Content Warning: Both the source material and this guide contain descriptions of death.

Colm Tóibín is an acclaimed Irish novelist, essayist, journalist, and literary critic who has been widely recognized for his explorations of themes such as exile, identity, family, and the complexities of personal and national history. Born on May 30, 1955, in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland, Tóibín grew up in a town that has frequently served as the backdrop for Nora Webster and much of his fiction. His childhood was marked by the early death of his father, a history teacher, and this loss deeply influenced his later literary works. Notably, Nora Webster blends Tóibín’s formative memories of his mother’s widowhood against the backdrop of his hometown.

Tóibín studied at University College Dublin (UCD), where he earned a degree in English and history. After graduating in 1975, he spent time traveling and visited Barcelona, a setting that later inspired his debut novel, The South (1990). Upon returning to Ireland, he worked as a journalist and editor, contributing to the In Dublin magazine and later serving as editor of Magill, a leading publication in Irish current affairs. His journalistic work sharpened his observational skills, which he later applied to his fiction and essays.