Global 100
McCourt, Frank
The Irish
Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrant parents who soon returned to Ireland.
It’s a good job they did, because if Frank hadn’t had such a terrible poverty-ridden childhood in Limerick, he would not now be known the world over for his memoir "Angela’s Ashes."
It’s a terrible tale to be sure, but told with such wry humor, compassion, love for his family, and masterful storytelling, that it struck a chord with people everywhere. It has sold over four million copies, been published in 27 countries and been translated into 17 languages.
Frank received the Pulitzer Prize (1997) and National Book Critics Circle Award (1996) for the book, which was also made into a movie.
He followed up on "Angela’s" success with two more autobiographical works: "’Tis" (1999), which picks up where "Angela’s Ashes" leaves off and focuses on his life as a new immigrant in America, and "Teacher Man" (2005), which details his life as a teacher in New York City high schools, where his books are now often part of the syllabus.
Frank’s younger brother Malachy, an actor who appeared most recently on the ABC series "Life on Mars," has also penned an autobiographical memoir, "A Monk Swimming." And a third brother, Alphie McCourt, wrote his own version of the family story, in "A Long Stone’s Throw" in 2008.
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