2011 Impac Award

Let the Great World Spin by Irish author Colum McCann, has won the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The Award is organized by Dublin City Libraries, on behalf of Dublin City Council and sponsored by IMPAC, an international management productivity company. The prize of €100,000 is the largest prize for a single novel published in English. Uniquely, the IMPAC Dublin receives its nominations from public libraries around the globe. Let the Great World Spin has beaten off competition from 161 other titles, nominated by 166 public libraries from 43 countries. McCann’s book was the most popular choice of libraries worldwide. It received 14 nominations from libraries in Ireland, Germany, Greece, Norway, the USA and Canada. The Lord Mayor of Dublin and Patron of the Award, Gerry Breen said "It is wonderful and fitting to have a Dublin winner in the year that Dublin was awarded UNESCO City of Literature designation, a designation in perpetuity". McCann is the second Irish author to win the prize. It was awarded to Colm Toibín in 2006 for The Master. The judges said "In the opening pages of Let The Great World Spin, the people of New York City stand breathless and overwhelmed as a great artist dazzles them in a realm that seemed impossible until that moment; Colum McCann does the same thing in this novel, leaving the reader just as stunned as the New Yorkers, just as moved and just as grateful".