Accused of being the most scandalous woman in Ireland and publicly mocked by her home country, Edna O’Brien was an undeniably talented and trailblasing Irish writer. While her life included glamorous parties across metropolitan cities such as London and New York and friendships with members of high society, it was also marked by personal and professional struggles, as explored in Sinéad O’Shea’s 2024 documentary.
Born into a newly independent Ireland marked by poverty and the dominance of the Catholic Church, O’Brien grew up in a society where purity was valued above all else. Shame operated as a controlling force for many Irish women, and the themes of vulnerability and self-exploration that O’Brien depicted in her debut novel, Country Girls, were controversial. While O’Brien herself was uncertain of the novel’s literary merit, she knew it was truthful, which was a significant achievement in an era where Irish women were largely denied the ability to express themselves honestly. Her depiction of female sexuality and desire sparked widespread condemnation across the country, leading to book burnings in her homework of Clare and a national ban.
When reading Country Girls today, these so-called explicit scenes are seen as neither remarkable nor controversial, given that discussions of sexuality now permeate literature, film, and music. However, in mid-20th century Ireland, where women were confined to snugs in pubs and men dominated the literary landscape, O’Brien’s voice was ahead of its time.
Visually, O’Brien is often associated with glamour. Superficially, as noted by director O’Shea, she appeared frivolous, leading some to dismiss her work as mere escapism for elite housewives. In Ireland, she was publicly ridiculed, with satirical performances mocking her staged at esteemed theatres such as the Gaiety in Dublin. However, a closer look at her work reveals this is far from the truth. While she was highly regarded abroad, particularly in the United States, where she was frequently published in The New Yorker, the rejection and criticism she faced in Ireland weighed heavily on her.
The documentary reveals excerpts from O’Brien’s personal diaries, in which handwritten corrections and critiques appear alongside her entries. Upon further investigation, these comments were identified as the work of her ex-husband, writer Ernest Gébler. Gébler sought to undermine and belittle her in the very space where she could truly express herself without fear of judgment. Their marriage was described as toxic, and Gébler frequently expressed jealousy toward O’Brien’s successes.
Despite socialising with figures such as Jackie Onassis, Paul McCartney, and Sean Connery, O’Brien’s later years were marked by solitude. While her circle was once surrounded by glamour, O’Brien was described as a workaholic, publishing a book each year for a point of time during her career. Despite all her work, in one of her final interviews, she describes how she does not own a house, a car, or even a bike, her only property, she claimed, is her grave. A solemn feeling was felt throughout the theatre as another interview clip captured O’Brien repeating the word “no” several times to herself when asked whether she had received sufficient help in processing her lifelong trauma, revealing the suffering that underpinned her achievements.
Though she is best known for her novels set in Ireland, O’Brien’s later work demonstrated breadth. In addition to her memoir, Country Girl, she tackled global issues in Girl, a novel about a Nigerian teenager abducted by Boko Haram. While not always recognised as such, O’Brien was a writer that demonstrated bravery in her work. Whether intentional or not, her work challenged societal norms, giving voice to the inner lives of women in the Irish countryside, incorporating sexual frankness, and demonstrating how the inner lives of women were shaped by the men around them. Unlike many of her contemporaries, O’Brien herself had no powerful male patron. She often spoke dismissively of men, once remarking in a television interview that the only pleasure a woman could derive from a man was sexual, as anything beyond that would lead to disappointment. Her critique of gender dynamics stood in stark contrast to the conservative housewife ideal that prevailed during her formative years.
Though vilified in her homeland for much of her career, Edna O’Brien’s contributions to literature and feminism remain undeniable. Her legacy is one of literary brilliance, and thanks to the reevaluation of her work and O’Shea’s 2024 documentary, she is recognised as a pioneering figure in both Irish and international literature.
