Irish writer Edna O’Brien dies aged 93

Her publisher Faber Books said she was “one of the greatest writers of our age”.

“She revolutionised Irish literature, capturing the lives of women and the complexities of the human condition in prose that was luminous and spare, and which had a profound influence on so many writers who followed her,” a statement from the publisher said.

“A defiant and courageous spirit, Edna constantly strove to break new artistic ground, to write truthfully, from a place of deep feeling

“The vitality of her prose was a mirror of her zest for life: she was the very best company, kind, generous, mischievous, brave. Edna was a dear friend to us all, and we will miss her dreadfully.”

O’Brien was born in County Clare in Ireland.

She had lived in London for many years.

Her first and perhaps most well-know novel The County Girls tell the story of two girls from rural Ireland growing up in a convent school before moving to Dublin to begin their adult lives.