Robert C. O'Brien

Infobox Writer
name = Robert Leslie Conly

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imagesize = 200px
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pseudonym = Robert C. O'Brien
birth_date = Birth date|1922|1|11|mf=y
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death_date = Death date|1973|3|5|mf=y
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occupation = Writer, Author, Journalist
nationality = American
period =
genre = Non-fiction, Journalism, Children's literature, Fantasy
subject =
movement =
debut_works = "The Silver Crown" (1968)
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Robert Leslie Conly (January 11, 1918--March 5, 1973) (better known by his pen name, "Robert C. O'Brien") was an American author and journalist for "National Geographic Magazine".

Biography

Conly was the third of five children from a well-educated Irish-Catholic family. He was listed as 4-F during World War II, largely on physical grounds, as he tended to be ill as a child, though there were psychological grounds as well, as he had a mental breakdown in his early adulthood. He had an interest in both music and literature and studied for a time at Juilliard, but went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Rochester. He then went on to journalism and writing, and married Sarah McCaslin in 1943. This marriage lasted until his death thirty years later.

Conly is best known for writing children's books under the "O'Brien" pen name. In all there were four of these: "The Silver Crown" (1968); "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" (1971), which received the 1972 Newbery Medal; "A Report from Group 17" (1972); and "Z for Zachariah" (1975), which was published posthumously, after his death at the age of 51, and received a 1976 Edgar Award, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Juvenile Mystery.

In 1982, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" was made into an animated film, "The Secret of NIMH". The movie was based on the book. His daughter, Jane Leslie Conly, later published two sequels to "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH", "Racso and the Rats of NIMH" (1986) and "R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH" (1990).

Selected Bibliography

* "A Report from Group 17". Macmillan, 1972.
* "Z for Zachariah". Atheneum, 1975.

External links