Edna O'Brien is an Irish novelist who has written many works of fiction, including novels, short stories, and plays. She is best known for her 1960 novel The Country Girls, which was banned in Ireland upon its release due to its frank depiction of female sexuality. O'Brien has been awarded numerous awards for her writing, including the Irish PEN Award, the U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction.