In 1998, Alice McDermott’s fourth novel, Charming Billy, captured the National Book Award. Few were surprised. McDermott had previously been nominated for two Pulitzers and another N.B.A. But ...

John Cardinal O’Connor was installed as Archbishop of New York in March, 1984, and elevated to Cardinal in May, 1985. He was born, the fourth of five children, in a row house in a blue-collar ...

From the publication of her very first book, The Country Girls (1960) to her most recent books, Edna O’Brien’s works have gained wide acclaim, particularly among American readers. One of Ireland’s ...

Frank McCourt went from retired New York City high school in a matter of months with the publication of Angela’s Ashes, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Frank managed to save the fare for a ...