Edna O’Brien: From Irish villain to national icon — an appreciation
Edna O'Brien: The themes of 'The Country Girls' — the awakening, sexual and otherwise, of convent girls Kate and Baba — were not welcome in an Ireland still very much under the cosh of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, who called it a 'smear on Irish womanhood'. Picture: Neil Danton
It is safe to assume Edna O’Brien would have been gratified by the many tributes that flowed on her death this week, reflecting the high esteem in which she was deservedly held.
It wasn’t always this way, however. It is probably difficult for younger generations to understand from today’s vantage point why one of Ireland’s greatest writers was once vilified in her home country.
