John O'Hara, Appointment in Samarra

James MacDonald (University of Exeter)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1934

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Lantenengo Country Club, Gibbsville, Pennsylvania, late Christmas Eve, 1930. Julian English is among the club stalwarts who are listening to Harry Reilly in full flow. Reilly put money into Julian’s Cadillac business after the Crash a year before, preventing Julian from going under; but he has always had a yen for Julian’s wife Caroline, and his fat Irish kisser and endless Irish yarns have always got on everyone’s nerves. Truth to tell, most people would like to do exactly what Julian thinks about doing – throwing a drink in Reilly’s face to shut him up. They simply do not have the courage, and when Julian does it, everyone is so shocked that it causes an instant sensation. People begin taking sides, and, in siding against E…

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903 words

Citation: MacDonald, James. "Appointment in Samarra". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 June 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6537, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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