With the publication of her novel White Teeth, Britain's Zadie Smith became an overnight sensation and poster girl for the interracial themes explored in her book.

For years she led a secret double life as wife and guerilla fighter in Nicaragua. Today, Gioconda Belli enjoys the fruits of literary success from her home in suburban Los Angeles.

In his fiction, author Scott Bradfield scratches beneath the surface of American culture -- and finds little.

With his Tales of the City series, author Armistead Maupin introduced a cast of eccentric characters who challenged the definition of "normal" and won the hearts of readers around the world.

Though he was born in Canada, director Robert Carsen found his greatest success staging operas across Europe -- from Glyndebourne to Cologne.