Flannery O'Connor 1954. Introduction. Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Circle in the Fire" was originally published in 1954 in Kenyon Review. At the time of its publication, O'Connor was on the verge of being recognized as one of America's greatest short-story writers, her first story having been published in 1946. Adel, Georgia, native Ray McKinnon is making one of the most compelling and beautifully written series on television, Rectify. We like the fact that it speaks in accents we Southerners understand. But we love it because it speaks the truth in a way that everyone can understand. T