The cover of Edna O’Brien’s 17th novel sports a handsome quote from Philip Roth: ‘The great Edna O’Brien has written her masterpiece.’ Late Roth and late O’Brien have something in common. In The Plot Against America (2004), Roth provided an alternative history of the 20th century: what if Roosevelt had been defeated by the anti-Semitic Charles Lindbergh? O’Brien, whose stellar career began 55 years ago with her wonderful debut, The Country Girls (1960), is increasingly interested in exploring real-life events. Down by the River (1997) fictionalised the true story of a 14-year-old rape victim, while In the Forest (2002) was inspired by the Cregg Wood murders of 1994.
In The Little Red Chairs, the real-life starting point is Radovan Karadzic, indicted in 2008 for his role in the Bosnian genocide. Karadzic’s alias during his years as a fugitive was Dr Dragan David Dabi. O’Brien’s version of Karadzic calls himself Dr Vladimir Dragan.
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