Edna O’Brien, Wins PEN/Nabokov Prize

Hello Gentle Reader

Edna O’Brien has received the $50,000 PEN/Nabokov Prize. It is one of numerous awards the author has received. Yet, still a victory of author, whose first publications and forays into writing were met with resistance. In her youth as a controversial Irish female writer, Edna O’Brien’s work were often banned, censored and even burned. Her debut novel “The Country Girls,” opened up a new horizon for Irish Literature. This new horizon, however, was not comfortable. “The Country Girls,” displayed an intimate portrait of young women living in the Irish countryside. It depicted explicit scenes of sex, and was noted for using foul language. Needless to say the reigning puritanical Catholicism of the time had the book immediately banned, and O’Brien’s parish priest burned the book(s) with fanatical frenzy. Afterwards, the author and her home would often have a complicated relationship with each other. Despite the censored and burning reception the book got in Ireland, it was considered an interesting debut elsewhere. From that point on Edna O’Brien became a green hurricane from Ireland, whose novels, short stories, non-fiction, dramas and plays would go on and open the doors of Irish literature, seen through the eyes of a woman. Her works broke down the taboo subjects of sex, and opened the doors for sexual liberation and a discussion of social issues facing women. The road to success for Edna O’Brien often found her morals and her character questioned and attacked. She was viewed as a sexual libertarian, a party girl, a social animal with no disregard for traditional thoughts on family and child rearing; and was often considered an immoral idol for young girls to look up to. Yet, now in her late eighties the author, with her wits about her, coupled with candor, offers compliments and criticism to her early year’s slander.

In her acceptance speech for the 2018 Pen/Nabokov Prize, Edna O’Brien gave Ireland a slight backhanded compliment:

“It’s a wonderful thing to know that madness and obstacles are grist to the mill. So I thank my country.”

Beyond casting a bit of shade of Ireland, Edna O’Brien offered thanks to the PEN American association which has worked tirelessly to promote freedom of speech and secure freedom and safety for persecuted journalists and writers. Edna O’Brien also pointed out the importance of language and writing in such ‘unhinged times,’—where telling the truth is more important now than ever, and language as the preeminent force to showcase the undying and resilient human spirit.

Congregations to Edna O’Brien, for receiving the award; and at the age of eighty-even continues to write. Her next novel is “Girl,” about the kidnapping of almost three hundred school girls, by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Neither age or time slows the author down, as she continues to write about a world continually thrown into perplexing states of madness.

Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader

Take Care

And As Always

Stay Well Read

M. Mary

P.S. To read more about Edna O'Brien's recent win, please read the following Irish Times article:

Edna O’Brien: Lolita author Nabokov was ‘scathing of women’''