O'Casey, Sean

Autograph manuscript in a school notebook ("The Gratton") containing first drafts of Acts I and II, fragments of Act III, a synopsis of the play, numerous listings of characters, miscellaneous notes and comments, and two pencil sketches of Captain Boyle's head in profile, in ink with a few pencil notations, sixty-two pages on thirty-three leaves of ruled paper (written dos-a-dos with forty pages in front and twenty-two in back), most pages lightly scored through with purple crayon, four blank leaves, one leaf removed with stub remaining, some soiling and some corners creased. Original printed salmon-colored wrappers, white paper label inscribed by O'Casey in red ink ("Juno and the Peacock [sic]") pasted to front cover, newspaper clipping dated 8 May 1923 affixed to verso of front cover with pin, notations in ink and pencil on rectos of both covers; joint starting, some ink stains and soiling, lower right corner of front cover creased — One typescript and three carbon typescripts with scattered autograph additions and deletions, of a later version of the play, in total eighty-nine pages (rectos only, 10 x 8 in.; 254 x 203 mm), comprising carbon typescripts of Act I (27 pp.), Act II (22 pp.), Act III (25 pp.), each secured with a brass clasp in the upper left corner; typescript of another version of Act II (15 pp.), inscribed "Juno & Peacock. Rough Copy" by O'Casey on verso of final leaf; some wear and soiling.  Housed together in a green morocco gilt clamshell case.

Sold Christie's London, 3 December 1986, lot 374 — Richard Manney (bookplate in clamshell case; Sotheby's New York, 11 October 1991, lot 244). acquisition: James Cummins, 1991

An early manuscript and a subsequent typescript of O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock, a cornerstone of Irish drama and of twentieth-century world literature. Few works have had as strong an influence on Irish, British, and American drama as have Juno and O'Casey's two other Dublin dramas from the 1920s, The Shadow of a Gunman (1923) and The Plough and the Stars (1926). Of the three, it is Juno which continues to resonate most strongly with actors and directors, not to mention audiences. 

Until he achieved success at the age of forty-four with Juno, Sean O'Casey (born John Casey, 1880–1964) lived in poverty, supporting himself by manual labor.  After the acclaim for the three great Dublin dramas, O'Casey left Ireland for London and Torquay, where he resided for the rest of his life. He became fully committed to the cause of Communism, which was reflected in the dramas he wrote in Britain.  None of these later works could compare with the three dazzling masterpieces written in his native Dublin.

The present manuscript and typescript make clear the evolution of the play and the genius of the playwright in revising and expanding his original fragments of inspiration.

The manuscript draft contains O'Casey's early concept of the play and differs significantly from the published text.  The Boyles' son Johnny is barely present in this draft; celebrated lyrical passages appear here in embryonic form; and extraneous material found here is later cut or revised. The notebook begins with a "Scenario" of the first two acts and at this very early stage in the play's gestation even some of the characters' names are different from those in later parts of the draft. Elsewhere in the notebook there is an outline sketch of characters and scenes for Acts II and III, clearly written at a later date.  Just after a list of "Characters in the Play" can be found the first and last passages of Act III, in rough but recognizable form.  There are also quick notes for snatches of dialogue, which later made their way into the play ("What a gramophone wants is dead silence").

The accompanying typescript shows the continuing development of O'Casey's masterpiece. Much of the dialogue in the manuscript notebook is here expanded and improved upon. The typescript contains a number of autograph additions, corrections, and deletions. This is still an intermediary version of the play and is not the final text of the play. Two versions of Act II are present in typescript and one version each of Acts I and III. 

The notebook and typescript together form a multi-layered record of a great work of Irish literature.