Colum McCann is the award-winning author of twelve books, most recently"American Mother" with Diane Foley. Recognised by Sting as "a book that will shake your soul out," Colum McCann channels Diane Foley’s voice as she tells her story, as the mother of American journalist Jim Foley. American Mother reads alternately like a thriller, a biography, a mystery, and a searing literary memoir as Diane goes in search of answers beyond justice towards a place of grace and compassion.
His previous novel, Apeirogon became an instant international bestseller and won several significant international awards including the Prix Montluc, the Elle Prize, the Jewish National Book Award in the United States, as well as being short-listed for the Dublin Literary Award, the Orwell Prize, the Dalkey Book Prize, the German Peace Prize and the Greggor von Rezzori Prize. It was also long-listed for the Booker Prize. The novel was a New York Times best-seller and, despite being launched just as Covid upturned the world, it hit the lists in Canada, Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
“Let the Great World Spin” was published in 2009 and won worldwide acclaim, including The 2009 National Book Award in the U.S, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, the International Impac Award 2011, a literary award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and several other major international literary prizes.
His novel TransAtlantic was also an international sensation and became an immediate New York Times best-seller on its release in 2013. It too garnered several international awards.
McCann’s fiction has been published in over 40 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Paris Review, Granta, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Tin House and several other places. He has written for numerous publications including The New York Times, the Irish Times, the Irish Independent, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Paris Match, the Guardian, the Times and the Independent.
McCann is an international artist. He believes, he says, "in the democracy of storytelling." Born in Ireland, he has travelled extensively around the world. He currently lives in New York City with his wife Allison and their family. He is a member of both the Irish and American Academies, and was awarded a Chevalier des arts et lettres by the French government in fall 2009.
McCann cites his work with Narrative 4 as equally important as his work as an author. Co-founded with Lisa Consiglio in 2013, Narrative 4 is a global non-profit that has helped create a worldwide network of young changemakers by unifying story-telling with action and change. Bringing together students, teachers and artists, Narrative 4 has become a leader in shattering stereotypes and breaking down borders all across the globe. "Watching Narrative 4 grow, and watching communities change by harnessing the power of storytelling, is one of the great joys of my life," he says.