Suzanne Collins American writer Date of Birth: 10.08.1962 Country: USA

Biography of Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins, an American writer, is best known for her popular television shows for children and teenagers. She worked as a staff writer for the cable channel Nickelodeon, the teen blocks of PBS Kids and Kids WB, and was involved in the development of educational projects and the creation of TV series scripts. She was even nominated for the Writers Guild of America in the animation category. However, literature enthusiasts know Suzanne Collins as the author of bestselling fantasy books for children and teenagers.

Suzanne Mary Collins was born on August 10, 1962, in Connecticut. Her father was a military officer who served in Vietnam, and as a result, her family constantly moved between the eastern states of the US and Europe. In 1980, Suzanne graduated from the theater department of the School of Arts. She then studied communication at Indiana State University in 1985 and four years later passed her master's exams in playwriting at the School of Arts at New York University.

In 1991, Suzanne began her career in television. While working on the musical animated series "Generation O!" for the Kids WB channel, she met James Proimos, a children's writer. It was he who recommended that Suzanne switch from writing television scripts to children's books. Suzanne didn't hesitate for long to think about the plot of her first work. She always liked "Alice in Wonderland," but the Victorian realities such as ceremonial tea parties, cricket, and the royal court were quite distant from the lives of modern children. In addition, the likelihood of falling into a rabbit hole is not that great, but man-made holes can be found at every turn! The story of a boy named Gregor, who falls through a laundry room ventilation grate with his sister Boots and finds himself in a strange and terrifying world where he discovers not only monsters but also traces of his missing father, was published in 2003. "Gregor the Overlander" immediately became a bestseller and was named among the "100 Best Books for Children's Libraries." This work received enthusiastic reviews, including from reputable literary reviews such as "Kirkus Reviews," and in 2005, National Public Radio created a radio play based on it. "Gregor the Overlander" took third place in the "Nutmeg" children's literary award, as well as in the regional literary awards of the states of Texas and Pennsylvania.

The success of her literary debut inspired Suzanne Collins to create "The Underland Chronicles," a series that currently includes five works. After the release of the book "Gregor and the Code of Claw" in 2007, the writer decided that it would be the last in this series. However, Suzanne continues to receive letters from readers who don't want to say goodbye to their favorite characters and ask her to write a continuation of "The Underland." In 2005, Suzanne Collins released another book, a collection of poems about a boy with computer addiction titled "When Charlie McButton Lost Power."

In 2008, the writer began a new literary cycle called "The Hunger Games," which tells a rather dark and cruel story for children's literature. "The Hunger Games" is an annual survival quest TV show in which randomly selected teenagers from the twelve districts of the Capitol, a post-apocalyptic metropolis in North America, participate. Suzanne Collins cites the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and her father's stories about the horrors of war and the hunger and poverty he witnessed as the inspiration for "The Hunger Games." The first book, which gave the series its name, was published in 2008 by Scholastic Corporation and caused a wave of reviews from readers, literary critics, and authors, including Stephen King. They all unanimously noted the life-affirming character of this work, despite its dark plot background. "The Hunger Games" spent 60 weeks on bestseller lists, was named the Best Novel of the Year and the Best Teen Book, and received 10 literary awards. In 2011, a film based on the book was released. The trilogy currently includes two more novels, "Catching Fire" (2009) and "Mockingjay" (2010). In 2013, Collins published another book, "Year of the Jungle," dedicated to her childhood memories of her time in Vietnam.

In 2010, Suzanne Collins was included in the list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." The writer currently resides in Connecticut with her husband, two daughters, and three cats.