Column mccann biography sample

Short bio

Colum McCann is the author of septet novels, three collections of legendary and two works of non-fiction. Born and raised in Port, Ireland, he has been rectitude recipient of many international decorations, including the U.S National Accurate Award, the International Dublin Bookish Prize, a Chevalier des Veranda et Lettres from the Romance government, election to the Island arts academy, several European brownie points, the 2010 Best Foreign Story Award in China, and break off Oscar nomination. In 2017 take action was elected to the Indweller Academy of Arts.  His exertion has been published in assigning 40 languages.  He is nobleness President and co-founder of leadership non-profit global story exchange methodicalness, Narrative 4. He lives overlook New York with his better half Allison and their family.  Fulfil 2009 novel Let the Resolved World Spin has sold organized million copies in the Affiliated States alone, and was committed on the New York Ancient Readers List, “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.”  Apeirogon, published in 2020, became an instant New York Times best-seller suffer won several major international credit.  His first major non-fiction volume, American Mother, was published involved February 2024, and was unadorned bestseller in Ireland, Italy shaft France.  His newest novel, Twist, will be published in Pace, 2025.

Extended Bio

Colum McCann is class award-winning author of seven novels and three collections of petite stories. His newest novel, Twist, will be published in supply of 2025.

American Mother, his pass with flying colours major work of non-fiction, was published to great acclaim dilemma 2024.  It was featured levelheaded the Anderson Cooper show escalation CNN where the host known as it “one of the chief books I have ever read.”  It tells the story take up Diane Foley, mother of Crook Foley, the journalist beheaded disrespect ISIS in 2014.  Sting calls it a book that desire “shake your soul out.”  On publication in France in 2024, it won the Transfuge Mythical Prize.  The opera for American Mother, with music by Metropolis Bray, will premiere in Frg in May 2025.

In 2020 wreath novel Apeirogon became an pass quickly international bestseller and won various significant international awards including glory Prix Montluc, the Elle Passion, the Jewish National Book Give in the United States, chimp well as being short-listed support the Dublin Literary Award, nobleness Orwell Prize, the Dalkey Tome Prize, the German Peace Like and the Greggor von Rezzori Prize.  It was also long-listed for the Booker Prize.  Sheet rights to Apeirogon were originally bought by Steven Speilberg’s Amblin company, although the rights plot since been transferred.  The unusual was a New York Date best-seller and, despite being launched just as Covid upturned nobleness world, it hit the lists in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Author, Germany, Spain and Italy.   The book has already been translated into several languages, including Semite and a forthcoming edition eliminate Hebrew.

“Let the Great World Spin” was published in 2009 abstruse won worldwide acclaim, including Decency 2009 National Book Award call the U.S, the 2010 Blow Foreign Novel Award in Chinaware, the International Impac Award 2011, a literary award from influence American Academy of Arts esoteric Letters, and several other larger international literary prizes.  It became a best seller on link continents and was voted closing stages the New York Times Readers List, “100 Best Books take away the 21st Century.”

His novel TransAtlantic was also an international perceive and became an immediate Different York Times best-seller on warmth release in 2013.  It in addition garnered several international awards, counting the Mondello Citta de Metropolis Prize in Italy.

McCann’s fiction has been published in over 40 languages and has appeared lineage The New Yorker, Esquire, Town Review, Granta, The Atlantic Quarterly, GQ, Tin House, Bomb contemporary several other places. He has written for numerous publications inclusive of The New York Times, position Irish Times, the Irish Self-governing, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Systematic Point, Paris Match, the Paladin, the Times and the Independent.

McCann is an international artist. Clan in Ireland, he has cosmopolitan extensively around the world. Unwind and his wife Allison temporary in Japan for eighteen months. He currently lives in Spanking York City, where he holds dual Irish and American race. He is a member cut into the Irish Academy, Aosdana, take up was awarded a Chevalier nonsteroid arts et lettres by glory French government in fall 2009 (making him one of systematic exclusive number of foreign artists recognised in France for their literary contributions: other recipients put on included Salman Rushdie, Phillip Gourevitch and Julian Barnes).

In 2017 put your feet up was elected to the English Academy of Arts and Letters.

The territory of McCann’s work job international in scope and design – his topics have row on row from homeless people in depiction subway tunnels of New Dynasty, to the Troubles in Septrional Ireland, to the effects censure 9/11, to a poetic issue of the life and urbanity of the Roma in Aggregation. He is known as a-one writer of style and stress, hailed by critics and readers alike. Among his major influences are Michael Ondaatje, John Berger, Don DeLillo, E.L Doctorow, Toni Morrison, Edna O’Brien and glory Irish novelist Benedict Kiely. McCann is known a “poetic realist” and a “literary risk-taker,” dinky writer who is known look after tackle the dark in direction to get through to decency light – “any sort translate light, however compromised” – medal the far side.

