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Colm Tóibín

コルム・トービーン

Colm Toibin

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland
Nationality
Ireland
Languages
English
Religion
Catholicism
Residence History
Enniscorthy (birthplace) → Barcelona (residence) → Dublin (residence/work) → Los Angeles (Highland Park, shared home) → New York (Columbia University)

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright, poet, professor
Active Years
1975-
Affiliations
Aosdána, Royal Society of Literature (Fellow), Columbia University (Professor of the Humanities), University of Manchester (Professor of Creative Writing, former), University of Liverpool (Chancellor, 2017–2022)
Memberships
Aosdána, Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)
Influenced By
Henry James, Thomas Mann, Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Louise Glück, Ernest Hemingway
Influenced

Education

University College Dublin (UCD)
Arts (History and English) / Department of History and English
Degree: BA
Period: 1972–1975
Year of Graduation: 1975
Country: Ireland

Awards

Encore Award
1993
Work: The Heather Blazing
Result: Winner
Booker Prize (Shortlist)
1999
Work: The Blackwater Lightship
Result: Shortlisted
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction
2004
Work: The Master
Result: Winner
International Dublin Literary Award
2006
Work: The Master
Result: Winner
Irish PEN Award
2011
Organization: Irish PEN
Result: Winner
Hawthornden Prize
2015
Work: Nora Webster
Result: Winner
David Cohen Prize for Literature
2021
Result: Winner
Folio Prize
2022
Work: The Magician
Result: Winner
Costa Novel Award
2009
Work: Brooklyn
Result: Winner
Booker Prize (Longlist)
2009
Work: Brooklyn
Result: Longlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The South

1990 Novel

Early novel incorporating episodes set in Barcelona.

exilepersonal identity

The Heather Blazing

1992 Novel

A Wexford novel dealing with the death of a father and family history.

familylossIrish society

The Story of the Night

1996 Novel

Follows a protagonist living abroad dealing with gay identity and political unrest.

homosexual identityliving abroadinterior life

The Blackwater Lightship

1999 Novel

A Wexford-rooted novel about family relationships and illness.

familyillnessIreland

The Master

2004 Historical/biographical novel

A fictionalised account of Henry James's inner life, exploring creativity and solitude.

creativitysolitudethe life of a writer

Brooklyn

2009 Novel

Follows Eilis Lacey, an immigrant woman torn between her hometown and a new life in Brooklyn.

migrationhome vs abroadcoming of age
Adaptations
  • [Film] Brooklyn / John Crowley (2015)

The Testament of Mary

2012 Short fiction / dramatic monologue

A reimagining of a traditional story from a fresh, personal perspective.

religionconflict of faithmotherhood

Nora Webster

2014 Novel

Portrays grief and recovery of a mother who has lost her husband.

grieffamilyrenewal

The Magician

2021 Biographical novel

A fictionalised account based on the life of Thomas Mann, examining writer and era.

portrait of a writerhistory and private lifecreative anguish

Long Island

2024 Novel

Sequel to Brooklyn following Eilis's return to Enniscorthy.

return homepassage of timefamily

Bibliography

  • The South (1990)
  • The Heather Blazing (1992)
  • The Story of the Night (1996)
  • The Blackwater Lightship (1999)
  • The Master (2004)
  • Brooklyn (2009)
  • The Testament of Mary (2012)
  • Nora Webster (2014)
  • House of Names (2017)
  • The Magician (2021)
  • Long Island (2024)

Adaptations

  • Brooklyn (film, 2015)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
restrained and precise proseeconomical gestures and important silencesprefers implication over explicit explanation
Recurring Motifs
silencefamilylossgay identityexile/migration

Health

  • Testicular cancer (metastatic)
    2019–
    Cancer diagnosed in 2019 with metastases to lung, liver and lymph node; undergoing treatment. It affected health but he has continued public and literary activity.

Legacy

One of contemporary Ireland's leading writers. Widely acclaimed for delicate explorations of family, religion, exile and gay identity; winner of numerous awards and author of works adapted into popular culture such as the film Brooklyn.

Academic Societies

  • Aosdána
  • Royal Society of Literature

Archives

  • National Library of Ireland (personal notes and workbooks held)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of Brooklyn (2015)

Quotes

  • Ending a novel is almost like putting a child to sleep – it can't be done abruptly.
    Source: Interview / profile (e.g. Guardian) (2017)

Trivia

  • Said he could not read until about the age of nine.
  • Has spoken about having a stammer throughout his life.
  • Brooklyn's film adaptation (2015) raised his public profile.
  • Time spent in Barcelona influenced early work.
  • Founded the Dublin imprint Tuskar Rock Press.