Edna O'Brien, with wavy auburn hair and a fur-collared coat, stands outdoors near a river
Edna O’Brien pictured in 1976. Her 1960 novel The Country Girls was banned in Ireland, partly because ‘you can see the contours of the female form’ on the cover. Photograph: ITV/Shutterstock
Edna O’Brien pictured in 1976. Her 1960 novel The Country Girls was banned in Ireland, partly because ‘you can see the contours of the female form’ on the cover. Photograph: ITV/Shutterstock
Banned books from Ireland’s room of ‘evil literature’ finally see the light of day

Censored books spanning 1926-96 contained themes ‘likely to corrupt or deprave’, or references to contraception or violence