The owners of City Books - arguably Brighton and Hove’s best independent bookshop - Paul and Inge Sweetman, know how to host a classic literary evening.

Ireland’s doyenne of Irish literature Edna O’Brien spoke to a rapt audience in the Royal Pavilion’s sumptuous, oriental-inspired Music Room.

With her latest opus The Little Red Chairs the erudite 84-year–old has produced her most intense, moving and shocking work to date.

A reading of her 18th novel – described as a ‘masterpiece’ by Philip Roth - was followed by a lyrical explanation of its plot and general musings on writing, set between sympathetic questions posed by established literary chair Steven Gale.

O’Brien had listeners captivated with her soliloquies about shifting perspectives, small instances of mercy, and people’s longing for ‘home’ – a theme which feels more compulsive and significant than ever in the current political context.

How war kills the soul, why ‘the wolf is entitled to the lamb’ and how, ‘as in all fairytales, darkness is but waiting,’ were among a rich assortment of sentiments delivered in that lilting Irish brogue despite 60 years living in London.

‘Creating enchantment’ must be the greatest skill of the storyteller, concluded the celebrated writer, and listening to her talk around the themes of love, life and belonging, it is clearly an innate skill. Spellbinding.

Five Stars