John Augustus O'Shea
| John Augustus O'Shea | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 June 1839 Nenagh, Ireland |
| Died | 13 March 1905 London, England |
| Other names | "the Irish bohemian" |
| Occupation | Soldier, journalist, author |
| Known for | War correspondant |
John Augustus O'Shea (24 June 1839 – 13 March 1905)[1] was an Irish soldier, journalist and novelist.
Born at Nenagh, Ireland,[2] the son of journalist John O'Shea, in 1856[1] he was sent to study medicine at the Catholic University of Ireland in Dublin.[3] Later that year he journeyed to London where he sought work as a journalist.[1] He left to serve in Pope Pius IX's Irish battalion. During the 1860 siege of Ancona, he reported on the conflict for a newspaper in America. Following his military service for the Papacy, he was hired as a correspondent by the New York Herald and reported on the Austro-Prussian War in 1866.[3]
In 1869 he was a special correspondent for the Evening Standard, for whom he went to France to report on the Franco-Prussian War. During the Siege of Metz (1870), he was arrested as a spy and nearly put to death. His life was spared through the intervention of other journalists and the French Emperor Napoleon III.[3] He remained with the Standard for the next 25 years.[2] During his career he reported on the Third Carlist War and the Bengal famine.[4]
Toward the end of his life he became paralyzed, followed by his death in London.[2] He is buried at the St. Mary's Cemetery at Kensal Green, London.[5] He was twice married and was survived by his second wife and a daughter.[1]
Bibliography [edit]
- Leaves from the life of a special correspondant[1] (1885), 2 volumes
- An iron-bound city; or, five months of peril and privation[1] (1886), 2 volumes
- Romantic Spain: a record of personal experiences[6] (1887), 2 volumes
- Military mosaics: set of tales[1] (1888)
- Mated from the morgue : a tale of the Second Empire[6] (1889)
- Brave men in action[1] (1890), with S. J. McKenna
- Roundabout recollections[1] (1892), 2 volumes
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912), Dictionary of National Biography: Second Supplement: Neil-Young 3, New York: Macmillan, p. 56.
- ^ a b c Sutherland, John (1990), The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction, Stanford University Press, p. 482, ISBN 0804718423.
- ^ a b c Roth, Mitchel P.; Olson, James Stuart (1997), Historical Dictionary of War Journalism, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 225, ISBN 0313291713.
- ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1906), Dictionary of national biography: Index and epitome (2nd ed.), London: Smith, Elder & Co., p. 87.
- ^ Crone, John Smyth; O'Cassidy, Seamus; O'Lochlainn, Colm, eds. (1917), The Irish Book Lover 9–13, Whyte & Salmond.
- ^ a b "Browsing Authors With Title", The Online Books Page (University of Pennsylvania), retrieved 2013-03-02.
