O’Brien’s oeuvre earns Irish writer a DBE

Edna O’Brien has been made a DBE for her services to literature.

The Irish author said it was "very gratifying", adding: "It unites me in some etheric way to readers I don’t know and is an incentive, at 88, to keep going." 

Stephen Page, c.e.o. of O’Brien’s publisher Faber & Faber, said: "The great Edna O’Brien[’s] international reputation and readerships stand as a testament to her importance and originality."