His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic.

"The Sniper" is a powerful and concise short story by the Irish writer Liam O'Flaherty, first published in 1923. It's set in Dublin during the Irish Civil War (1922-1923), a conflict that pitted Irish citizens against each other over the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Liam O’Flaherty (1896–1984) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, considered to be a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance. His works combined naturalism, psychological analysis, poetry, and satire with respect for the courage of the Irish people.