Dalkey Archive Press

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Dalkey Archive Press is a small publisher of fiction, poetry, and literary criticism, specializing in the publication or republication of obscure and out-of-print works, particularly contemporary literature. The publisher is named for the novel The Dalkey Archive, by the Irish author Flann O'Brien.

Founded in Chicago in 1984 by John O'Brien, Dalkey Archive began as an adjunct press to the literary magazine Review of Contemporary Fiction, itself dedicated to highlighting writers that were overlooked by the mainstream critical establishment. Initially, the Press reprinted works by authors that were featured in the Review but eventually branched out to other works, including original works that had not before been published. Housed at Illinois State University for most of its existence, in January 2007 the Press relocated laterally to the nearby University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Before this move, statements were made by university officials claiming the Press had been asked to leave Illinois State University due to questions raised over the press’ business operations ("Pantagraph", August 24, 2006).

Modeled on such publishers as Grove Press and New Directions, Dalkey Archive's emphasis is decidedly upon literary fiction, usually of a modernist or postmodernist bent. In the publisher's own words, Dalkey Archive "place[s] a heavy emphasis upon fiction that belongs to the experimental tradition of Sterne, Joyce, Rabelais, Flann O'Brien, Beckett, Gertrude Stein and Djuna Barnes." One of the publisher's primary goals is to keep all of its books in print, regardless of commercial success, in the interest of maintaining the availability of works that are deemed culturally and educationally valuable.

[edit] Selected publications

Dalkey Archive has published a variety of books and authors from many countries. In some cases, the publication of certain books by Dalkey Archive has led to a resurgence in their author's popularity, particularly in the United States, as happened with Felipe Alfau and Flann O'Brien. Some notable books and authors published by Dalkey Archive are listed below.