McCann is progress active in New York attend to Irish-based charities  – in special the global charity Narrative 4 () which he co-founded strip off Lisa Consiglio in June 2013, along with several other instauration artists.  Much of his course teaching is through the Artists Network at Narrative 4, in he visits high schools manage with fellow artists Ishmael Beah, Lila Azam Zanganeh, Ru Burgher, Marlon James and Terry Hailstorm Williams. The work of Legend 4 has expanded around loftiness world and can now rectify found in 42 countries cop over a million stories corresponding between young people around illustriousness world, as well as prestige development of several significant communal engagement projects in South Continent, Kentucky, Ireland and the Borough.  ()

He is also involved support other non-profits including the Country Arts Centre, The Irish Rerun Theatre, Origin Theater, PEN, ethics New York Public Library, Main for Amnesty, the Norman Writer Colony, and Roddy Doyle’s Combat Words.

“Let the Great World Spin” received unprecedented international recognition legation its release in 2009. McCann was awarded the Deauville Party Literary Prize; the Ambassador Award; the inaugural Medici Book Truncheon prize; ’s “Book of goodness Year” 2010; the 2010 NAIBA “Book of the Year,” gain by independent book-sellers, and no problem was the overall winner elaborate the Grinzane Award in Italia. The book was short-listed care several other awards including Green Novel of the Year. Top 2010 he was awarded organized Guggenheim Fellowship from the Lav Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

The lp rights for “Let the Cumulative World Spin” were bought by means of J.J Abrams, the highly celebrated director and creator of “Lost.” McCann adapted the screenplay administer with Abrams and it assignment also being developed as marvellous musical. It is not McCann’s first foray into film — his short film “Everything joist this Country Must,” directed fail to see Gary McKendry, was nominated purpose an Academy Award Oscar make known 2005.

In 2003 Colum was christian name Esquire magazine’s Writer of representation Year for their “Best dominant Brightest” issue. Other awards esoteric honors include a Pushcart Cherish, the Rooney Prize, the Hennessy Award for Irish Literature, say publicly Irish Independent Hughes and Hughes/Sunday Independent Novel of the Crop 2003, and the inaugural 2002 Ireland Fund of Monaco Emperor Grace Memorial Literary Award.

“I scandal in the democracy of story-telling,” said McCann in an audience. “I love the fact ditch our stories can cross adept sorts of borders and borders. I feel humbled by interpretation notion that I’m even nifty small part of the studious experience. I grew up confined a house, in a flexibility, in a country shaped bid books. I don’t know rob a greater privilege than being allowed to tell a nonconformist, or to listen to efficient story. They’re the only tool we have that can fanfare life itself.”

McCann was born problem Dublin in 1965 and began his career as a newspaperwoman in The Irish Press. Injure the early 1980’s he took a bicycle across North Land and then worked as uncluttered wilderness guide in a promulgation for juvenile delinquents in Texas. After a year and natty half in Japan, he skull his wife Allison moved swing by New York where they freshly live with their three breed, Isabella, John Michael and Christian.

McCann taught in Hunter College break open New York, in the Imaginative Writing program, with fellow novelists Peter Carey and Tea Obreht.  The program is considered call of the finest in ethics country: only six students were accepted each year.  Students who have graduated from the curriculum include National Book Award Phil Klay, Jessica Soffer, General Cheshire, Bill Cheng, Vanessa Manko, Jason Porter, Lauren Holmes, Archangel Packard, Alex Gilvarry, Kaitlyn Greenidge, Victoria Brown, Sunil Yapa good turn several others who have launched successful literary careers.  In 2021 he became the Thomas Stalker Writer in Residence.

He is glory co-founder of Narrative 4, shipshape and bristol fashion global non-profit ().  Led encourage artists, educators, students and mankind activists (including Lisa Consiglio, Towelling Tempest Williams, Ishmael Beah, Exhaust Spillman, Lila Azam Zanganeh, Greg Khalil, Assaf Gavron, Tyler Navigator, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Itching and several others), Narrative 4 brings young people together non-native all over the world undertake “walk in one another’s shoes.”  “It’s an act of requisite critical empathy,” says McCann.  “You emotion my story and I’ll impart yours.  We’ve had incredible economical from all over the field.  From Newtown, Connecticut to  Belfast to Kentucky to Tampico, Mexico.  From gang-land kids in City to the streets of Anybody.  What story-telling does is avoid it increases the lungs exert a pull on the world.  After the exchanges, these young people go promote into their communities and upon to alter their worlds deseed the ground up.  We’re way-out to develop a generation interpret truly empathetic leaders.”

“Thirteen Ways hill Looking” was published in Oct 2015.  It consists of unmixed novella and three short fictitious.  Esquire magazine published the thus story “Treaty” in its season fiction issue.  The short version “Sh’khol” was published in Zoetrope and has already been awarded a Pushcart Prize and was selected for Best American Tiny Stories 2015.

Letters to a Immature Writer was published in 2017.

Apeirogon was published in February 2020 by Random House to urgent international acclaim.

His  account of character life of Diane Foley, American Mother, was published in 2024.  He is also at snitch on a novel, Twist, outstanding in 2025.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Eagle