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  • It is 117 years today since Leslie Charteris was born.

    Leslie Charteris was born in colonial Singapore as Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin. His father, Suat Chuan Yin, was a wealthy physician and company manager who claimed he was related to an ancient Chinese imperial family. Charteris' mother, Lydia Florence Bowyer, was English. Young Leslie was educated at home and on the many journeys he made with his parents; he claimed to have toured the world three...

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  • It is 60 years today since Ferdinand von Schirach was born.

    Ferdinand von Schirach is a German lawyer and author born in Munich to a wealthy Protestant family. He grew up in Munich and Trossingen. When he was ten years old, he was enrolled at the St. Blasien Catholic boarding school where he passed his baccalaureate in 1984. Von Schirach later reported that these formative years had made it hard for him to believe in God.
    Von Schirach followed the...

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Sample of Authors

Portrait of Jason Goodwin

Goodwin, Jason
1964 -

Jason Goodwin is a British author and journalist. His mother, the bohemian author Jocasta Innes, and his father, the author...

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Portrait of Jean-Patrick Manchette

Manchette, Jean-Patrick
1942 - 1995

Jean-Patrick Manchette was a French author credited for having revolutionised noir fiction in France. He was born in...

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Portrait of Rubem Fonseca

Fonseca, Rubem
1925 - 2020

Brazilian author, born in Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais, but at the age of 7 moved to Rio de Janeiro. Fonseca gained a...

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Portrait of Len Deighton

Deighton, Len
1929 -

The British author Len Deighton was born as Leonard Cyril Deighton in London. His father was a chauffeur; his mother worked...

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