Norman Colin Dexter English novelist, author of detective stories Date of Birth: 29.09.1930 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Colin Dexter

Colin Dexter, an English writer and author of detective novels, is best known for his Inspector Morse series. He was born in Stamford, England, and received his education at Stamford School, where his brother John Dexter, currently a teacher at Kings School in Peterborough, also attended.

After serving in the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army, Dexter studied classical art at Christ's College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1953 and obtained a Master's degree with distinction in 1958. In 1954, he began his teaching career in the East Midlands as an assistant teacher of classical art at Wyggeston School in Leicester. He then worked at Loughborough Grammar School and in 1959, he was appointed Senior Teacher of Classical Art at Corby Grammar School in Northamptonshire.

Due to progressive hearing loss, Dexter was forced to leave his teaching career in 1966. He then became the Senior Assistant Secretary of the Oxford University Examination Board, a position he held until his retirement in 1988. Dexter frequently appeared on the BBC program "How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword," where he discussed crosswords solved by Inspector Morse.

Dexter began writing detective novels in 1972, and his first novel, "Last Bus to Woodstock," was published in 1975. This novel introduced Inspector Morse to the world, a character who shared Dexter's love for crosswords, English literature, ale, and Wagner. The Inspector Morse series was adapted into a successful television series, which ran for 12 seasons and 33 episodes from 1987 to 2001. Actor John Thaw received a BAFTA award for his portrayal of Inspector Morse, and Dexter himself made cameo appearances in 12 episodes of the series.

Dexter received several awards from the Crime Writers' Association, including two Silver Daggers for the novels "Service of All the Dead" in 1979 and "The Dead of Jericho" in 1981. He also received two Gold Daggers for the novels "The Wench is Dead" in 1989 and "The Way Through the Woods" in 1992. In 1997, he was honored with the Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to crime fiction. Dexter was also awarded the Macavity Award in 1996 for his short story "Evans Tries an O-Level." He has been a member of the Detection Club since 1980.

In 2000, Colin Dexter was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to literature.