Edna O'Brien

Edna O'Brien was born in Twamgraney, Co. Clare, and studied pharmacy in University College Dublin. In 1954 she moved to London and made her literary début with The Country Girls in 1960. The book and its two sequels caused outrage in Ireland and were banned by the Censorship Board. O'Brien has written bestselling novels, plays, children's books, essays, screenplays, and non-fiction about Ireland, often focusing on topical questions in relation to religion and gender. She has received numerous awards for her works, including a Kingsley Amis Award in 1962, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 1990 for Lantern Slides. In 2006, Edna O'Brien was appointed adjunct professor of English Literature in University College Dublin.