Colum McCann - “Let the Great World Spin” Wins National Book Award

[groovedaddy]

Colum McCann won the National Book Award for fiction on Wednesday night for “Let the Great World Spin,” a novel featuring a sprawling cast of characters in 1970s New York City whose lives are ineluctably touched by the mysterious tightrope walker who traverses a wire suspended between the Twin Towers one morning.

In accepting the award, the Irish-born Mr. McCann, now a teacher of creative writing at Hunter College, said, “As fiction writers and people who believe in the word, we have to enter the anonymous corners of human experience to make that little corner right.” The book was published by Random House.

In the nonfiction category, T. J. Stiles won for “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt,” a biography of the man who fathered a dynasty, presided over a railroad empire and, in the words of the judging panel, “all but invented unbridled American capitalism.”

Mr. Stiles, whom the judges praised for his “deep and imaginative research,” took a swipe at the recent move toward electronic books as he thanked a wide range of supporters, including editorial assistants, copy editors and marketing staffers, at his publishing house, Alfred A. Knopf.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/books/19awards.html?th&emc=th

[hippywife]

1. I just posted about this book the other day.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=208x19397

I'm on the waiting list at the library. I'm number 7 of 16 holds. That list has grown today so maybe word has gone out. I expect it will grow even more the next few days.

I really enjoyed listening to his interview about it:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwgs/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1577955/StudioTulsa/A.Chat.with.the.Bestselling.Irish-American.Novelist..Colum.McCann..(Encore.presentation.)

:hi:

[hippywife]

2. I get to pick this up from the library, finally.

I'm stopping by on my way home from work.

[hippywife]

3. I am still reading this

as I've been kind of busy and started another book in addition. This is a very good and well written story. So far, at about 1/3 of the way in, it's not a happy tale. I have some hopes for it to become one, although I can't really tell you why, maybe the interaction between the lives of some of the people that are being woven together.

[groovedaddy]

4. Just finished this last night and it was great. He's a very good writer, making the

characters come to life. I'd be interested in hearing the takes of those who live in NYC.

[hippywife]

5. You can hear a really great interview with him

here:http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwgs/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1535588/news/A.Chat.with.the.Bestselling.Irish-American.Novelist..Colum.McCann.

That's what first alerted me to his novel. He seems such a likable person. :hi:

[groovedaddy]

6. Thanks for the link! n.t