Val Mulkerns has been described by Sebastian Barry as, “a masterly writer in the tradition of Seán Ó Faoláin” and Anne Enright notes that  in her work , “liberalising, Shavian voices form a neglected strand of the Irish tradition.”

After publishing ten books of literary fiction and short stories since her début novel, A Time Outworn in 1951, Friends With The Enemy is  an  elegant memoir that takes us from an artistic childhood in Dublin through travels in post-war Europe, encounters with established authors in 1950s Ireland and the changing face of the country during the eighties and nineties. With a mellow, concise prose, she recalls her experiences of over almost seventy years as a writer and journalist.