EDNA O'BRIEN wrote more than twenty celebrated works of fiction as well as plays and four works of non-fiction, which have been translated into over thirty languages.. She was the recipient of many honours, including being appointed an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Born and raised in the west of Ireland, she lived in London for many years before her death in July 2024.