‘To read Edna O’Brien is to know love; of words, of literature and of life itself.’
Eimear McBride
One day, listening to the radio, I heard the voice of Edna O’Brien. I immediately knew I was in the company of someone special – a captivating storyteller – a woman of rare passion and intelligence.
Since that day, I have immersed myself in her writing. Now in her 90’s she is still writing, her untamed spirit completely undimmed. When she entered her 10th decade, other writers were asked to comment on what makes her one of Ireland’s most influential voices:
‘Gaiety always, beauty, and mischievousness, and simple love of the world. The world, not as we would have it but as it is. And ever young. How appropriate it is that the latest of her late novels should be called Girl.’
John Banville
I finish with this short clip of Edna O’Brien herself – conveying as it does, the passionate nature she has never lost:
