Anthony Horowitz, Antony Johnston

Anthony Horowitz, born in 1955, is an English author and screenwriter recognized for his contributions to mystery and suspense genres. His extensive bibliography includes popular series aimed at young adult readers, such as the Alex Rider spy novels, The Power of Five (also known as The Gatekeepers), and The Diamond Brothers. For adult audiences, Horowitz has penned original Sherlock Holmes novels, including "The House of Silk" and "Moriarty," as well as a series featuring his own detectives, Atticus Pünd and Susan Ryeland, starting with "Magpie Murders." He has also written James Bond novels, authorized by Ian Fleming's estate, beginning with "Trigger Mortis."

Beyond his fiction, Horowitz has a significant career in television, scripting episodes for "Agatha Christie's Poirot" and "Midsomer Murders," and creating original series like "Foyle's War" and "New Blood." His early life was marked by an upper-middle-class upbringing and an early realization of his calling as a writer, finding solace in books due to academic underachievement and physical unfitness. A significant event in his youth was his father's financial ruin and subsequent death, which impacted the family deeply.

Born in 1955, Anthony Horowitz experienced an upper-middle-class childhood. From a young age, he found refuge and inspiration in books and storytelling, a passion that solidified his ambition to become a professional writer by the age of eight or nine. This early self-awareness of his literary path stemmed from his struggles with academic performance and physical fitness. His mother's introduction to gothic literature, like "Frankenstein" and "Dracula," and a symbolic gift of a human skull for his thirteenth birthday, may have contributed to his fascination with darker themes and the enduring nature of narratives. The family faced significant hardship after his father's death from cancer and subsequent financial ruin, leading to the sale of their family home.

Horowitz's literary career spans decades, beginning with children's adventure novels like "The Sinister Secret of Frederick K Bower" and the Pentagram series. He gained significant recognition with the Diamond Brothers series, starting with "The Falcon's Malteser." The 1990s saw him explore various themes in stand-alone novels for young readers. The new millennium marked the immense success of the Alex Rider series, featuring a teenage spy, which became a global phenomenon. He has also revitalized classic characters, writing authorized Sherlock Holmes novels and continuing the legacy of James Bond with original stories based on Ian Fleming's unpublished material. His adult fiction often features recurring detectives, such as Atticus Pünd and Daniel Hawthorne, blending intricate plots with meta-fictional elements.

In parallel with his literary achievements, Anthony Horowitz has made substantial contributions to television. He has written scripts for established crime series like "Agatha Christie's Poirot" and adapted early episodes of "Midsomer Murders." Furthermore, he is the creator and writer behind several successful television dramas, including the critically acclaimed "Foyle's War," "Collision," and "New Blood." His work in television demonstrates a consistent ability to craft compelling narratives across different formats and for various networks, solidifying his reputation as a versatile storyteller in both print and screen.

“I was quite certain, from my earliest memory, that I would be a professional writer and nothing but.”