Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer | |
---|---|
![]() Great St Mary's Cambridge | |
Occupation | Novelist |
Genre | Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, Children's Literature |
Notable works | Artemis Fowl |
Website | |
http://www.eoincolfer.com |
Eoin Colfer (born May 14, 1965) is an Irish author of children's books and a comedian. He is most famous for having written the Artemis Fowl series, but has written other works that have also been successful. His novels are sometimes compared to those of J. K. Rowling, and like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl is used as a reference to describe the work of other writers e.g. Jack Heath[1] and Mark Walden.[2]
Biography
Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen Colfer) was born in Wexford, Ireland. He attained worldwide notice in 2001, when his first Artemis Fowl book was published. He then became a New York Times best-selling author of books for children and teens, known for writing the Artemis Fowl series, Half Moon Investigations, and The Supernaturalist, along with the Eoin Colfer’s The Legend of... books. In January 2008, Colfer published a book titled Airman, which was a New York Times bestseller.
Colfer currently resides in Ireland with his wife, Jackie, and two children, Sean and Finn.
Recurring themes
Colfer's books often include themes within stories that recur in his other books, effectively creating a 'Colfer Universe' in which these books are related, while not in plot or storyline. This is similar to Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' universe, where characters and plot lines are unique to each novel but all stories take place in a specific setting. Some recurring themes are listed below.
- Myishi — This seems to be a telecommunications company set up in recent history. The books in which Myishi appears are The Wish List, the Artemis Fowl series, and The Supernaturalist.
- Phonetix — This is another telecommunications company that features in both The Supernaturalist and the Artemis Fowl series. The company seems to be in direct competition with Myishi (listed above).
- Un Spec 4 (possibly) - These are creatures that take the centre stage in Colfer's book The Supernaturalist and are depicted as organisms that feed on pain and take it away from human beings in their dying moments to ease their pain. They also may feature in the first Artemis Fowl book, as an infliction on Artemis Fowl's mother, Angeline Fowl. However, it is possible that all she is sensing is invented by her own mind and is not an exterior force acting upon her.
- Stefan Bashkir — This name apears in "The Supernaturalist" and "Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident." In the Artemis Fowl book, "Stefan Bashkir" is listed as an established alias of Artemis', who apparently has a chess maneuver named after him. In "The Supernaturalist," Stefan Bashkir is one of the main protagonists and the leader of the Supernaturalists, who sacrifices himself in order to stop Ellen Faustino.
- The 'coming of age' motif.
Works
Ed Books
- Ed's Funny Feet (2000)
- Ed's Bed (2001)
Artemis Fowl Books
- Artemis Fowl (2001)
- Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (2002)
- Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (2003)
- Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (2005)
- Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (2006)
- Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (2008)
Companion Books
- Artemis Fowl: The Seventh Dwarf (short story; 2004)
- The Artemis Fowl Files (companion book; 2004)
- Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel (2007)
Legend of... Books
- Eoin Colfer's Legend of Spud Murphy (2004)
- Eoin Colfer's Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth (2006)
- Eoin Colfer's Legend of the Worst Boy in the World (2007)
Other Books
- Benny and Omar (1998)
- Benny and Babe (1999)
- Going Potty (1999)
- The Wish List (2000)
- The Supernaturalist (2004)
- Half Moon Investigations (2006)
- Airman (2008)
He has also been commissioned to write the next installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, entitled "And Another Thing..."