Let the Great World Spin
First edition cover
|
|
| Author | Colum McCann |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Random House |
|
Publication date
|
23 June 2009 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 368 |
| ISBN | |
Let the Great World Spin is a novel by Colum McCann set in New York City in the United States. The book won the 2009 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction and the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, one of the most lucrative literary prizes in the world. Its title comes from the poem "Locksley Hall" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
The plot of the book revolves around two central events. The first, laid out clearly in the book's opening pages, is the sensational real-life feat of the Twin Towers tightrope walk of Philippe Petit 110 stories up, performed in 1974. This lays the groundwork for the author's description of the human ability to find meaning, even in the greatest of tragedies, for which the Twin Towers serve as a metaphor.
The second central event, which is only revealed halfway through the book, is the fictional courtroom trial of a New York City prostitute. This serves as a sort of point of balance, bringing the book back down to its more earthly, and therefore more real basic story lines.
In the novel the author employs the unusual literary technique of designating multiple protagonists within the same book. In fact, no fewer than eleven different protagonists are introduced throughout the course of the book, each in their own dedicated chapters. Additionally, the various protagonists are sometimes cast in roles which are naturally in conflict or tension with one another: for example, first a prostitute, and then the judge who must pass sentence upon her. In this particular case, first an earlier chapter of the book presents the courtroom story through the eyes of the prostitute, later in the book the same story is retold through the eyes of the judge.
Throughout the book the author weaves the stories of each of his protagonists through both of the two central events, exploring the personal impact that each of these two events had on the lives of each of the various protagonists. Additionally, some other issues which are unique to certain of the various protagonists are touched upon, such as the loss of a child, or the personal struggles that a member of a Catholic religious order must contend with. This religious protagonist, named John A. Corrigan, was loosely based on the real-life Catholic priest, Daniel Berrigan.
...
Wikipedia