For her prose of "surpassing beauty and exactitude" and an oeuvre that makes her one of Ireland's major writers, Edna O'Brien was last night awarded a UCD Ulysses Medal, the highest prize the university can bestow.
In his citation, Prof Declan Kiberd drew a comparison between O'Brien and James Joyce, her great inspiration. "Like Joyce she has lived in exile but never forgotten a single thing. He is the figure who inspired Caithleen Brady in The Country Girls, and he is the figure to whom Edna O'Brien constantly returns."
O'Brien said she was honoured, being only the fourth recipient of the medal. "It's a huge gift, and these gifts and honours don't come often. It means a lot to me."
O'Brien has written plays, children's books, essays, screenplays and non-fiction about Ireland. Her first novel, The Country Girls, created a sensation in 1960 when it was banned by the censorship board and a copy burned by the curate in her local church in Co Clare. It became a bestseller.
It was also announced that O'Brien has donated her literary papers to the university.