The Irish-born writer, Michael Collins (b. 1964) has written two collections of short stories and three novels to international critical acclaim and numerous awards. His first work, a collection of short stories entitled The Man who Dreamt of Lobsters, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 1993. Collins' books have been translated into fifteen languages, including French and Italian. His latest novel, The Keepers of Truth, won the 2000 Irish Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize that year. Three out of four experts of The Guardian named him the winner. The book has been compared to Don DeLillo's works, and is currently being adapted for the screen. It describes the collapse of the American dream in the decading industrial cities of the American Middle West. It is considered one of the most biting and insightful comments against globalisation. The hero is a reporter dabbling in philosophy and working for a dying local newspaper. He investigates the disappearance of an elderly local inhabitant, whose story rapidly builds into a nation-wide case of media hysterics. Collins has a doctorate in English from the University of Illinois and has taught literature and creative writing in a number of major American universities. In addition to his academic and literary career, Collins has also worked in business: he is in charge of computer-aided learning technologies at Microsoft in Seattle. And this is not all - last year he won the five-day ultra-marathon (100 miles 14, 000 feet above the sea level) on the Himalayas with a record time of 15 hours 20 minutes.

Photo: Kevin Delahunty