this book is the best so far reviewed in the Methuen Drama Critical Companions series. James Moran has worked very hard at understanding the life and work of one of the greats of Irish theatre and does a fine job of conveying his findings in a fashion that will satisfy the general reader as much as professionals … Moran paints a fully-rounded picture of this iconoclastic character and also analyses his plays with deft skill. The author's thorough analysis is also complemented by amongst others director Garry Hynes in an informative interview and academic Paul Murphy who has written an essay on O'Casey and class. This really is a first-class book and is highly recommended both to academics and the general reader, both of whom will learn far more about Sean O'Casey than a simple biography or academic study would achieve.

• IntroductionPart One: O'Casey's Life, Work, and LegacyChapter One: Biography, 1880-1964Chapter Two: Dublin, 1880-1926Chapter Three: Rejection, 1926-39 and BeyondChapter Four: Communism, 1936-46Chapter Five: The Church, 1946-64Chapter Six: Critical Responses, 1923-2013Part Two: New Perspectives Chapter Seven: Directing O'Casey (Garry Hynes)Chapter Eight: O'Casey and Postcolonialism (Victor Merriman)Chapter Nine: O'Casey and Class (Paul Murphy)NotesBibliographyIndex

James Moran is Head of Drama in the School of English Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK.

There is no question that this book is the best so far reviewed in the Methuen Drama Critical Companions series. James Moran has worked very hard at understanding the life and work of one of the greats of Irish theatre and does a fine job of conveying his findings in a fashion that will satisfy the general reader as much as professionals … Moran paints a fully-rounded picture of this iconoclastic character and also analyses his plays with deft skill. The author's thorough analysis is also complemented by amongst others director Garry Hynes in an informative interview and academic Paul Murphy who has written an essay on O'Casey and class. This really is a first-class book and is highly recommended both to academics and the general reader, both of whom will learn far more about Sean O'Casey than a simple biography or academic study would achieve.

• IntroductionPart One: O'Casey's Life, Work, and LegacyChapter One: Biography, 1880-1964Chapter Two: Dublin, 1880-1926Chapter Three: Rejection, 1926-39 and BeyondChapter Four: Communism, 1936-46Chapter Five: The Church, 1946-64Chapter Six: Critical Responses, 1923-2013Part Two: New Perspectives Chapter Seven: Directing O'Casey (Garry Hynes)Chapter Eight: O'Casey and Postcolonialism (Victor Merriman)Chapter Nine: O'Casey and Class (Paul Murphy)NotesBibliographyIndex