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Revision as of 17:23, 6 January 2007
Christopher Paolini | |
|---|---|
| File:Chistopher Paolini.jpg | |
| Born | November 17, 1983 California |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Website | |
| Alagaesia.com | |
Christopher Paolini (born November 17, 1983) is an American writer of fantasy fiction, best known as being the author of the Inheritance trilogy, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, and an as-yet-unreleased third book whose title has not been revealed.
Biography
Paolini was born in Southern California, though he was raised and still lives in the Paradise Valley, Montana area. His parents are Kenneth Paolini and Talita Hodgkinson. Paolini is of Italian descent.[1] He has one sister, Angela. Home schooled for his entire life, he graduated high school at the age of 15 through an accredited correspondence course at American School, Chicago, Illinois. Following graduation, he started work on what would become the novel Eragon and its sequel Eldest, all set in Alagaësia.
Nature influences much of Paolini's writing. In a three-way interview with Philip Pullman and Tamora Pierce, Paolini stated that Paradise Valley is "one of the main sources" of his inspiration.[2] In Eldest Paolini explained that his elves were atheists and vegetarians. When asked if he is a vegetarian, he answered, "No, I am not vegetarian, although I lean in that direction." [3]
Career
In 2002, Eragon was published privately by his parents through Paolini International, LLC. To promote the book, Paolini toured over 135 schools and libraries, discussing reading and writing, all the while dressed in "a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap." [4] Paolini created the cover art for the first edition of Eragon, which featured Saphira's eye. He also drew the maps on the inside covers of his books.[5]
During one of his promotional tours, he gave a speech at the school of the stepson of Carl Hiaasen; Hiaasen enjoyed the book so much, he told his publisher, Knopf, about it[6]. An offer was made by Knopf for Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy. The second edition of Eragon was published in August 2003. At the age of nineteen, he became a New York Times bestselling author[7].
Paolini's essay "It All Began with Books" is included in the anthology Guys Write for Guys Read (April 2005).
Eldest, the sequel to Eragon, was released August 23, 2005. In the first edition of Eragon, it was stated that the third book would be titled Empire, but Knopf has the right to change this: therefore the third novel has not had a name officially released. Paolini has stated that the title will not necessarily start with E and contain six letters like the other two. [citation needed]
influences
Information from Paolini's biography on his trilogy's official website.[8]
- Star Wars
- Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Magician by Raymond E. Feist
- His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
- Anne McCaffrey
- Jane Yolen
- Brian Jacques
- E.R. Eddison
- David Eddings
- Ursula LeGuin
- Beowulf
- The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Norse mythology
- Old English
- Icelandic sagas
- The Republic by Plato
- Seneca's Epistles
- Chris Morris
- Frank Zappa
Criticism
Some critics of his work have noted a derivative nature to the series, primarily drawing upon Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings franchises.[9]
Writing in other media
A movie adaptation of Eragon was released worldwide on December 14 and December 15, 2006. It stars a mostly British cast including Edward Speleers as Eragon and Jeremy Irons as Brom.
Bibliography
- Eragon (2002, Knopf edition August 2003)
- "It All Began with Books," Guys Write for Guys Read (April 2005)
- Eldest (August 2005)
- Untitled third book (unreleased)
References
- ^ http://www.alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm
- ^ http://www.powells.com/authors/hiassen.html
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/037582670X/002-9278409-1982408?n=283155
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/books/bestseller/0528bestchildren.html
- ^ http://www.bordersstores.com/walden/feature.jsp?file=paoliniw
- ^ See reviews: VOYA, "Eragon"; Kirkus, "Eldest"; School Library Journal, "Eldest"
- ^ Paolini, C., Eragon, Paolini International LLC, 2002.
- ^ http://alagaesia.com/christopherpaolini.htm
External links
Official
- Official website, which includes autobiographical comments from Paolini
- Eragon summary, from Random House