Colum McCann is the author of eight novels, three collections of stories and two works of non-fiction. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he has been the recipient of many international honours, including the U.S National Book Award, the International Dublin Literary Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish arts academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts.  His work has been published in over 40 languages.  

He is the President and co-founder of the non-profit global story exchange organisation, Narrative 4. He lives in New York with his wife Allison and their family.  His 2009 novel Let the Great World Spin has sold a million copies in the United States alone, and was voted on the New York Times Readers List, “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.”  Apeirogon, published in 2020, became an immediate New York Times best-seller and won several major international awards.  His first major non-fiction book, American Mother, was published in February 2024, and was a bestseller in Ireland, Italy and France. 

His newest novel, Twist, is due to be published in March, 2025. It received star-rated reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and The Bookseller. His fellow novelist Salman Rushdie has written: “Colum McCann gives us a powerfully realist novel of men at sea, literally, emotionally, and metaphorically. It speaks of the brokenness of our time, the successful and unsuccessful attempts at repairs, and the vulnerability of our world. The spirit of Joseph Conrad hovers over the text, but here the heart of darkness lies at the bottom of the ocean.”