Suzanne Collins

This article is about the author. For the actress, see Suzanne Collins (actress). For other uses, see Suzanne Collins (disambiguation).
Suzanne Collins

Collins at the Time 100 Gala in May 2010
Born Suzanne Collins
(1962-08-10) August 10, 1962[1]
Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Occupation Television scriptwriter, novelist, executive producer
Nationality American
Education Indiana University (B.A.)
New York University (M.F.A.)
Tisch School of the Arts
telecommunication and drama
Genre Fantasy, science fiction, children's literature, young adult fiction
Notable works The Hunger Games trilogy
The Underland Chronicles
Children 2
Signature
Website
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, to Jane Brady Collins (born 1932) and Lt. Col. Michael John Collins (1931–2003),[2] a U.S. Air Force officer who served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star. She is the youngest of four children, who include Kathryn (born 1957), Andrew (born 1958), and Joan (born 1960). As the daughter of a military officer, she and her family were constantly moving. She spent her childhood in the eastern United States.[3] Collins graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham in 1980 as a Theater Arts major.[4] She completed her bachelor of arts degree from Indiana University in 1985 with a double major in theater and telecommunications.[5][6][7] In 1989, Collins earned her M.F.A. in dramatic writing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[7]

Career

Collins' career began in 1991 as a writer for children's television shows.[8] She worked on several television shows for Nickelodeon, including Clarissa Explains It All, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, Little Bear, and Oswald.[8] She was also the head writer for Scholastic Entertainment's Clifford's Puppy Days.[8] She received a Writers Guild of America nomination in animation for co-writing the critically acclaimed Christmas special, Santa, Baby![9]

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.[8] 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.[8][9] 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.[8]

In September 2008, Scholastic Press released The Hunger Games, the first book of a trilogy by Collins.[10] 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 gave her insight to poverty, starvation, and the effects of war.[3] The trilogy's second book, Catching Fire, was released in September 2009, and its third book, Mockingjay, was released on August 24, 2010.[11] Within 14 months, 1.5 million copies of the first two Hunger Games books were printed in North America alone.[12] The Hunger Games was on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than 60 weeks in a row.[12] Lions Gate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of The Hunger Games, produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force production company.[13][14] Collins adapted the novel for film herself.[14] Directed by Gary Ross, filming began in late spring 2011, with Jennifer Lawrence portraying main character Katniss Everdeen.[15] Josh Hutcherson played Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth played Gale Hawthorne.[16] The subsequent two novels were adapted into films as well, with the latter book split into two cinematic installments, for a total of four films representing the three books.

As a result of the popularity of The Hunger Games books, Collins was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010.[17] In March 2012, Amazon announced that Collins had become the best-selling Kindle author of all time.[18] 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.[19]

Personal life

Collins resides in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, within Newtown, Connecticut, with her husband Cap and their two children Charlie and Isabel.[8][20][21] She is a Roman Catholic.[22]

Publications

The Underland Chronicles
  1. Gregor the Overlander (2003)
  2. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (2004)
  3. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (2005)
  4. Gregor and the Marks of Secret (2006)
  5. Gregor and the Code of Claw (2007)
The Hunger Games trilogy
  1. The Hunger Games (2008)
  2. Catching Fire (2009)
  3. Mockingjay (2010)
Other books

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Suzanne Collins". OpenISBN Project. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ "How to Analyze the Works of Suzanne Collins". google.ca.
  3. 1 2 Collins, Suzanne. "A Conversation with Suzanne Collins, Q & A." (PDF). Scholastic. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  4. ↑ Harvey, Alec (March 23, 2012). "Did you know 'Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins has an Alabama connection?". Birmingham News. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Suzanne Collins Interview by Deborah Hopkinson on BookPage". BookPage. September 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  6. ↑ "'Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins graduated from IU". Indiana University. March 22, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Suzanne Collins". biography.com. A&E Networks. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Biography". www.suzannecollinsbooks.com. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Suzanne Collins Biography". Scholastic. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  10. ↑ Collins, Suzanne. "Planning the Trilogy". Scholastic Canada (Interview: Video). Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  11. ↑ Staskiewicz, Keith (February 11, 2010). "Final 'Hunger Games' novel has been given a title and a cover". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Collins, Suzanne. "Suzanne Collins's Third Book in The Hunger Games Trilogy to be Published on August 24, 2010.". Scholastic. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  13. ↑ Sellers, John A. (March 12, 2009). "Hungry? The Latest on 'The Hunger Games'". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  14. 1 2 Fernandez, Jay A.; Kit, Borys (March 17, 2009). "Lionsgate picks up 'Hunger Games'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  15. ↑ Weinstein, Joshua L. "Jennifer Lawrence Gets Lead Role in 'The Hunger Games'", TheWrap.com. March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Hunger Games Peeta and Gale Casting". HungerGamesfan.com. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  17. ↑ Skurnick, Lizzie (April 29, 2010). "The 2010 Time 100: Suzanne Collins". Time. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Hungry for Hunger Games: Amazon.com Reveals the Top Cities in the U.S. Reading The Hunger Games Trilogy". Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Who is the Best-Selling Kindle Author of All Time?". Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  20. ↑ "The Newtown Bee - Newtown, Conn. News - Hometown Newspaper since 1877". Newtown Bee. May 20, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  21. ↑ "The Newtown Bee - Newtown, Conn. News - Hometown Newspaper since 1877". Newtown Bee. March 23, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  22. ↑ Brake, Donald (March 31, 2012). "The religious and political overtones of Hunger Games". The Washington Times. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Winners". California Young Reader Medal. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  24. ↑ "2010 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Winner Announced". Georgia Library Media Association. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Best Children's Books of 2009." Publishers Weekly November 2, 2009: n. pag. Web. January 29, 2010.
  26. ↑ "2009 Best Books for Young Adults." American Library Association. ALA, Web. January 29, 2010.
  27. ↑ "ALSC Announces 2009 Notable Children's Books." ALA. February 10, 2009. American Library Association, Web. January 29, 2010.
  28. ↑ "The 2008-9 Cybils Winners." Cybils: The 2008-9 Cybil Winners. Cybils, Web. January 29, 2010.
  29. ↑ "The Best Young-Adult Books of 2008." Kirkus Reviews. December 1, 2008. Kirkus Reviews, Web. January 29, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Horn Book Fanfare Best Book." Goodreads. 2010. Goodreads Inc, Web. February 4, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Review of the Day: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ." School Library Journal. 2010. Reed Business Information, Web. February 4, 2010.
  32. ↑ "The Hunger Games." Booklist Online. Oct 2008. American Library Association, Web. February 4, 2010.
  33. ↑ "GREGOR THE OVERLANDER: Suzanne Collins. Web. February 8, 2010.
  34. ↑ "NAIBA Book of the Year Awards." NAIBA. 2009. New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, Web. February 8, 2010.
  35. ↑ "ALSC Notable Recording." Books on Tape. Random House, Inc. , Web. February 8, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Authors Guild Benefit Honors Suzanne Collins, Celebrates Books for Young Readers". Industry & Advocacy News. Authors Guild. May 27, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Suzanne Collins.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Suzanne Collins
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.