O’Hara, John (1905-1970), was an American novelist and short-story writer. He gained fame for his realistic observations on the manners and morals of the American middle class. O’Hara set a number of his novels and stories in the fictional town of Gibbsville, Pa.
John Henry O’Hara was born on Jan. 31, 1905, in Pottsville, Pa. He worked as a journalist until he turned to fiction following the success of his first novel, Appointment in Samarra (1934). The novel is an ironic picture of upper middle-class life in a Pennsylvania city. O’Hara’s other important novels include Butterfield 8 (1935), Ten North Frederick (1955), From the Terrace (1958), and Elizabeth Appleton (1963). Many of O’Hara’s books were made into motion pictures, and two of his novels, Hope of Heaven (1938) and The Big Laugh (1962), are set in Hollywood.
O’Hara received special praise for his short fiction. His collections of stories include The Doctor’s Son (1935), Sermons and Soda Water (1960), The Cape Cod Lighter (1962), The Hat on the Bed (1963), and Good Samaritan (published in 1974, after his death). In 2016, the Library of America published John O’Hara: Stories, a collection of 60 stories written from 1930 to 1970. In 2018, the Library published John O’Hara, Four Novels of the 1930’s, which included the works Appointment in Samarra, Butterfield 8, Hope of Heaven, and Pal Joey. O’Hara collaborated with composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart to turn his story sequence Pal Joey (1940) into a musical comedy of the same name. He died on April 11, 1970.
