August Is a Wicked Month

August Is a Wicked Month is the 1965 novel by Edna O'Brien, her fourth.

August Is a Wicked Month

First edition (publ. Jonathan Cape) Cover by Lord Snowdon
Author	Edna O'Brien
Publisher	Jonathan Cape
Publication date	December 1, 1965
ISBN	978-2-246-09920-8

The New York Times claims it featured "one of the best author photographs of the 20th century."^[1] That cover was reprinted on the cover of her 2012 memoir Country Girl.

Upon publication August Is a Wicked Month, as with most of O'Brien's early books, was banned in several jurisdictions, including by Ireland's strict Catholic rulers.^[2][3]

The title is regularly mentioned to this day by commentators on topics ranging from business and politics to fashion and weather.^[4][5][6][7]

References

1. Garner, Dwight (29 April 2013). "Seeking the Ardent Life, Finding It and Sharing It: Edna O'Brien's Memoir, 'Country Girl'". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
2. Carlson, Julia (1990). Banned in Ireland: Censorship and the Irish Writer. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415054140.
3. Veitch, Jock (15 March 1970). "Miss O'Brien takes a look at the country that banned her". The Sydney Morning Herald. pp. 22 August 2024 – via Google News.
4. Fitzpatrick, Martin (28 August 2005). "Fingers crossed as sun sets on August". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 August 2005. When the month started, we noted that Edna O'Brien once labelled August as a 'wicked month' - and as the month comes to a close, it must be admitted that it has fully lived up to its billing.
5. McNally, Frank (6 April 2011). "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 April 2011. I can't remember now why Edna O'Brien thought August was a wicked month. But it can hardly have been the weather.
6. Coleman, Marc (7 August 2011). "Predators pounce as politicians dither: With the very survival of the euro in doubt, Ireland's fiscal position is heading in a very Italian direction warns Marc Coleman". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2011. Edna O'Brien was right: August is indeed a wicked month.
7. "When It Comes To Style, August Can Be Beautiful". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 August 1981. August may be a wicked month for Miss Edna o'brien [sic] but it's one of the busiest in the calendar for local fashion watchers.

External links

• A Way Back to Life, 6 June 1965, Eliot Fremont-Smith