Author guide
Colm Tóibín Books in Order
Colm Tóibín is an Irish writer whose work includes novels, short-story collections, literary criticism, memoir, travel writing, plays, and poetry. His fiction often explores Ireland, migration, sexuality, family, history, and the inner lives of artists and historical figures.
literary fictionhistorical fictionshort storiesessaysmemoirtravel writingliterary criticismplayspoetry
Colm Tóibín's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Brooklyn
The most accessible entry point and the beginning of the Eilis Lacey series.
The Master
A representative historical and psychological novel about Henry James.
Mothers and Sons
A strong introduction to Tóibín’s short fiction.
Read in order
Books by series
novel series · ongoing
Eilis Lacey
A novel series following Eilis Lacey across Ireland, Brooklyn, and Long Island.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (13)
- Bad Blood: A Walk Along the Irish BorderAmazon ↗
nonfiction · 1987
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The SouthAmazon ↗novel · 1990
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The Heather BlazingAmazon ↗novel · 1992
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The Story of the NightAmazon ↗novel · 1996
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The Blackwater LightshipAmazon ↗novel · 1999
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The Irish Famine: A DocumentaryAmazon ↗nonfiction · 1999
- The MasterAmazon ↗
novel · 2004
- The Use of ReasonAmazon ↗
nonfiction · 2006
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The Testament of MaryAmazon ↗novel · 2012
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Nora WebsterAmazon ↗novel · 2014
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House of NamesAmazon ↗novel · 2017
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The MagicianAmazon ↗novel · 2021
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A Long WinterAmazon ↗novella · 2025
Nonfiction (8)
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Homage to BarcelonaAmazon ↗travel_writing · 1990
- The Trial of the Generals: Selected Journalism, 1980–1990Amazon ↗
journalism_collection · 1990
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The Sign of the Cross: Travels in Catholic EuropeAmazon ↗travel_writing · 1994
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Lady Gregory’s ToothbrushAmazon ↗literary_criticism · 2002
- A Guest at the Feast: A MemoirAmazon ↗
memoir · 2011
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On Elizabeth BishopAmazon ↗literary_criticism · 2015
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Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats, and JoyceAmazon ↗literary_criticism · 2018
- On James BaldwinAmazon ↗
literary_criticism · 2024
Short fiction (3)
Essays and speeches (4)
- Martyrs and MetaphorsAmazon ↗
essay_collection · 1987
- Love in a Dark Time: Gay Lives from Wilde to AlmodovarAmazon ↗
essay_collection · 2002
- All a Novelist Needs: Colm Tóibín on Henry JamesAmazon ↗
essay_collection · 2010
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New Ways to Kill Your Mother: Writers and Their FamiliesAmazon ↗essay_collection · 2012
Poetry (1)
- Vinegar HillAmazon ↗
poetry_collection · 2022
Collaborations (1)
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The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels Since 1950Amazon ↗coauthored_nonfiction · 1999
Other (1)
- DublinersAmazon ↗
graphic_work · 1990