Taoiseach Enda Kenny has announced that novelist Anne Enright has been selected as the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction and will begin her three-year term this month.
The Man Booker Prize-winner was awarded the honour by the Arts Council at a ceremony in Dublin.
Speaking at the event, the Taoiseach said: "The Laureate for Irish Fiction is awarded on the basis of literary accomplishment and excellence, and is the highest honour that the Irish State can bestow on a writer in this genre.
"Anne Enright's eloquent and powerful writing, fiercely individual voice and unyielding commitment to her craft combined to make her the pre-eminent choice."
He continued: "On behalf of the Government and the People of Ireland, I offer her our warmest congratulations. I know it is a role she will undertake with distinction."
Reacting to her appointment, Anne Enright said: "The Laureateship is not about one writer, but about a series of writers stretching into the future who will each play a briefly emblematic role in Irish letters. It is a great honour to be chosen."
She added: "I hope I can rise to the role, and maybe have some fun along the way. I take courage, as ever, from the readers I have met - especially in Ireland, but also abroad - who allow fiction do its deeply personal work; who let Irish writers into their minds and hearts, and welcome them as their own."
As part of her term as Laureate, Anne Enright will deliver an annual lecture and spend one semester at University College Dublin and one semester at New York University teaching creative writing.
She will also continue with her own work as an author.
Sheila Pratschke, Chair of the Arts Council, said: "The individual artist is at the centre of our cultural and artistic life, and plays an essential role in Irish society. Ireland has a proud literary tradition, and it is from the individual writer that this tradition stems and flourishes.
"Anne Enright's commitment to her craft is without question; her excellence as a writer is manifest; her connection to readers is undeniable. The Arts Council is very proud to award her the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction."
