“This is the function of books — we learn how to live even if we weren’t there. Fiction gives us access to a very real history. Stories are the best democracy we have. We are allowed to become the other we never dreamed we could be.” “This is the Function of Books.“–Colum McCann.
Let the Great World Spin . [NOVELIST COLUM McCann became the first Irish person to win one of America’s most prestigious literary awards . McCann’s Let the Great World Spin won the 2009 National Book Award for fiction.
Previous winners include giants of the American literary scene such as William Faulkner, Philip Roth, Saul Bellow and John Updike. McCann dedicated his victory to another Irish author, Frank McCourt, who died in July. “I think he’s dancing upstairs,” he said].