Edna O’Brien, a prominent Irish author, has passed away at the ripe age of 93. Her death was announced on Saturday by her literary agent, PFD, and publisher, Faber, stating she departed peacefully following a prolonged illness. They expressed sympathies for her loved ones, especially her sons Marcus and Carlo, and relayed the family’s request for privacy during this period.
Edna was born in Tuamgraney, County Clare, and had an impressive bibliography that included over 20 novels, biographies of literary luminaries such as James Joyce and Lord Byron, and she had also written plays, screenplays, and a memoir. Her depiction of feminine sexual power in her works stirred controversy in 1950’s Ireland.
Her first three novels – The Country Girls (1960), The Lonely Girl (1962), later rebranded as Girl with the Green Eyes, and Girls in their Married Bliss (1963) – earned notoriety when they were banned by the Irish censorship board.
Despite the controversy, her work was recognised and she received several accolades, such as the Pen Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature in 2018 and the David Cohen Prize for Literature in 2019. She received honorary doctorates from Galway University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Limerick, and in 2006, University College Dublin awarded her the Ulysses Medal, its highest honour.
In 2015, Edna was named a Saoi of Aosdána, an accolade bestowed in a ceremonious event overseen by President Michael D Higgins. The following Sunday, the president acknowledged O’Brien as an exceptional contemporary writer, adding that her works were globally recognized and revered.
He praised Edna as a bold truth teller and an extraordinary writer who courageously challenged Irish society on matters previously overlooked and silenced.
Edna O’Brien, an extraordinary pioneering figure in Irish literature, was a prominent voice vividly representing the lives and experiences of varying generation of Irish women. Her work was foundational in instigating a significant shift in the status of women within Ireland. Despite facing considerable backlash and resistance, with early publications of her works disgracefully prohibited, her stunning narrative craftsmanship was acknowledged internationally.
Faber, the publishing house that O’Brien associated with, hailed her as one of the most exceptional writers belonging to our era. Her writing revolutionised the Irish literary landscape, underscoring women’s experiences and the myriad of human intricacies through remarkably evocative and succinct prose. Her work served as an influential precursor inspiring many subsequent writers. Known for her audacious creativity, O’Brien was ceaselessly dedicated to artistic innovation and portrayed profound emotional truth. Her vivacious literary style reflected her exuberant appetite for life. She possessed a delightful camaraderie, along with kindness, generosity, bravery and frivolity. Her unexpected loss deeply saddens Faber, who expresses utmost honour in publishing her striking and ingenious oeuvre which continues to endure.
Caroline Michel from PFD, O’Brien’s literary agent illustrates her immeasurable influence quoting a profound passage from ‘Country Girls Trilogy’s’ crowning jewel- ‘Girl with the Green Eyes’. According to Michel, “Edna’s impact is pervasive, once familiarised with her literature or familiar with her as a person, she takes a permanent joyous and defiant place in your life.”
Hailing from a Convent of Mercy from the county of Galway where she was brought up as a boarder, Edna O’Brien shifted to Dublin with fervour to follow her passion for writing. Alongside studying pharmacy during the evenings, O’Brien kickstarted her writing career with the Irish Press in 1948.
In the year of 1952, she encountered the author Ernest Gébler, who was two decades older than her. Her family’s disapproval of their relationship led them to relocate to England where they tied the knot in 1954. The couple welcomed two sons into their family, Karl who would later adopt the name Carlo, and Marcus. However, their marital bliss was short-lived as they split in 1964 and officially parted ways through divorce in 1968.