Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Love Object | 1968 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 2 | Three Dublin Plays | 1969 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 3 | A Scandalous Woman And Other Stories | 1974 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 4 | Collector’s Choice | 1978 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 5 | A Rose in the Heart | 1979 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 6 | A Fanatic Heart | 1984 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 7 | Lantern Slides | 1990 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 8 | Edna O’Brien Reader | 1994 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 9 | Mrs. Reinhardt | 1996 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 10 | Irish Revel | 1998 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 11 | Returning | 1998 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 12 | Triptych and Iphigenia | 2005 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
| 13 | Saints and Sinners | 2011 | Edna O’Brien | Buy |
Edna O’Brien’s short story collections demonstrate her mastery of the form across four decades. The Love Object (1968) and A Scandalous Woman (1974) established her as a short story writer of the first rank, exploring themes of love, loss, and Irish identity in compressed, emotionally charged narratives.
Lantern Slides (1990) is often cited as her finest collection, winning the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for its stories about Irish expatriates and the pull of home. Saints and Sinners (2011) continued to earn critical praise, winning the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. A Fanatic Heart (1984) collects stories from across her career and works well as a single-volume introduction to her shorter fiction.