Colum McCann

Let the Great World Spin (Random House)

Darkened by intimations of 9/11, this generous extravaganza of a novel brings together the lives of strangers who witness a high-wire artist dancing between the two World Trade Center towers. In this conversation, Irishman Column McCann talks about imagining a happier America — but one that still requires we laugh through our tears.

Read an excerpt from Let the Great World Spin.