The full title is Letters to a Young Writer: Some Practical and Philosophical Advice. And it is by Colum McCann one of the best writers around in my opinion.

I like Colum McCann’s writing and that is why I decided to read this book. My guess is it is not so much aimed at the young but at the new writer or anyone interested in improving their writing.

In addition to writing several wonderful books, Colum McCann is a teacher. But as he points out in the introduction he teaches an art whether there is very little to teach his students, he can only be a guide as his students learn. And he encourages them to learn and apparently does it well.

This is certainly not a manual of how to write but rather a series of encouragements and tips to keep a “young” writer moving in the direction of improving their work.

I don’t think you would enjoy this if you do not like McCann’s writing but I could be wrong. If you care about good writing you might want to have a look at this book or one of his other works. On the other hand, if you do like McCann’s writing you will enjoy this very much.

As mention previously, I have enjoyed several of McCann’s works, including “Thirteen Ways of Looking” “TransAtlantic” and “Let the Great World Spin”. “TransAtlantic” made such an impression I wrote about it twice.

If you think you might enjoy his work (or benefit as a writer) take a look at the Amazon page of Colum McCann or look at the books in your local library or bookstore.