Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins | |
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![]() Collins at the Time 100 Gala (May 2010) | |
Born | [1] Hartford, Connecticut | August 10, 1962
Occupation | Television scriptwriter, novelist |
Nationality | American |
Education | Indiana University (B.A.) |
Genre | Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children's Literature, Young-adult Fiction |
Notable works | The Hunger Games trilogy The Underland Chronicles |
Signature | |
Website | |
http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/ |
Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American television writer and novelist, best known as the author of The New York Times best selling series The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games trilogy (which consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay).
Early life
Collins was born on August 10, 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut. She is the daughter of a U.S. Air Force officer who served in the Vietnam War. As the daughter of a military officer, she and her family were constantly moving. She spent her childhood in the eastern U.S.[2] She attended high school at Carver High School in Alabama and at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she was a Theater Arts major. She graduated from Indiana University with a double major in Drama and Telecommunications.[3][4]
Career
Collins' career began in 1991 as a writer for children's television shows.[5] She worked on several television shows for Nickelodeon, including Clarissa Explains It All, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, Little Bear, and Oswald.[5] She was also the head writer for Scholastic Entertainment's Clifford's Puppy Days.[5] She received a Writers Guild of America nomination in animation for co-writing the critically acclaimed Christmas special, Santa, Baby![6]
After meeting children's author James Proimos while working on the Kids' WB show Generation O!, Collins was inspired to write children's books herself.[5] Her inspiration for Gregor the Overlander, the first book of The New York Times best selling series The Underland Chronicles, came from Alice in Wonderland, when she was thinking about how one was more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole, and would find something other than a tea party.[5][6] Between 2003 and 2007 she wrote the five books of the Underland Chronicles: Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, and Gregor and the Code of Claw. During that time, Collins also wrote a rhyming picture book, When Charlie McButton Lost Power (2005), illustrated by Mike Lester.[5]
In September 2008, Scholastic Press released The Hunger Games, the first book of a trilogy by Collins.[7] The Hunger Games was partly inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Another inspiration was her father's career in the Air Force, which allowed her to have better understanding of poverty, starvation, and the effects of war.[2] The trilogy's second book, Catching Fire, was released in September 2009, and its third book, Mockingjay, was released on August 24, 2010.[8] Within 14 months, 1.5 million copies of the first two Hunger Games books were printed in North America alone.[9] The Hunger Games has been on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than 60 weeks in a row.[9] Lions Gate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force production company.[10][11] Collins adapted the novel for film herself.[11] Directed by Gary Ross, filming began in late spring 2011, with Jennifer Lawrence portraying main character Katniss Everdeen.[12] Josh Hutcherson played Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth played Gale Hawthorne.[13]
As a result of the significant popularity of The Hunger Games books, Collins was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010.[14] In March 2012, Amazon announced that Collins had become the best-selling Kindle author of all time.[15] Amazon also revealed that Collins had written 29 of the 100 most highlighted passages in Kindle ebooks—and on a separate Amazon list of recently highlighted passages, Collins had written 17 of the top 20.[16]
Personal life
sam resides in Newtown, Connecticut with her husband and their two children.[5] She is a Roman Catholic.[17]
Publications
- Gregor the Overlander (2003)
- Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (2004)
- Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (2005)
- Gregor and the Marks of Secret (2006)
- Gregor and the Code of Claw (2007)
- The Hunger Games (2008)
- Catching Fire (2009)
- Mockingjay (2010)
- Other books
- Fire Proof: Shelby Woo #11 (1999)
- When Charlie McButton Lost Power (2005)
- When Charlie McButton Gained Power (2009)
Awards
- 2011 - California Young Reader Medal[18]
- 2010 - Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers[19]
- Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year: Children's Fiction[20]
- An American Library Association Top 10 Best Books For Young Adult Selection[21]
- An ALA Notable Children's Book[22]
- 2008 CYBIL Award--Fantasy and Science Fiction[23]
- KIRKUS Best Young Adult Book of 2008[24]
- A Horn Book Fanfare[25]
- School Library Journal Best Books of 2008[26]
- A Book List Editor's Choice, 2008[27]
- NY Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing[28]
- 2004 NAIBA Children's Novel Award[29]
- 2006 ALSC Notable Children's Recording (audio version)[30]
References
- ^ "Suzanne Collins : Books, Author Introduction, Biography and more - OPENISBN Project:Download Book Data". Openisbn.com. August 10, 1962. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Collins, Suzanne. "A Conversation with Suzanne Collins, Q & A." (PDF). Scholastic. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ "Suzanne Collins Interview by Deborah Hopkinson on BookPage". BookPage. September 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- ^ "'Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins graduated from IU". Indiana University. March 22, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Biography". www.suzannecollinsbooks.com. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ a b "Suzanne Collins Biography". Scholastic. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
- ^ Collins, Suzanne. "Planning the Trilogy" (Video) (Interview). Retrieved December 14, 2008.
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ignored (help) - ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (February 11, 2010). "Final 'Hunger Games' novel has been given a title and a cover". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Collins, Suzanne. "Suzanne Collins's Third Book in The Hunger Games Trilogy to be Published on August 24, 2010". Scholastic. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Sellers, John A. (March 12, 2009). "Hungry? The Latest on 'The Hunger Games'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 14, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ a b Fernandez, Jay A.; Kit, Borys (March 17, 2009). "Lionsgate picks up 'Hunger Games'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 18, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Weinstein, Joshua L. "Jennifer Lawrence Gets Lead Role in 'The Hunger Games'", TheWrap.com. March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "Hunger Games Peeta and Gale Casting". HungerGamesfan.com. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- ^ Skurnick, Lizzie (April 29, 2010). "The 2010 Time 100: Suzanne Collins". Time. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ "Hungry for Hunger Games: Amazon.com Reveals the Top Cities in the U.S. Reading The Hunger Games Trilogy". Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ "Who is the Best-Selling Kindle Author of All Time?". Retrieved March 17, 2012.
- ^ Brake, Donald (March 31, 2012). "The religious and political overtones of Hunger Games". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ "Winners". California Young Reader Medal. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Winner Announced". Georgia Library Media Association. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "Best Children's Books of 2009." Publishers Weekly Nov 2, 2009: n. pag. Web. Jan 29, 2010.
- ^ "2009 Best Books for Young Adults." American Library Association. ALA, Web. Jan 29, 2010.
- ^ "ALSC Announces 2009 Notable Children's Books." ALA. Feb 10, 2009. American Library Association, Web. Jan 29, 2010.
- ^ "The 2008-9 Cybils Winners." Cybils: The 2008-9 Cybil Winners. Cybils, Web. Jan 29, 2010.
- ^ "The Best Young-Adult Books of 2008." Kirkus Reviews. Dec 1, 2008. Kirkus Reviews, Web. Jan 29, 2010.
- ^ "Horn Book Fanfare Best Book." Goodreads. 2010. Goodreads Inc, Web. Feb 4, 2010.
- ^ "Review of the Day: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ." School Library Journal. 2010. Reed Business Information, Web. Feb 4, 2010.
- ^ "The Hunger Games." Booklist Online. Oct 2008. American Library Association, Web. Feb 4, 2010.
- ^ "GREGOR THE OVERLANDER: Suzanne Collins. Web. Feb 8, 2010.
- ^ "NAIBA Book of the Year Awards." NAIBA. 2009. New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, Web. Feb 8, 2010.
- ^ "ALSC Notable Recording." Books on Tape. Random House, Inc. , Web. Feb 8, 2010.
External links
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