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William Nicholson was born in 1948, and grew up in Sussex and
Gloucestershire. He was educated at Downside School and Christ's College,
Cambridge, and then joined BBC Television, where he worked as a documentary film
maker. There his ambition to write, directed first into novels, was channeled
into television drama. His plays for television include Shadowlands and Life
Story, both of which won the BAFTA Best Television Drama award in their year;
other award-winners were Sweet As You Are and The March. In 1988 he received the
Royal Television Society's Writer's Award. His first play, an adaptation of
Shadowlands for the stage, was Evening Standard Best Play of 1990, and went on
to a Tony-award winning run on Broadway. He was nominated for an Oscar for the
screenplay of the film version, which was directed by Richard Attenborough and
starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.
Since then he has written more films - Sarafina, Nell, First Knight, Grey
Owl, and Gladiator (as co-writer), for which he received a second Oscar
nomination. He has written and directed his own film, Firelight; and three
further stage plays, including Map of the Heart, Katherine Howard and The Retreat from
Moscow.
His novel for older children, The Wind Singer, won the Smarties Prize Gold
Award on publication in 2000, and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award in 2001.
Its sequel, Slaves of the Mastery, was published in May 2001, and the final
volume in the trilogy, Firesong, in May 2002.
He lives in Sussex with his wife Virginia and their three children.
About This Biography
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William Nicholson discusses Seeker, the first volume in a three part trilogy for teens
Although perfectly suitable and intriguing for adults,
Seeker is targeted for a teenage audience.
Do you feel that teens are interested in exploring the idea of the supernatural
or of the supreme?
The true answer is, I don’t know. I personally was fascinated by the
supernatural when I was a teenager. I think it interested me more than anything.
I wanted to know what mattered most in life, what was most real and lasting,
whether God existed and what God asked of me, and what sort of experiences lay
beyond my immediate perceptions. Those fascinations remain with me to this day.
What might readers take from the Noble Warriors saga? Do you hope that
the book will inspire some to lead more noble lives?
It may sound pompous, but yes, I do. I’ve tried to create characters who have
real ideals, who want to make the world better in whatever way they can. And
then I’ve tried to dramatize that journey. I was reacting to a certain extent to
the superhero culture that suggests that all that’s needed to save the world is
a trick power and a fancy suit. I think what’s needed is more complex, and
...
Trezza Azzopardi was born in Cardiff, UK. She is a graduate of the Creative Writing Program at the University of East Anglia and is an external examiner for Creative and Cultural Studies at Norwich School of Art and Design.
...
(more)
If you enjoyed:
The Society of Others
Try:
Remember Me
by Trezza Azzopardi
Susanna Clarke was born in Nottingham in 1959, the eldest daughter of a Methodist Minister. A nomadic childhood was spent in towns in Northern England and Scotland. She was educated at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and has... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Society of Others
Try:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
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