Who was the most Influential British Author?

November 22^nd 2013 will mark 50 years since the death of influential British novelist C S Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia series.  But the UK has seen its fair share of influential authors, from J K Rowling to Roald Dahl.  Here are just a few of the authors who have shaped the way we read in the UK.

J K Rowling

Joanne Rowling’s Harry Potter books have to date generated more than £237 million in revenue, but this famous author began writing as an unemployed single mum in 1995, when she wrote the first Harry Potter book, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’  Telling the story of a young boy wizard and his magical escapades, the book was initially rejected by several publishers until it was snapped up by London publishing house Bloomsbury in 1996.  Original print copies of the book are now worth around £25,000, and the novel went on to win the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year.  Rowling quickly followed this up with a sequel, ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ in 1998, with a third novel in 1999. In 2000, the 4^th book, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ broke sales records in the UK with around 373,000 copies being sold on its release day.  In total there are 7 Harry Potter books, which have been translated into 65 languages, and J K Rowling is often credited with sparking an interest in reading for children who may otherwise have turned to TV or computer games. Today, J K Rowling is working on her next piece of children’s fiction and also recently released ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ under the pen name Robert Galbraith.

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was recently listed as the 25^th most valuable author in the UK by the Bookseller, worth £42.8 million.  His children’s stories such as The BFG, The Twits and James and the Giant Peach are loved by kids of all ages, and recommended by English teachers as reading material to encourage young readers.  His book ‘Matilda’ was made into a film starring Danny DeVito, whilst The BFG and James and the Giant Peach have been turned into animated films and theatre shows.

Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was a poet and playwright whom many regard as the greatest writer in the English language.  Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon in the 1500’s, he wrote most of his work between 1589 and 1613, and some of his most famous plays include Othello, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.  English teachers and students are familiar with his work as it’s often part of the secondary school curriculum in the UK.  Today, Shakespeare fans can see one of his plays at the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London, or visit his birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

J R R Tolkien

Whether you’ve seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the cinema, or enjoyed reading the books as a child (or both), there’s no denying the universal appeal of J R R Tolkien’s work.  Born on the 3^rd January 1892, Tolkien was a university professor and English writer probably best known for his books The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.  His imaginary realm ‘Middle-Earth’ has become popular with fantasy fiction fans of all ages, and he was ranked 6^th on The Times 2008 list of ‘The 50 Greatest British Authors Since 1945.’

Of course, the UK has plenty more influential authors who have sparked our passion for reading, from Enid Blyton to Ian Rankin and Agatha Christie – the list is endless!  By encouraging our children to enjoy books as much as we did, we could create a whole new generation of readers.


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