Which of the following authors have been correctly matched with their works?
[A] Malcom Bradbury – The history of man
[B] William Golding – Rites of passage
[C] Seamus Heaney – Darkness visible
[D] Brian Friel – Dancing at Lughnasa
[E] Molly Keane – The Norman conquests
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct option is A, B and D only.

Let us verify and analyze the correctness of each author-work match step-by-step to understand why this option is correct:

[A] Malcolm Bradbury – The History of Man:
This match is correct. Sir Malcolm Bradbury was an English novelist and academic. He published The History Man (often referred to as The History of Man in some syllabi/contexts) in 1975, which is a highly acclaimed satirical novel about academic life in a modern university.

[B] William Golding – Rites of Passage:
This match is correct. Rites of Passage is a 1980 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning English novelist William Golding. It won the Booker Prize in 1980 and is the first book in his sea trilogy, To the Ends of the Earth.

[C] Seamus Heaney – Darkness Visible:
This match is incorrect. Darkness Visible is actually a famous 1979 novel by William Golding (its title is derived from John Milton's Paradise Lost), or alternatively a 1989 memoir by William Styron. Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet and playwright known for works like Death of a Naturalist, not Darkness Visible.

[D] Brian Friel – Dancing at Lughnasa:
This match is correct. Dancing at Lughnasa is a masterpiece play written by the Irish dramatist Brian Friel in 1990. It is set in the fictional town of Ballybeg and won the Olivier Award for Best Play.

[E] Molly Keane – The Norman Conquests:
This match is incorrect. The Norman Conquests is a famous 1973 trilogy of plays written by the English dramatist Alan Ayckbourn. Molly Keane was an Irish novelist and playwright known for works like Good Behaviour, not The Norman Conquests.

Since matches [A], [B], and [D] are correct, the correct answer is indeed A, B and D only.