Suzanne Collins, born in 1962, is an American writer celebrated for her young adult dystopian novel series, The Hunger Games. Her earlier work includes the children's fantasy series, The Underland Chronicles. Collins began her writing career in television, contributing to various children's shows before transitioning to literature.

Her inspiration for The Underland Chronicles reportedly stemmed from thoughts about falling down a manhole, a concept contrasting with the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. The Hunger Games series drew inspiration from Greek mythology, specifically the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, as well as her father's military service, which provided insight into the impacts of war and scarcity. The success of The Hunger Games led to film adaptations and significant recognition, including being named one of Time magazine's most influential people.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1962, Suzanne Collins was the youngest of four children. Her father was a U.S. Air Force officer who served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, leading the family to move frequently, living in places like Brussels, Belgium, and various locations in eastern America. During her childhood, Collins enjoyed reading, gymnastics, and outdoor exploration. She pursued higher education in the arts, earning a degree in Theater Arts from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in 1980. She furthered her studies at Indiana University Bloomington, completing a Bachelor of Arts with double majors in theater and telecommunications in 1985. Her academic journey concluded with a Master of Fine Arts in dramatic writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1989.

Collins launched her writing career in 1991, focusing on children's television programming. She contributed to numerous shows for Nickelodeon, such as Clarissa Explains It All and Little Bear, and served as head writer for Clifford's Puppy Days on PBS. A Writers Guild of America nomination for an animated Christmas special marked an early career achievement. Her transition to writing books was reportedly inspired by a meeting with children's author James Proimos. Her first major literary success was The Underland Chronicles, a five-book series published between 2003 and 2007. This was followed by the immensely popular The Hunger Games trilogy, beginning in 2008, which explored themes influenced by mythology and the realities of war and poverty.

The Hunger Games, published in 2008, became a global phenomenon, spawning two sequels and later a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and another prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. The series' success was amplified by film adaptations, with the original trilogy culminating in four films. Collins's involvement extended to adapting her novels for the screen. The books' widespread appeal led to significant recognition, including Collins being named one of Time magazine's most influential people in 2010 and becoming Amazon's best-selling Kindle author of all time. Her works have consistently appeared on bestseller lists, and passages from her books are among the most highlighted on Kindle.