O'Faoláin, Seán, 1900-1991, Irish writer. The relation of the individual to society was often the theme of his novels and stories. He frequently wrote about Ireland, analyzing the nation's agony in adjusting past history with present reality. O'Faoláin was probably best known for his short stories, collected in such volumes as Midsummer Night Madness (1932), The Man Who Invented Sin (1948), The Heat of the Sun (1966), and The Talking Trees (1971). Among his novels are A Nest of Simple Folk (1933) and Come Back to Erin (1940). His nonfiction works include biographies of De Valera (1933) and Daniel O'Connell (1938) and several studies of Ireland, notably Song of Ireland (1943) and The Irish (1948).