Conn Iggulden
Connor Iggulden (/ˈɪɡəldɛn/; born 24 February 1971) is a British author who writes historical fiction, most notably the Emperor and Conqueror series. He also co-authored The Dangerous Book for Boys with his brother Hal. In 2007, Iggulden became the first person to top the UK fiction and nonfiction lists at the same time.
Conn Iggulden | |
|---|---|
| Born | Connor Iggulden 24 February 1971 London, England |
| Pen name | C.F. Iggulden |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Notable works | Dangerous Book for Boys series Conqueror series Emperor series Wars of the Roses series Empire of Salt trilogy |
| Children | 4 |
Background edit
Born in 1971 to an English father (who was an RAF pilot during the Second World War)[1] and an Irish mother, Iggulden went to Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary in Ruislip, Middlesex, then attended St Martins School in Northwood, before moving on to Merchant Taylors' School.[2] He then attended St Dominic's Sixth Form College, before studying English at the University of London,[2] later going on to teach the subject for seven years, becoming head of the English department at Haydon School, where one of his students was Fearne Cotton.[3] Iggulden eventually left teaching to write his first novel, The Gates of Rome.
He is married to Ella, who is from the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy, and whose family are craft pasta and ravioli producers in the region.[4] They have four children and live in Hertfordshire, England.[5]
In August 2014, Iggulden was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian, opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.[6]
Career edit
Historical fiction edit
This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
Iggulden's debut book was The Gates of Rome, the first in a five-part series entitled Emperor. The series is based around the life of Julius Caesar, from childhood (The Gates of Rome) to his eventual betrayal and death (The Gods of War). The author has written a fifth book in the series, Emperor: The Blood of Gods, which deals with the rise of Augustus and events after the end of The Gods of War. This book was published on 26 September 2013.
After completing the fourth book in the Emperor series, Iggulden began research for his next series of books, titled Conqueror, based on the life of Mongol warlords Genghis, Ogedai, and Kublai Khan. The first book, Wolf of the Plains, was published on 2 January 2007. The second, Lords of the Bow, came out a year later. Bones of the Hills, the third book in the series, was released on 1 September 2008. In September 2010, Empire of Silver, which revolves around the life of Genghis Khan's son, Ogedai, was published.
Iggulden released a four-book series, the Wars of the Roses,[7] starting with Stormbird in 2013, Margaret of Anjou[8] (called Trinity in the UK) in 2014, Bloodline[9] in 2015, and Ravenspur[10] in 2016.
In 2017, he published a historical fiction novel called Dunstan,[11] chronicling the life of the 10th-century monk and political adviser to the Saxon Kings of England, St. Dunstan.
In 2018, Penguin Books released a historical novel called The Falcon of Sparta, about the effort of Prince Cyrus to become king of Persia and the stranded 10,000 Greek mercenaries who walked out of Persia while pursued by the king's armies, following the Battle of Cunaxa.
In 2021, Iggulden released a two-part Athenian series, The Gates of Athens and Protector. Set during the Greco-Persian Wars, it features the Battle of Marathon and the Battle of Thermopylae.
In 2022, he published the first in a two-part series, The Golden Age, titled Lion. Set a generation after his Athenian series, it follows Pericles' rise in Athens, the formation of the Delian League, and the Battle of the Eurymedon. His second and final book in the series, which came out in 2023, is titled Empire.
Children's books edit
Iggulden has co-written a book with his brother Hal, The Dangerous Book for Boys. It covers around eighty topics, from building a soapbox racer and tying knots, to learning about famous battles and how to make potassium aluminium sulphate crystals.[12] It was released in the UK in June 2006, reprinted a month later, and was voted British Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards.
In September 2009, he published the children's book Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children, through HarperCollins. Iggulden has since written three separate stories to accompany it.[13]
Other works edit
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (November 2023) |
In March 2006, Iggulden released a novelette entitled Blackwater, part of the Quick Reads initiative of World Book Day 2006. Being a thriller, Blackwater was a change in genre for the author, who had mainly written historical fiction up to that point.
In 2012, Iggulden added a further Quick Reads book to the list, Quantum of Tweed – The Man with a Nissan Micra – a comedy about an unwitting hitman.
Fantasy novels edit
In 2017, Iggulden released the first book in the fantasy series Darien: Empire of Salt, under the pen name C.F. Iggulden.[14] The second book, Shiang, was released in 2018 and was followed by The Sword Saint, in 2019.
