Suzanne Collins
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Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American author and television writer. She is known as the author of the book series ''
The Underland Chronicles ''The Underland Chronicles'' is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland,” a subterranean world located under ...
'' and ''
The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...
''.


Early life

Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962, in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, to Jane Brady Collins (born 1931) and Lieutenant Colonel Michael John Collins (1931–2003), a
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
officer who served in the
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
and the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. 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. Collins graduated from the
Alabama School of Fine Arts The Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) is a public, tuition-free partially boarding state middle and high school located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It provides an intensive specialty-focused education in the arts, math, and sci ...
in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
in 1980 as a Theater Arts major. She completed her bachelor of arts degree from
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...
in 1985 with a double major in theater and telecommunications. In 1989, Collins earned her
Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
in dramatic writing from the
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
.


Career

Suzanne Collins began her career in 1991 as a writer for
children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...
shows. She worked on several shows for
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
, including ''
Clarissa Explains It All ''Clarissa Explains It All'' is an American teen sitcom created by Mitchell Kriegman for Nickelodeon. In the series, Clarissa Darling ( Melissa Joan Hart), is a teenager who addresses the audience directly to explain the things that are happenin ...
'', ''
The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo ''The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo'' is a children's mystery television series that ran on Nickelodeon between 1996 and 1999. A total of 41 episodes of 30 minutes each were produced. Episodes from the first three seasons were taped at Nickelodeon St ...
'', '' Little Bear'', ''
Oswald Oswald may refer to: People * Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name *Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...
'' and ''
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' is an American children's educational Flash animated television series created by Bob Boyle. The series was produced by Bolder Media (a joint venture of Frederator Studios and the Mixed Media Group) and Starz Media ...
''. She did not write the children's book Little Bear, which is sometimes mistaken as her own book. She was also the head writer for Scholastic Entertainment's ''
Clifford's Puppy Days ''Clifford's Puppy Days'' is an animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS Kids from September 1, 2003 to February 25, 2006. The prequel to the 2000–2003 series ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', it features the adventures o ...
''. She received a
Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...
nomination in animation for co-writing the critically acclaimed Christmas special, ''Santa, Baby!'' After meeting children's author James Proimos while working on the
Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW (a result of the merger of Time Warner's The WB ...
show ''
Generation O! ''Generation O!'' is an American animated musical comedy children's television series made by Sunbow Entertainment, with co-production associated by Wang Film Productions in Taiwan and Ravensberger in Germany. The show was originally titled ''Moll ...
'', Collins felt inspired to write
children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
herself. Her inspiration for ''
Gregor the Overlander ''Gregor the Overlander'' is a children's epic fantasy novel. The book was written by Suzanne Collins and was published in 2003 as the first book of ''The Underland Chronicles''. It was received well by critics, and was listed as one of New Yor ...
'', the first book of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' best-selling series ''
The Underland Chronicles ''The Underland Chronicles'' is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland,” a subterranean world located under ...
'', came from ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'', 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. Between 2003 and 2007 she wrote the five books of the '' Underland Chronicles'': ''
Gregor the Overlander ''Gregor the Overlander'' is a children's epic fantasy novel. The book was written by Suzanne Collins and was published in 2003 as the first book of ''The Underland Chronicles''. It was received well by critics, and was listed as one of New Yor ...
'', '' Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane'', ''
Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods ''Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods'' is an epic fantasy children's novel by Suzanne Collins. It is the third book in ''The Underland Chronicles'', and was first published by Scholastic in 2005. The novel takes place a few months after the e ...
'', ''
Gregor and the Marks of Secret ''Gregor and the Marks of Secret'' is a high fantasy/epic fantasy novel, the fourth book in the critically acclaimed ''The Underland Chronicles'' by Suzanne Collins. It picks up soon after the end of '' Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods''. ...
'', and ''
Gregor and the Code of Claw ''Gregor and the Code of Claw'' is a children's novel by author Suzanne Collins, best known for her ''Hunger Games'' trilogy. It is the fifth and final book of ''The Underland Chronicles'', and was published in 2007. Scholastic has rated the bo ...
''. During that time, Collins also wrote a rhyming picture book, ''When Charlie McButton Lost Power'' (2005), illustrated by Mike Lester. In September 2008,
Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...
released ''
The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...
'', the first book of a trilogy by Collins. ''The Hunger Games'' was partly inspired by the Greek myth of
Theseus and the Minotaur Theseus and the Minotaur is a type of logic maze designed by Robert Abbott. In this maze, the player acts as Theseus, the king of Athens who is attempting to escape the Labyrinth. The main difference between this and the standard type of labyrin ...
. Another inspiration was her father's career in the
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
, which gave her insight to poverty, starvation, and the effects of war. The trilogy's second book, ''
Catching Fire ''Catching Fire'' is a 2009 science fiction young adult novel by the American novelist Suzanne Collins, the second book in ''The Hunger Games'' series. As the sequel to the 2008 bestseller ''The Hunger Games'', it continues the story of Katni ...
'', was released in September 2009, and its third book, ''
Mockingjay ''Mockingjay'' is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is chronologically the last installment of ''The Hunger Games'' series, following 2008's ''The Hunger Games'' and 2009's '' Catching Fire''. The book continu ...
'', was released on August 24, 2010. Within 14 months, 1.5 million copies of the first two ''Hunger Games'' books were printed in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
alone. ''The Hunger Games'' was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for more than 60 weeks in a row.
Lions Gate Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...
acquired worldwide distribution rights to a film adaptation of ''The Hunger Games'', produced by
Nina Jacobson Nina Jacobson (born September 15, 1965) is an American film executive who, until July 2006, was president of the Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. With Dawn Steel, Gail Berman and Sherry Lansing, she was ...
's Color Force production company. Collins adapted the novel for film herself. Directed by
Gary Ross Gary Ross (born November 3, 1956) is an American film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for writing and directing the fantasy comedy-drama film '' Pleasantville'' (1998), the sports drama film ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), the sci-fi acti ...
, filming began in late spring 2011, with
Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people i ...
portraying main character Katniss Everdeen.
Josh Hutcherson Joshua Ryan Hutcherson (born October 12, 1992) is an American actor and producer. Hutcherson began acting in the early 2000s and appeared in several commercials and minor film and television roles before landing his first major role in 2002 in ...
played
Peeta Mellark Peeta Mellark is a fictional character from ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy by Suzanne Collins.Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. London: Scholastic, 2009. Print. He is portrayed by actor Josh Hutcherson in ''The Hunger Games'' film series. Pe ...
and
Liam Hemsworth Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and Marcus in the children's television series ''The Elephant Princess''. In American films, Hemsworth starred as ...
played
Gale Hawthorne The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...
. 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. In March 2012, Amazon announced that she had become the best-selling Kindle author of all time. 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, she had written 17 of the top 20. On June 17, 2019, Collins announced that a prequel to ''The Hunger Games'' would be released on May 19, 2020. The premise is based on the life of future President Coriolanus Snow, 64 years before the events of ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy. On October 4, 2019 the title was revealed to be ''
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ''The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'' is a dystopian action-adventure novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is a spin-off and a prequel to ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy. It was released on May 19, 2020, by Scholastic. An audiobook of the n ...
.''


