Michael Collins's literary debut, The Meat Eaters, a collection of short stories published in 1992, did not cause a great stir in literary circles, but most reviewers of the book regarded Collins as a perceptive and imaginative writer able to explore Irish and Irish American sensibilities. Since then, Collins, who lives in Seattle, has won several awards, including being short-listed for the Booker Prize and the 2002 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. His writing has consistently revolved around the dramatization of the underside of life and the marginalized people who either struggle merely to survive at home or feel compelled to leave their country for a better life. Collins's style--which relies on candid and lean narrative, familiar but often sublime settings, and passionate and sharp prose--combines Irish and American influences in a manner likely to enrich the tradition of both James Joyce and William Kennedy.

Michael D. Collins was born...