On the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks * A New York Times Notable Book * A National Book Award Finalist * Named a Best Book of the Year by Fresh Air, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Associated Press, and many more
“If you’re looking for a superb novel, look no further.” —The Washington Post
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See, comes the instant New York Times bestseller that is a “wildly inventive, a humane and uplifting book for adults that’s infused with the magic of childhood reading experiences” (The New York Times Book Review).
Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope, and a book.
In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. She learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds what might be the last copy of a centuries-old book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the army that will lay siege to the city. His path and Anna’s will cross.
In the present day, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno rehearses children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege.
And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father.
Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno, and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders whose lives are gloriously intertwined. Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own.
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Richly detailed historical fiction and meticulous short stories explore human connection, nature, and the unseen forces that tie lives together across distance and time. American author Anthony Doerr gained international prominence with his deeply researched fiction, blending ecological precision, historical breadth, and intricate narrative structures.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Doerr attended University School in Hunting Valley before majoring in history at Bowdoin College, where he graduated in 1995. He later earned his Master of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University. His early short fiction appeared in prominent literary magazines and anthologies such as The Best American Short Stories, New American Stories, The Best American Essays, and The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Fiction. Over his career, his short stories and essays earned five O. Henry Prizes, four Pushcart Prizes, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, the Rome Prize, the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the New York Public Library's Young Lions Award, two Pacific Northwest Book Awards, four Ohioana Book Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NEA Fellowship. He was also awarded the 2010 Story Prize for his short story collection Memory Wall, as well as the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, the largest prize in the world for a single short story.
Doerr lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife Shauna and their two sons. His work has been translated into over forty languages. Despite occasional queries from readers, he is not related to the late writer Harriet Doerr.
Doerr's writing is characterized by an attentive gaze toward natural history, technology, physical sciences, and memory. His historical narratives rely on extensive archival research, vivid sensory details, and lyrical prose that balances technical precision with emotional resonance. Across his short stories and novels, recurring themes include the natural environment, human resilience during times of crisis, fragile communication channels, and the enduring power of storytelling to connect people across vast temporal and geographical divides.
