Colum McCann: South Dublin Library Champion
“Every door in the world leads towards a library. And every library allows us a myriad of stories. Libraries are the essence of democracy. Here, among stories, we find ourselves. I’ll never forget going to libraries when I was growing up in Dublin. The books opened me up, sent me away, and ultimately allowed me to stay at home. I’m forever indebted to those who allowed these shelves to become roads, and those roads that allowed me, once again, to walk amongst new shelves. A library book is a vote. A library is an extensive parliment of the human imagination.” Colum McCann
Colum McCann is the award-winning author of five novels and two collections of short stories. His most recent novel, “Let the Great World Spin,” won worldwide acclaim, including The 2009 National Book Award in the U.S, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, winner of the International Impac Award 2011, as well as a 2011 literary award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
“Let the Great World Spin” became a best-seller on four continents.
McCann’s fiction has been published in 30 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, Paris Review, Granta, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Bomb and other places. He has written for numerous publications including The New York Times, the Irish Times, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Paris Match, the Guardian, the Times and the Independent.
McCann is considered, in every sense, an international artist. Born in Ireland, he has travelled extensively around the world. He and his wife Allison lived in Japan for two years. He currently lives in New York City, where he holds dual Irish and American citizenship. He is a member of the Irish Academy, Aosdana, and was awarded a Chevalier des arts et lettres by the French government in fall 2009 (making him one of an exclusive number of foreign artists recognised in France for their literary contributions: other recipients have included Paul Auster, Salman Rushdie and Julian Barnes). McCann was interviewed by RTE’s John Kelly here in Tallaght Library in April 2010. (Interview)
Thank you so much to Colum for becoming a South Dublin Library Champion
To see more information, visit Colum McCann’s webpage
