Wikipedia

Anthony Horowitz

English novelist and screenwriter

Anthony Craig Horowitz (born 5 April 1956) is an English novel writer and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series. He has written over fifty books. He has also written many things for television. He has adapted many of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels for the ITV series. He is the creator and writer of the ITV series Foyle's War,[1] Midsomer Murders[1] and Collision.

Anthony Horowitz
Born (1956-04-05) 5 April 1956 (age 68)
Stanmore, Middlesex, England
OccupationNovelist, screenwriter, children's writer
NationalityBritish
GenreAdventure, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Fantasy
Notable worksAlex Rider, The Power of Five, The Diamond Brothers
SpouseJill Green (married 1988)
ChildrenNicholas Mark, Cassian James
Website
www.anthonyhorowitz.com

Background and personal life

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Anthony Horowitz was born in 1956 in Middlesex. His family were Jewish. When he was young, he lived an upper-class lifestyle.[2][3][4] Horowitz was overweight and unhappy. He enjoyed reading books from his father's library. At the age of eight, Horowitz was sent to a boarding school. The school was called Orley Farm. It was in Harrow, Middlesex. There, he entertained others by telling them the stories he had read.[2] Horowitz said that his time in the school was "a brutal experience". He said that he was often beaten by the headmaster John Ellis.[5]

Horowitz's father was a "fixer" for prime minister Harold Wilson. Because he was nearly bankrupt, he moved his money into Swiss bank accounts. He died from cancer when his son, Anthony, was 22. The family was never able to find the missing money, even though they had tried for years.[4] Horowitz loved his mother. She showed him Frankenstein and Dracula. She also gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. Horowitz said in an interview once that it reminds him to get to the end of each story because he will soon look like the skull. From the age of eight, Horowitz knew he wanted to be a writer, realising "the only time when I'm totally happy is when I'm writing".[2] He graduated from the University of York with a BA in English literature in 1977.[6]

In at least one interview, Horowitz said that believes H. P. Lovecraft based his fictional Necronomicon on real writing, and to have read some of that writing.[7]

Horowitz lives in North London[1] with his wife Jill Green. He married her in Hong Kong on 15 April 1988. Green produces Foyle's War. Horowitz writes this series for ITV. They have two sons. They are Nicholas Mark Horowitz[1] (born 1989) and Cassian James Horowitz[1] (born 1991). The family have a dog named Lucky, that has been run over 3 times.[1] Horowitz says that his family has a lot to do with his success in writing. This is because he says they help him with ideas and research. Horowitz is a patron of child protection charity Kidscape.[8]

Books and movies

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Groosham Grange

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  • Groosham Grange (1988)
  • The Unholy Grail (retitled to Return To Groosham Grange) (1990)

Alex Rider

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The Diamond Brothers

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Pentagram

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  • The Devil's Door-Bell (1983)
  • The Night of the Scorpion (1983)
  • The Silver Citadel (1986)
  • Day of the Dragon (1989)

The Power of Five (The Gatekeepers)

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Other novels

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  • Enter Frederick K Bower (1978)
  • The Sinister Secret of Frederick K Bower (1979)
  • Misha, the Magician and the Mysterious Amulet (1981)
  • Robin of Sherwood: The Hooded Man (1986) (with Richard Carpenter)
  • Adventurer (1987)
  • New Adventures of William Tell (1987)
  • Starting Out (1990)
  • Granny (1994)
  • The Switch (1996)
  • The Devil And His Boy (1998)
  • Half-Life (2001)

Adult novels

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Collections

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Edge: Horowitz Graphic Horror

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  • The Phone Goes Dead (2010)
  • Scared (2010)
  • Killer Camera (2010)
  • The Hitchhiker (2010)

Graphic novels

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Movies

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  • Tintin 2 (TBA)

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Horowitz, Anthony (2003). Eagle Srike. Walker Books. p. 331. ISBN 978-1-84428-095-7. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Purdon, Fiona (14 November 2008). "Anthony Horowitz has lost his role models for Alex Rider". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  3. ↑ Horowitz, Anthony. "Anthony Horowitz – About Anthony". AnthonyHorowitz.com. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Elkin, Michael (12 October 2006). "H". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  5. ↑ Anstead, Mark (7 August 2009). "Beaten until he bled, Anthony Horowitz describes the abuse he suffered at boarding school". Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "York honours contributions to society". Grapevine (2010 Autumn/Winter). Alumni Office, University of York: 6. 2010.
  7. ↑ ""Anthony Horowitz Q & A: Did you make up the Old Ones?"". Archived from the original on 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
  8. ↑ Kidscape Staff, Trustees, Patrons, Volunteers Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine, Kidscape, UK.
  9. ↑ Walker Books. ISBN 9781406317008.

Other websites

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