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Fowl's website.
Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl is the first title in the mega-selling series - it was one
of the most eagerly awaited children's books ever to be published. Described as “Die Hard
with fairies”, this adrenaline-packed novel marks the arrival of the Irish teacher-turned-
author as a major force to be reckoned with in the popular fantasy genre.
Watch Eoin Colfer's hilarious webcast with a live audience of 900
children at the Southbank Centre, featuring a special appearance from Artemis Fowl
himself.
Simply register at www.eoincolfervirtuallylive.co.uk to watch.
THE BASICS
Born: Wexford, Ireland, May 14th 1965
Jobs: Teacher
Lives: Wexford, Ireland
First Book: Benny and Omar, 1999
THE BOOKS
Both Eoin Colfer’s parents were teachers and young Eoin was taught by his dad Billy at
Wexford’s Christian Brothers primary. Eoin remembers his dad’s presence in school as
“witty…[he] made school fun.” Colfer junior’s first attempt at serious writing came in the
sixth grade. “I wrote a play for the class about Norse Gods. Everyone died in the end
except me.”
Eoin followed in his parents’ footsteps and trained to be a teacher at Carysfort
College in Dublin. After qualifying, he returned to his home town to take up a post as a
Resources and Learning Support teacher at Coolcotts National School. As a class teacher,
he liked to end the day with ten minutes of reading to his students. “I’d find myself
elaborating if I saw the interest flagging,” he says, “I’d add in gory bits. In the end I
made up my own stories.”
Eoin is the author of five books prior to Artemis Fowl, all published by the O’Brien
Press in Ireland. His first book, Benny and Omar, appeared in 1999 and instantly achieved
bestselling status in Ireland. His next title, Benny and Babe, was another bestseller and
was shortlisted for the Bisto Award 2000. Most of Eoin’s books are written for the early
teens, but he has also written two stories, The Funny Feet and Going Potty, for six-to-
eight year-olds. Eoin’s fifth title, The Wish List, for 11+ readers is packed with humour
although it deals with serious issues of life, death and the hereafter. Eoin has also
written plays for adult audiences, including The Lords of Love, created for his actor
brother Donal. Fantasy is a strong theme in Eoin’s work. He feels that here he has a
strong advantage being an Irish writer – “our well of mythology is so deep and rich – we
are steeped in shape-shifting and magical folklore”.
Eoin’s writing career was building very satisfactorily in Ireland, but no-one could
have predicted the worldwide furore that surrounded publishing rights to Artemis Fowl. The
book was the subject of a fierce bidding war, which was won by Puffin after ten days.
Worldwide publishing deals followed, along with a movie deal from Miramax and Tribeca (the
production company of a certain Robert de Niro). All this has been accompanied by a chorus
of approval from those who have read the manuscript of Artemis Fowl. Influential
children’s bookseller Sonia Benster’s reponse was typical – “It’s so refreshing to have a
different take on the fantasy genre. Such a gifted writer cannot fail to make a huge
impact”.
At the centre of Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old criminal mastermind from North Dublin
who attempts to raise money by holding a leprechaun to ransom. Artemis is an anti-hero
with definite edge. Eoin says he has always been attracted to dark characters, from
Moriarty in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories to Darth Vader. “I had the idea
of creating an anti-hero,” says Eoin, “a boy who was witty and sarcastic, always out for
his own good. Once or twice he is mistakenly accused of a noble motive but, in fact, he’s
always in it for the money.”
For Artemis Fowl, Eoin decided to bring the portrayal of leprechauns radically up-to-
date from the old legends, rendering them “streetwise… neurotic, psychotic, sarcastic”
creatures, who experience both racism and sexism. In fact us humans have got it wrong,
“LEPrecon”, actually stands for “Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance”. The LEPrecon have
such advanced technology that the book has been described as “Die Hard with fairies”.
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident toppled J K Rowling from the top of the bestseller lists
in June 2002.
Eoin cites influences as diverse as Huckleberry Finn, Sherlock Holmes, graphic novels
and The Simpsons. “I’ve always collected comics – Batman is my favourite - and enjoyed the
dynamic characters. I think children can cope with sophisticated humour.”
Eoin is married to Jackie, also a former teacher. They have a son, Finn.
Eoin wrote Artemis Fowl, like his previous novels, while still working full-time as a
teacher. Writing was sandwiched in, after work, between 3pm and 4pm and then after 8:30pm
(after Finn had been put to bed). Eoin took a break from teaching to focus on writing the
next book in the Artemis Fowl trilogy. Nevertheless, he says “teaching is my first love
and my first career choice”.
WHAT HE SAYS...
“Inspiration comes from experience. My imagination is like a cauldron bubbling with all
the things I’ve seen and places I’ve visited. My brain mixes them all up and regurgitates
them in a way I hope is original.”
“Kids nowadays are much more technologically aware than adults, and their huge interest
in magic has to do with what they see on computers, videos and movies. It makes them
better able to see how magic works.”
“I think kids who read tend to read books intended for an older age group. That’s why I
don’t ‘write down’ to kids. In Artemis Fowl, I’ve created a complicated plot.”
“I’ve always loved the idea of kids out of their element, struggling to survive in a
strange environment. It’s a recurrent theme in my work.”
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT EOIN COLFER...
"What a writer! A sort of cross between Philip Ridley and Terry Pratchett."
Prue Goodwin, Reading and Language Information Centre, University of Reading
"One of the most original creations in contemporary writing for children… A highly
imaginative and inventive romp of a book, in which the world of traditional Irish story
meets the world of modern technology - and what an entertaining encounter, complete with
some of the oddest characters (human and otherwise) you are likely to come across
anywhere!"
Robert Dunbar, Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin on Artemis Fowl
“Wildly original… and you thought fairy stories were just for kids.”
T2 (The Telegraph) on Artemis Fowl
“The latest hot tip in children’s literature is Artemis Fowl.”
Times
“[Artemis Fowl is] full of zippy dialogue, James Bond style gadgets and henchmen with a
‘past’.”
Irish Independent
“This is a fantastic, exciting and completely original novel. From fairies with machine
guns to trolls on the rampage, this book will capture the imagination of every child who
reads it. It will be a massive hit. I for one cannot wait for the sequel…”
Jo Edwards, Fiction Buyer, WHSmith on Artemis Fowl
“It’s so refreshing to have a different take on the fantasy genre. Such a gifted writer
cannot fail to make a huge impact.”
Sonia Benster, The Children’s Bookshop, Huddersfield on Artemis Fowl
“Artemis Fowl is absolutely brilliant. Hardcase leprechauns, elves with attitude,
fairies that are anything but and a troll to make Voldermort look like a wuss: the
fairytale has been redefined!”
Luise Pattinson, The Book House
“It’s a highly original adventure story with an action-packed plot which twists and
turns right to the end – a kind of William Gibson meets the Hobbit/Irish Legends. It has
all the right ingredients.”
Marc Lambert, Children’s Programme Director at the Edinburgh Festival on Artemis Fowl
AWARDS
Shortlisted for the Bisto Book Awards 2000 for Benny and Babe
Shortlisted for the 2001 Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year for Artemis Fowl
Winner of the 2002 WHSmith Award, Children’s category, for Artemis Fowl
Winner of the 2011 Independent Booksellers Award in the Children's Category for Artemis
Fowl and the Atlantis Complex
