Rohan O'Grady
Encyclopedia
Rohan O'Grady is the pen name of the Canadian novelist June Skinner (born 23 July 1922).
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Skinner's books, which are often set in her native British Columbia, are characterized by a strong gothic streak and a tendency to dismiss genre conventions. For example, though she commonly features adolescent protagonists, she subjects them to both emotional intensity and physical violence rarely found in "young adult" novels. This has been attributed in part to Skinner's independence from the larger literary culture. She did not publish her first book until she was nearly 40, and she did her writing alone in suburban West Vancouver while raising three children.
After nearly three decades of relative obscurity, Skinner returned to public attention as the subject of a January 2009 feature in The Believer
, the monthly literary magazine published by McSweeney's
. In the piece, "A Certain Kind of Murder," author Theo Schell-Lambert writes of his childhood encounter with Let's Kill Uncle and his search for its mysterious author. Following the Believer article, the Vancouver Courier and the North Shore News ran pieces on Skinner and her reemergence. Let's Kill Uncle was reprinted by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2010; original drawings by Edward Gorey
make earlier editions additionally desirable to collectors.
Writing History
Between 1961 and 1970, Skinner published four novels as O'Grady. Her fifth and final work, The May Spoon, was released in 1981 and credited to A. Carleon (Ann Carleon is the name of Skinner's great-grandmother). Her third, Let's Kill Uncle, was made into a movie of the same name in 1966 by the legendary horror-film producer William CastleWilliam Castle
William Castle was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Castle was known for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies....
.
Skinner's books, which are often set in her native British Columbia, are characterized by a strong gothic streak and a tendency to dismiss genre conventions. For example, though she commonly features adolescent protagonists, she subjects them to both emotional intensity and physical violence rarely found in "young adult" novels. This has been attributed in part to Skinner's independence from the larger literary culture. She did not publish her first book until she was nearly 40, and she did her writing alone in suburban West Vancouver while raising three children.
After nearly three decades of relative obscurity, Skinner returned to public attention as the subject of a January 2009 feature in The Believer
The Believer (magazine)
The Believer is a United States literary magazine that also covers other arts and general culture. Founded and designed in 2003 by the writer and publisher Dave Eggers, it is edited by Vendela Vida, Heidi Julavits and Ed Park...
, the monthly literary magazine published by McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
. In the piece, "A Certain Kind of Murder," author Theo Schell-Lambert writes of his childhood encounter with Let's Kill Uncle and his search for its mysterious author. Following the Believer article, the Vancouver Courier and the North Shore News ran pieces on Skinner and her reemergence. Let's Kill Uncle was reprinted by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2010; original drawings by Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey
Edward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
make earlier editions additionally desirable to collectors.