WRITER

Colum McCann

1965 - Today

Photo of Colum McCann

Icon of person Colum McCann

Colum McCann (born 28 February 1965) is an Irish writer of literary fiction. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and now lives in New York. He is the co-founder and President of Narrative 4, an international empathy education nonprofit. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Colum McCann has received more than 368,865 page views. His biography is available in 22 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 20 in 2019). Colum McCann is the 5,843rd most popular writer (down from 5,606th in 2019), the 281st most popular biography from Ireland (up from 298th in 2019) and the 40th most popular Irish Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 370k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 44.70

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 22

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.31

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.44

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Fishing the Sloe-Black River
Fiction, Social life and customs, Irish Americans
Everything in this country must
Social life and customs, Social conflict, Fiction
Songdogs
Fiction, Fathers and sons
Dancer
Ballet dancers, Male dancers, Fiction
Zoli
Fiction, Journalists, Romanies
A unique love story, a tale of loss, a parable of Europe, this haunting novel is an examination of intimacy and betrayal in a community rarely captured so vibrantly in contemporary literature. Zoli Novotna, a young woman raised in the traveling Gypsy tradition, is a poet by accident as much as desire. As 1930s fascism spreads over Czechoslovakia, Zoli and her grandfather flee to join a clan of fellow Romani harpists. Sharpened by the world of books, which is often frowned upon in the Romani tradition, Zoli becomes the poster girl for a brave new world. As she shapes the ancient songs to her times, she finds her gift embraced by the Gypsy people and savored by a young English expatriate, Stephen Swann. But Zoli soon finds that when she falls she cannot fall halfway--neither in love nor in politics. While Zoli's fame and poetic skills deepen, the ruling Communists begin to use her for their own favor. Cast out from her family, Zoli abandons her past to journey to the West, in a novel that spans the 20th century and travels the breadth of Europe.Colum McCann, acclaimed author of Dancer and This Side of Brightness, has created a sensuous novel about exile, belonging and survival, based loosely on the true story of the Romani poet Papsuza. It spans the twentieth century and travels the breadth of Europe. In the tradition of Steinbeck, Coetzee, and Ondaatje, McCann finds the art inherent in social and political history, while vividly depicting how far one gifted woman must journey to find where she belongs.From the Hardcover edition.
This side of brightness
Fiction, Homeless persons, Homeless persons in fiction

Page views of Colum McCanns by language

Over the past year Colum McCann has had the most page views in the with 50,550 views, followed by French (19,549), and Italian (8,103). In terms of yearly growth of page views the top 3 wikpedia editions are Breton (70.06%), Italian (62.84%), and French (61.78%)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Colum McCann ranks 5,843 out of 7,302Before him are Hannu Salama, John of Worcester, Louise Bennett-Coverley, Akiva Goldsman, Robinson Jeffers, and Zoltán Ambrus. After him are Giorgio Faletti, Judy Blume, Qaysin Quli, Ewa Lipska, Ruskin Bond, and Aleksandr Sukhovo-Kobylin.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1965, Colum McCann ranks 332Before him are Claudia Koll, Anvar Ibragimov, Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Luc Alphand, Toumani Diabaté, and Debi Diamond. After him are John Jensen, Grace Mugabe, Kenta Hasegawa, Richard Grieco, Valdir Benedito, and Gwen Torrence.

Others Born in 1965

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In Ireland

Among people born in Ireland, Colum McCann ranks 281 out of 549Before him are Brian Downey (1951), Sir George Staunton, 1st Baronet (1737), William Desmond Taylor (1872), John O'Shea (1981), George Salmon (1819), and Caoimhín Kelleher (1998). After him are John A. Costello (1891), Margaret Mazzantini (1961), Peter Sutherland (1946), Tony Dunne (1941), Charlie McGettigan (1950), and Richard Mulcahy (1886).

Among WRITERS In Ireland

Among writers born in Ireland, Colum McCann ranks 40Before him are George Moore (1852), John Connolly (1968), William McGonagall (1825), Michael Scott (1959), Eoin Colfer (1965), and Sydney, Lady Morgan (1776). After him are Margaret Mazzantini (1961), Liam O'Flaherty (1896), Cecelia Ahern (1981), Frank Harris (1856), Nahum Tate (1652), and Roddy Doyle (1958).