Irish novelist Edna O’Brien has died aged 93 after a long illness, her agent announced.
“Our thoughts are with her family and friends, in particular her sons Marcus and Carlo. The family has requested privacy at this time,” a statement said.
Paying tribute to the author, publishing house Faber said she was “one of the greatest writers of our age”.
“She revolutionised Irish literature, capturing the lives of women and the complexities of the human condition in prose that was luminous and spare, and which had a profound influence on so many writers who followed her.
“A defiant and courageous spirit, Edna constantly strove to break new artistic ground, to write truthfully, from a place of deep feeling. The vitality of her prose was a mirror of her zest for life: she was the very best company, kind, generous, mischievous, brave.
“Edna was a dear friend to us all, and we will miss her dreadfully. It is Faber’s huge privilege to publish her, and her bold and brilliant body of work lives on.”
Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Edna O’Brien https://t.co/UUfpbBK75N pic.twitter.com/nqxIE2XGQF
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) July 28, 2024
Irish President Michael D Higgins described O’Brien as “one of the outstanding writers of modern times”.
“Edna was a fearless teller of truths, a superb writer possessed of the moral courage to confront Irish society with realities long ignored and suppressed,” he said.
“Through that deeply insightful work, rich in humanity, Edna O’Brien was one of the first writers to provide a true voice to the experiences of women in Ireland in their different generations and played an important role in transforming the status of women across Irish society.
“While the beauty of her work was immediately recognised abroad, it is important to remember the hostile reaction it provoked among those who wished for the lived experience of women to remain far from the world of Irish literature, with her books shamefully banned upon their early publication.”
