Meny
  • 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 Peter May

May, Peter
1951 -

Writer of crime novels and TV manuscripts who has received many prizes. He was born in Glasgow in Scotland, but has lived...

Further reading
Portrait image of Alexander McCall Smith

McCall Smith, Alexander
1948 -

The British author Alexander McCall Smith – called Sandy by family and friends – was born in Bulawayo in the then British col...

Further reading
Portrait of Michael Moorcock

Moorcock, Michael
1939 -

The British author, editor and musician Michael John Moorcock is something of a phenomenon. He began his career as the...

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Portrait of William Boyd

Boyd, William
1952 -

The British author William Boyd was born in Accra, Ghana. His father, a doctor, and his mother, a teacher, moved to The...

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