Francis Hackett (21 January 1883 – 25 April 1962) was an Irish novelist and literary critic. He is most famous for writing a detailed book about
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
but was also a noted critic and published several other books most of which were either non-fiction or biographies.
Biography
Hackett was born in
Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
to the daughter of a farmer and a medical officer. He was educated in
St Kieran's College
St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the passing of the Cath ...
, where
Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh (; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclama ...
was his teacher. He married the Danish writer
Signe Toksvig in 1918.
The couple lived in Ireland in the early years of the State, and then moved to Denmark, to the US during World War II, and back to Denmark.
He emigrated to the United States in 1901 for various reasons, among them being his dissatisfaction with the British Government ruling Ireland, and his family's inability to finance his college education. When he arrived in New York he published articles in Standish O’Grady's ''All Ireland Review'', Arthur Griffith's ''
'', and Samuel Richardson's ''The Gael''. Hackett took a series of jobs as a clerk in a law firm, for the advertising department of
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
Magazine, and literary editor of various periodicals, such as the ''Chicago Evening Post''. In 1906 Hackett moved into Hull-House and taught English to Russian Immigrants. As writer and critic, Hackett attacked Chicago's genteel and commercial cultures, racism, and the subordination of women. He left his position as literary editor of the Post in 1911 to pursue a career as a novelist.
In 1946, King Christian X of Denmark awarded Hackett the
Liberty Medal
The Liberty Medal is an annual award administered by the National Constitution Center (NCC) of the United States to recognize leadership in the pursuit of freedom. It was founded by the Philadelphia Foundation. In 2006 an agreement was made with ...
.
[Obituary in the Corsicana Daily Sun on Weds April 25th 1962]
Hackett died on 25 April 1962.
Works
*''As an alien feels'', (1915)
*''Ireland: A Study In Nationalism'', (1918)
*''Horizons: A Book Of Criticism'', (1918)
*''The Invisible Censor'', (1918)
*''The Irish Republic'', (1920)
*''On American Books
dited', (1920)
*''The Story Of The Irish Nation'', (1922)
*''That Nice Young Couple'', (1925)
*''Henry The Eighth'', (1929)
*
Francis, The First', (1934)
*''The Green Lion'', (1936)
*''Queen Anne Boleyn'', (1939)
*''I Chose Denmark'', (1940)
*''What 'Mein Kampf' Means To America'', (1941)
*''The Senator's Last Night'', (1943)
*''On Judging Books In General And In Particular'', (1947)
Posthumous
*
Source:
References
Further reading
*
External links
Francis Hackett materials in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Francis
1883 births
1962 deaths
19th-century Irish biographers
19th-century Irish male writers
Irish male biographers
Writers from County Kilkenny