The purpose of Edna O'Brien's writing was to "illuminate, inspire, give courage" to those who struggled to speak out, her son has told mourners at her funeral mass in Co Clare.
Ms O'Brien was the author of the Country Girls trilogy and over 30 other works.
She died aged 93 on 27 July in London, where she had lived for much of her life.
Her son Marcus 'Sasha' Gébler said: "In the last week, I've been moved and overwhelmed by the tributes and affection for our mother from so many different people in so many countries."
He continued: "For many writers, it is their first book that is their best, and they never quite live up to that initial curated distillation of their own life.
"But in our mother's case, her development as a writer was an arc continually ascending from the lives of young women in 1940s Ireland - through age, experience and suffering - to 1990s Bosnia or Nigeria in 2014."
Reflecting on the purpose of his mother's stories, he added: "I believe in her case, it has been and will remain, to illuminate, inspire, give courage to and speak for those who are rendered dumb."
Mr Gébler also read a poem he wrote for his mother, which received a round of applause from the congregation.
Ms O'Brien was described as a "profound family person" and "a speaker of truth".
Chief celebrant Fr Donagh O'Meara described her as "a remarkable" and "an extraordinary" woman.
He said she was "a profound family person, a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother".
Fr O'Meara said the late author was "hugely determined and she worked so hard".
He also said she "experienced many challenges during her long life".
"She was a speaker of truth. Edna held up a mirror for us in a very narrow time in Ireland."
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President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina joined Ms O'Brien's two sons Carlo and Marcus and the wider family, at St Joseph's Church in her native Tuamgraney this morning.
A large floral wreath from the President and Sabina Higgins read: "With deep appreciation and all our love for what Edna gave to life and culture and in a most memorable way to all of us and future generations."
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin were represented at the mass by Commandant Claire Mortimer.
Actor Stephen Rea, producer and director John McColgan and lyricist and author Tim Rice were among those also in attendance.
The small church was filled to capacity, with dozens of other people watching the service on screens outside.
A violinist and cellist performed ahead of the mass.
During the procession of symbols, family members and friends laid items which held significance for Ms O'Brien.
Her grandson Oscar presented the Irish author's French Legion of Honour to represent a "lifetime of extraordinary achievement".
Other items included a Buddha statue offered by her niece, which was said to symbolise how Ms O'Brien was a "deeply spiritual woman whose curiosity and open heart led her to many faiths throughout her lifetime" including Buddhism.
Her Irish literary inspirations were honoured by a friend who carried a copy of James Joyce's Ulysses, while another presented a portrait of the late author Samuel Beckett, a friend of Ms O'Brien.
Gifts representing her life were brought to the altar at the beginning of the mass.
They included a gold Torc, which she received from President Higgins in 2015, when she was elected Saoi of Aosdána.
Flowers from the garden of Drewsborough House, her childhood home in Tuamgraney, were also offered.
Her grandchildren India, Jack, Finn, Georgia and Euan read the Prayers of the Faithful.
Following her requiem mass, Ms O'Brien’s wicker coffin was carried from the church to applause.
President Higgins spent time meeting her family outside the church, before the hearse was driven away under garda escort to a local pier.
Speaking after the funeral, Mr McColgan said Ms O'Brien had made "such a contribution", adding that he "loved her and loved her company".
Mr McColgan said: ""She was fantastic company.
"Very funny, very witty.
"A Raconteur, a storyteller, the best of company."
He said he was "heartbroken".
"I loved her as everyone did and her legacy will live on".
Mr Rea said Mr O'Brien’s life was "so inspiring".
He said Fr O’Meara "was wonderful about how he reflected sorrow at the church's attitude to her in the early part of her career".
"She was such a brave and human person, and she was a big age, so you can't in any way feel it was a wasted life," he said.
"It was a huge life," he added.
Mr Rea said Ms O’Brien was a "wonderful person" who was also "a wonderful friend and hilarious woman, absolutely hilarious".
In accordance with her wishes, Ms O'Brien was laid to rest afterwards on Holy Island, an ancient monastic site in Lough Derg. Her remains were transported there by boat for burial.
She was predeceased by her brother John, sisters Patricia and Eileen and her husband Ernest Gébler.
Books of condolence for Ms O'Brien are open online and also at Clare County Council headquarters in Ennis, as well as the public library in Scariff which was formally named the Edna O'Brien Library in May.
Additional reporting: PA
