The Country Girls - Irish writer Edna O'Brien, aged 93, has passed away
The renowned Irish writer Edna O'Brien is deceased. She passed away after a long illness at the age of 93, as her publisher Faber and literary agency PFD announced.
"Edna O’Brien was one of the greatest writers of our time", Faber stated. "She revolutionized Irish literature by holding the lives of Women and the complexity of human existence in a brilliant and sparse prose that deeply influenced many subsequent writers."
O'Brien was a tenacious and courageous person who always tried to explore new artistic territories and write truthfully. "The vitality of her prose was a mirror of her zest for life: She was the best company, friendly, generous, witty, courageous." O'Brien leaves behind two sons.
During her decades-long literary career, O'Brien published over 20 books, most of which were novels and story collections. Few dared to challenge Ireland's religious, sexual, and gender boundaries as explicitly and poetically as she did.
She lived with her former husband, the Irish-Czech writer Ernest Gebler, and two small children outside London when she became famous and notorious with the 1960 publication of "The Country Girls" (German: "The Fifteen-Year-Olds").
In this novel, it's about two young women from the countryside. In Ireland, the story was branded as "filth" by a Justice Minister, and books were even publicly burned. The novel, along with several follow-ups in the 1960s, was banned in Ireland due to excessive erotic freedom.
The struggle of Irish women was one of her favorite themes, and later, political and social-critical dimensions followed.
In the 1994 novel "House of Splendid Isolation" (German: "The House of Solitary Splendor"), the IRA plays a decisive role, while in "Down by the River" (German: "By the River"), the passionate abortion debate in Ireland is the focus.
In her 2019 novel "Girl" ("The Girl"), O'Brien finally dealt with the victims of the islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.
O'Brien's writings significantly impacted literature in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, offering unique perspectives on women's experiences and human existence. Her groundbreaking work, such as "The Country Girls," led to death cases related to book bannings in Ireland due to its explicit content. Despite facing controversies, O'Brien continued to shed light on the struggles of Irish women, tackling topics like politics, social criticism, and abortion in novels like "House of Splendid Isolation" and "Down by the River."
