In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 1955
- Birthplace
- Enniscorthy, Ireland
- Country
- Ireland
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- The Master and Brooklyn
- Education
- UCD BA, 1975
- Magazine editorship
- Magill, 1982–1985
Why this life matters
His early journalism, travel and fiction developed together, linking public history with the intimate pressures of place and belonging.
Timeline
Key moments
A move abroad
Begins three years in Barcelona.
Two books
The South and Homage to Barcelona appear.
A migration novel
Brooklyn is published.
A sequel
Long Island returns to Eilis.
Enniscorthy, university and Barcelona
Tóibín grew up in Enniscorthy, where his father taught and researched local history. He studied History and English at University College Dublin, graduating in 1975. Three years teaching English in Barcelona exposed him to Catalonia’s political transition. Returning to Dublin in 1978, he began an MA but did not complete it.
Sources for this section: [2]
Journalism before the novels
He worked for In Dublin, Hibernia and The Sunday Tribune before editing Magill from 1982 to 1985. Travel in Africa and South America fed his journalism. The South and Homage to Barcelona both appeared in 1990.
His earlier border book was a collaboration with photographer Tony O’Shea. The library’s papers include drafts, proofs, correspondence and reporting material.
Several forms of intimacy
The Master examined Henry James’s life; Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family extended his short fiction. He also wrote criticism, literary biography and work for the stage. The Testament of Mary moved between theatrical and novel forms.
The opening extract of Brooklyn follows Eilis watching her sister and responding to a shopkeeper’s summons. Knowledge unfolds through a particular person’s observations and hesitations.
Adaptation, teaching and a return to Eilis
The 2015 Brooklyn film credits John Crowley as director and Nick Hornby as screenwriter, with Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey producing.
Long Island, published in May 2024, returned to Eilis’s story.
His academic work has included Princeton and Manchester as well as Columbia. Columbia’s retrieved faculty heading identifies him as Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professor of the Humanities; its current schedule lists leave for 2026–2027.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Colm Tóibín
- Did he write the film screenplay?
- The film record credits Nick Hornby, while Tóibín wrote the source novel.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- John McGahern
Read another career connecting fiction, teaching and Irish places.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Colm TóibínBiography: Colm Tóibín
- 2. National Library of IrelandColm Tóibín Papers, Collection List 133
Only PDF 1–3 read. The catalogue’s misplaced 1999 Booker reference is not adopted.
- 3. Columbia UniversityColm Tóibín: faculty biography
Historical biography still uses Mellon Professor; the current heading and dated leave field control the limited present-tense description.
- 4. Colm TóibínBrooklyn: author-hosted extract
Only the author-hosted opening extract read. No complete novel, screenplay or film inspected.
- 5. Joseph Walsh / BFIGirls on film: Brooklyn interview with the producers
- 6. BFIBrooklyn (2015): credits
- 7. Hillel Italie / Associated PressOprah Winfrey’s new book club pick is Colm Tóibín’s Long Island