Awards

* 2011 –
California Young Reader Medal The California Young Reader Medal is a set of five annual literary awards conferred upon picture books and fiction books selected by vote of California schoolchildren from a ballot prepared by committee. The program was established in 1974 with Int ...
* ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
''s Best Books of the Year: Children's Fiction * An
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
Top 10 Best Books For Young Adult Selection * An
ALA Notable Children's Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...
* 2008 CYBIL Award – Fantasy and Science Fiction *
KIRKUS ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
Best Young Adult Book of 2008 * A
Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...
Fanfare * ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' Best Books of 2008 * A Book List Editor's Choice, 2008 * NY Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing * 2004 NAIBA Children's Novel Award * 2006 ALSC Notable Children's Recording (audio version)ALSC Notable Recording." Books on Tape.
Random House, Inc., Web. February 8, 2010.
* 2016
Authors Guild The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...
Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community (first time awarded to an author of
young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
)


Publications


''

The Underland Chronicles ''The Underland Chronicles'' is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland,” a subterranean world located under ...
''

# ''
Gregor the Overlander ''Gregor the Overlander'' is a children's epic fantasy novel. The book was written by Suzanne Collins and was published in 2003 as the first book of ''The Underland Chronicles''. It was received well by critics, and was listed as one of New Yor ...
'' (2003) # '' Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane'' (2004) # ''
Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods ''Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods'' is an epic fantasy children's novel by Suzanne Collins. It is the third book in ''The Underland Chronicles'', and was first published by Scholastic in 2005. The novel takes place a few months after the e ...
'' (2005) # ''
Gregor and the Marks of Secret ''Gregor and the Marks of Secret'' is a high fantasy/epic fantasy novel, the fourth book in the critically acclaimed ''The Underland Chronicles'' by Suzanne Collins. It picks up soon after the end of '' Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods''. ...
'' (2006) # ''
Gregor and the Code of Claw ''Gregor and the Code of Claw'' is a children's novel by author Suzanne Collins, best known for her ''Hunger Games'' trilogy. It is the fifth and final book of ''The Underland Chronicles'', and was published in 2007. Scholastic has rated the bo ...
'' (2007)


''The Hunger Games'' series


Original Series

# ''
The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...
'' (2008) # ''
Catching Fire ''Catching Fire'' is a 2009 science fiction young adult novel by the American novelist Suzanne Collins, the second book in ''The Hunger Games'' series. As the sequel to the 2008 bestseller ''The Hunger Games'', it continues the story of Katni ...
'' (2009) # ''
Mockingjay ''Mockingjay'' is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is chronologically the last installment of ''The Hunger Games'' series, following 2008's ''The Hunger Games'' and 2009's '' Catching Fire''. The book continu ...
'' (2010)


Prequel

# ''
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ''The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'' is a dystopian action-adventure novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is a spin-off and a prequel to ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy. It was released on May 19, 2020, by Scholastic. An audiobook of the n ...
'' (2020)


Other books

* ''Fire Proof: Shelby Woo #11'' (1999) * ''When Charlie McButton Lost Power'' (2005) * ''Year of the Jungle'' (2013)


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Suzanne 1962 births Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American children's writers American science fiction writers American women novelists American writers of young adult literature Indiana University Bloomington alumni Writers from Birmingham, Alabama People from Sandy Hook, Connecticut Tisch School of the Arts alumni American women children's writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers Women writers of young adult literature Novelists from Alabama Writers from Hartford, Connecticut Writers of young adult science fiction Novelists from Connecticut