This article is from page 10 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
CLARE writer, Edna O’Brien has been honoured by University College Dublin for her work.
The author of books including The Country Girls and Girl with Green Eyes was awarded a Ulysses Medal, the highest prize UCD can bestow.
The story of The Country Girls is partly based on the author’s own experiences being brought up in a convent.
“The novel is autobiographical insofar as I was born and bred in the west of Ireland, educated at a convent and was full of romantic yearnings, coupled with a sense of outrage,” O’Brien has said.
The Country Girls continued into The Lonely Girl (1962) and Girls in Their Married Bliss (1964).
The Tuamgraney woman has seen her share of controversy during her writing career and, lately, critics have accused her of making money on the back of tragedy.
O’Brien’s novel In the Forest dealt with the murder of Imelda Riney by Brendan O’Donnell and provoked outrage among critics who said that she should not have chosen a tragedy so recent as the basis for her book. between O’Brien and her great inspira-
The Country Girls , her first book, also tion, James Joyce. caused a storm of controversy on its reHe said that, “Like Joyce, she has lived lease in 1960. in exile but never forgot a single thing.
It was banned by the censorship board He is the figure who inspired Caithleen and a copy was burned by the curate in Brady in The Country Girls and he is the her local church. It went on to become a figure to whom Edna O’Brien constantly bestseller. returns.”
Awarding the medal, Professor Declan Accepting the medal, O’Brien said that Kiberd drew a comparison in his citation she was honoured to be the fourth recipient of the award.
“It’s a huge gift and these gifts don’t come often. It means a lot to me.”
Those gathered for the award heard that the author is donating her literary papers to the university.