Emperor series film adaptation edit
In 2010, media coverage emerged of a proposed film, Emperor: Young Caesar, about the early life of Julius Caesar, covering the years from 92 BC to 71 BC, and based on the first two novels of Iggulden's Emperor series, The Gates of Rome and The Death of Kings. Exclusive Media Group hired Burr Steers to direct, after they had an adaptation penned by William Broyles and Stephen Harrigan.[15][16][17]
Bibliography edit
Emperor series edit
- The Gates of Rome (2003)
- The Death of Kings (2004)
- The Field of Swords (2005)
- The Gods of War (2006)
- The Blood of Gods (2013)
Conqueror series edit
- Wolf of the Plains (2007, ISBN 978-0-00-720175-4) (titled Genghis: Birth of an Empire 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-34421-0)
- Lords of the Bow (2008, ISBN 978-0-00-720177-8) (titled Genghis: Lords of the Bow 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-34279-7)
- Bones of the Hills (2008, ISBN 978-0-00-720179-2) (titled Genghis: Bones of the Hills 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-34280-3)
- Empire of Silver (2010, ISBN 978-0-00-728800-7) (titled Genghis: Empire of Silver 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-33954-4)
- Conqueror (2011, ISBN 978-0-00-727114-6)
Wars of the Roses series edit
- Stormbird (2013)
- Trinity (2014) (titled Margaret of Anjou in North America)
- Bloodline (2015)
- Ravenspur (2016)
Athenian series edit
- The Gates of Athens (2020)
- Protector (2021)
The Golden Age series edit
- Lion (2022)
- Empire (2023)
Empire of Salt series edit
- Darien (2017) (Empire of Salt book #1) [as C.F. Iggulden]
- Shiang (2018) (Empire of Salt book #2) [as C.F. Iggulden]
- The Sword Saint (2019) (Empire of Salt book #3) [as C.F. Iggulden]
Dangerous books edit
- The Dangerous Book for Boys (2007) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do (2007) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Dangerous Book for Boys Yearbook (2007) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Know (2008) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Wonders of the World (2008) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Facts, Figures and Fun (2008) (with Hal Iggulden)
- The Dangerous Book of Heroes (2009) (with David Iggulden)
Other edit
- Blackwater (2006)
- Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children (2009)
- How to Blow Up Tollins (with Lizzy Duncan) (2010)
- Quantum of Tweed – The Man with the Nissan Micra (2012)
- Dunstan (2017),[18] a.k.a. The Abbot's Tale (USA, 2018)
- The Falcon of Sparta (2018)
References edit
- ^ Preston, John (22 May 2009). "Conn Iggulden: addicted to heroism". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ a b Sale, Jonathan (14 October 2009). "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of author Conn Iggulden". The Independent. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ Cotton, Fearne; Willoughby, Holly (2010). The Best Friends' Guide to Life. Penguin Random House.
- ^ Quetteville, Harry de (12 October 2019). "Paper planes, stink bombs and fire-starting: The Dangerous Book for Boys has a sequel, and it's less PC than ever". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
- ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". theguardian. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Hodges, Harry (4 October 2013). "War of the Roses: Stormbird by Conn Iggulden – review". Daily Express. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ Wars of the Roses: Margaret of Anjou by Conn Iggulden | PenguinRandomHouse.com.
- ^ Wars of the Roses: Bloodline by Conn Iggulden | PenguinRandomHouse.com.
- ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ "Dunstan, One Man Will Change the Fate of England by Conn Iggulden". www.penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ "UK | Magazine | Conn who?". BBC News. 24 January 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- ^ "Darien (Empire of Salt #1)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ Bettinger, Brendan (26 June 2013). "17 Again Director Burr Steers Will Depict a Teenage Julius Caesar in Emperor: Young Caesar". Collider. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (26 May 2010). "Burr Steers to Direct Julius Caesar Film Based on Conn Iggulden Novels". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ Hazelton, John (27 May 2010). "Steers signs to direct Young Ceasar [sic]". Screen Daily. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ Johnson, Ani (May 2017). "Dunstan: One Man Will Change the Fate of England by Conn Iggulden". thebookbag.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
External links edit
- Conn Iggulden at Simon & Schuster
- Conn Iggulden at Penguin Books
- Conn Iggulden at Random House