Cover of Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes is a memoir by American author Frank McCourt, and tells the story of his childhood. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930, the eldest son of Malachy and Angela McCourt. He is joined by brother Malachy in 1931, twins Oliver and Eugene in 1933, and a sister, Margaret, in 1934. After the death of his sister Margaret when she was only a few weeks old, his parents moved back to their native Ireland, where his younger twin brothers both died within a year of the family's arrival and where Frank's youngest brothers, Michael (b. 1936) and Alphie (b. 1940) were born. Image File history File links AngelaAshes. ... Image File history File links AngelaAshes. ... As a literary genre, a memoir (from the Latin memoria, meaning penial) forms a subclass of autobiography, although it is an older form of writing. ... Frank McCourt Francis Frank McCourt (born August 19, 1930) is an Irish-American teacher and author. ... Brooklyn (named for the Dutch city Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Malachy McCourt during a recent CNN interview Malachy McCourt (born September 30, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York) is the younger brother of Frank McCourt (who wrote Angelas Ashes, and Tis. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Life in Ireland, and specifically life in Limerick City, in the 1930s and 1940s, is described in all its grittiness. The family lived in a hovel on a dirt lane and shared one outdoor toilet with all their neighbors. Although his father taught the children Irish stories and songs, he was an alcoholic and seldom found work, and so they lived on unemployment("the dole") or charity--for years subsisting mostly on bread and tea. This article is about the city in Ireland. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ...

Frank's father finally gained employment during World War II at a defense plant in Coventry, England. It was easy to drink away most of his wages, and only once did he send any money back to the struggling family in Ireland. Their mother was destitute, as there were almost no jobs for women at the time. Angela's sister and her widowed mother bregrudged any help they had to give her, because they disapproved so strongly of her husband--not only was he a drunk, but also from Northern Ireland, with a strange accent and what Angela's family called "the odd manner".

In the damp, cold climate of Ireland, the children had only one set of ragged clothing, patched shoes and no coats. Frank developed typhoid and chronic conjunctivitis. Sometimes Frank and his brothers would have to scavenge for lumps of coal or peat turf for fuel, or steal bread to survive. The family were finally evicted after Frank yanked out wall beams to burn for winter heat, causing the roof to collapse. The family were forced to move in with a distant relative who treated them badly.

In the very Catholic Limerick of that time, everyone lived with hypersensitivity to sin and fear of damnation, and the Church offered little comfort to people of the slums. Adults, including school teachers, are portrayed as harsh and punitive toward children, and bigoted concerning anyone perceived as "different" in any way. However, many sympathetic characters are described, such as Uncle Pa, Mr. Timoney and a Franciscan priest.

Teenage Frank found various means to save money and was finally able to realize his dream of returning to America. The story ends as he sailed into Poughkeepsie, New York, to begin a new life at the age of 19. After U.S. Army service, Frank McCourt went to college and taught English in New York City public schools for nearly 30 years. This book can be read simply as a depressing account of life in a Limerick slum of the 1930's, but McCourt interweaves both lyrical and humorous prose about that life as seen through a child's eyes. McCourt followed Angela's Ashes with two more autobiographical works: 'Tis and Teacher Man. United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... Tis is a memoir written by Frank McCourt. ... Teacher Man is a 2005 memoir written by Frank McCourt which describes and reflects on his teaching experiences in New York high schools and colleges. ...

Angela's Ashes won several awards, including the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography and the 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography). The memoir was adapted to a feature film Angela's Ashes in 1999 starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle, and released by Paramount Pictures (in the US) and Universal Studios (outside the US through its joint venture with Paramount, United International Pictures). The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author. ... The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American association of approximately seven hundred book reviewers. ... Angelas Ashes is a 1999 film based on the memoir of the same title by Frank McCourt, born in the United States of Irish descent. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... Emily Watson Emily Anita Watson (born January 14, 1967) is an English actress best known for her acclaimed debut performance in Lars von Triers Breaking the Waves. ... Robert Carlyle, OBE (born April 14, 1961) is a Scottish movie actor. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County between Los... United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures (owned by Viacom) and Universal Studios (owned by NBC Universal), to distribute some of the two studios films outside United States (including territories) and Canada. ...

Coincidently, the novel was part of the writing curriculum for students at Stuyvesant High School during the early 21st century, the same school where Frank McCourt had previously taught as an English teacher. Stuyvesant High School, commonly known as Stuy, is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. ...