Joseph O'Connor was born in Dublin. His novels include: Cowboys and Indians (Whitbread Prize shortlist), Star of the Sea, Redemption Falls and Ghost Light. Star of the Sea became an international bestseller, winning the Irish Post Award for Fiction, an American Library Association Award, France's Prix Millepages, Italy's Premio Acerbi, and the Prix Madeleine Zepter for European Novel of the Year. His work has been published in thirty-five languages.