Edna O'Brien is an Irish novelist, playwright, poet, and short story writer. She is best known for her works of fiction which often focus on the inner thoughts and emotions of women. Her first novel, The Country Girls, was published in 1960 and was met with both critical and commercial success. She has since written numerous novels, plays, and short stories, and has been awarded several prestigious awards, including the Irish PEN Award in 1999 and the American National Book Critics Circle Award in 2020.