Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Anthony Stroud (born 27 October 1970) is a British writer of fantasy fiction, mainly for children and young adults.

Jonathan Stroud
Stroud at the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2016
Born (1970-10-27) 27 October 1970
Bedford, England
OccupationWriter
NationalityBritish
Period1999–present
GenreChildren's fantasy
Website
www.jonathanstroud.com

Biography

Born in 1970 in Bedford, England, Stroud began to write stories at a very young age. He grew up in St Albans where he attended Wheatfields Junior School and St Albans Boys' School.[1] He enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. Between the ages seven and nine he was often ill, so he spent most of his days in the hospital or in his bed at home. To escape boredom, he would occupy himself with books and stories.[2] After he completed his studies of English literature at the University of York, he worked in London as an editor for the Walker Books store. During the 1990s, he started publishing his own works and quickly gained success.[2]

Among his most prominent works are the best-selling[3] Bartimaeus Trilogy. A special feature of these novels compared to others of their genre is that Stroud examines the stereotypes and ethics of the magician class and the enslaved demons. This is done by telling the story from the perspective of the sarcastic and slightly egomaniacal djinni Bartimaeus. The books in this series, his first to be published in the United States, are The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate, and prequel The Ring of Solomon.

Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his three children, Isabelle, Arthur, and Louis, and his wife Gina,[4] an illustrator of children's books.[2]

In 2013, Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase was released, and quickly achieved high critical acclaim, with Rick Riordan calling Stroud a "genius". The second book, The Whispering Skull, was released in September 2014. A third novel, titled The Hollow Boy, was announced through a competition orchestrated by Stroud, asking readers to send in an idea for a Ghost to feature in the third story.[5] The fourth book, The Creeping Shadow, was published in 2016, and the last book in the series, The Empty Grave, was published in 2017.[6]

Bibliography

Fiction
  • Justin Credible's Word Play World (1994)
  • The Viking Saga of Harri Bristlebeard (1997)
  • The Hare and the Tortoise (1998)
  • Walking through the Jungle (1998)
  • The Little Red Car (1999)
  • Alfie's Big Adventure (1999)
  • Buried Fire (1999)
  • Little Spike and Long Tail (2000)
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears (2000)
  • The Leap (2001)
  • The Last Siege (2003)
  • The Lost Treasure of Captain Blood (2006)
  • Heroes of the Valley (2009)

Non-fiction
  • Ancient Rome: A Guide to the Glory of Imperial Rome (2000)
  • Life and Times in Ancient Rome (2008)

Series
  1. The Amulet of Samarkand (2003)
  2. The Golem's Eye (2004)
  3. Ptolemy's Gate (2005)
  4. The Ring of Solomon (prequel, 2010)
  1. The Screaming Staircase (2013)
  2. The Whispering Skull (2014)
  3. The Hollow Boy (2015)
  4. The Creeping Shadow (2016)
  5. The Empty Grave (2017)

"The Dagger in the Desk" (short story, 2015)

Novellas
  • The Ghost of Shadow Vale (2009)

References
  1. Anglesey, Melanie (10 March 2011). "St Albans gave inspiration to bestselling fantasy writer Jonathan Stroud". St Albans & Harpenden Review.
  2. "About Jonathan Stroud". jonathanstroud.com. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  3. "New York Times Best Sellers (Children's) February 12, 2006". The New York Times. 12 February 2006. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  4. "About Jonathan Stroud". jonathanstroud.com.
  5. Stroud, Jonathan (31 October 2014). "See your ghost in Jonathan Stroud's next book!". The Guardian.
  6. "Jonathan Stroud – Book Series in Order". 16 January 2017.
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