British writer, Roald Dahl, is considered as one of the greatest children’s authors. He is one of the best-selling authors of all-time and had a career spanning decades. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, The Twits and Matilda are some of his classic works. He also wrote short stories and novels meant for adults.
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-British writer. Considered one of the greatest English-language novelists of all time, Conrad is credited with bringing a non-English sensibility into English-language literature. Many of his works have inspired several films, TV series, and video games. His anti-heroic characters and narrative style have influenced many authors like Salman Rushdie, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and T. S. Eliot.
Ian Fleming was a British writer, naval intelligence officer, and journalist. Fleming is credited with creating one of the most popular characters of all time, James Bond. His James Bond series of novels have sold more than 100 million copies, making them one of the best-selling fictional book series in history. Jamaica’s Ian Fleming International Airport is named after him.
English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist Rudyard Kipling is best remembered for his fiction work The Jungle Book. He was born in India and many of his works are inspired by his life in the country. He was one of the most popular English writers in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Gilbert K. Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, and art critic. A prolific writer, he composed around 80 books, hundreds of poems, around 200 short stories, and 4,000 essays. Often referred to as the "prince of paradox", he had as many detractors as he had admirers. He is considered a successor to Victorian authors like Matthew Arnold and John Ruskin.
Martin Amis is a British novelist, memoirist, screenwriter, and essayist whose memoir, Experience, earned him the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2000. Martin Amis' works have influenced several other British novelists like Zadie Smith and Will Self. In 2008, he was mentioned in The Times' list of 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
Brian Wilson Aldiss was an English anthology editor and writer whose short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long formed the basis for Spielberg's science-fiction movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence. In 2004, Aldiss was inducted into thee Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of two Hugo Awards, one John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and one Nebula Award.
English novelist George Gissing is known for the way he showcased the realism of the lower-middle class in his works such as The Nether World. In spite of being a brilliant student, he was expelled from Owens College for theft. He specialized in the literary study of Charles Dickens and his works.
Edward Plunkett was a talented Irish author, known for his fantasy novels such as The King of Elfland's Daughter. Initially educated at Eton and then at Sandhurst, he had also been part of the British Army in World War I. He also designed chess puzzles and was a keen hunter.
Chiefly known as a novelist, biographer, and memoirist, Edward Frederic Benson began his career with the British School of Archaeology in Athens, publishing his first successful novel, Dodo: A Detail of the Day, during this period. Its popularity encouraged him to continue publishing, the most significant works among them being Mapp and Lucia series, and the biography of Queen Victoria.
Frederick Rolfe was an English photographer, writer, and artist. A prolific writer, Rolfe wrote several novels and letters. He also took an interest in painting and photography throughout his life. Although many of his novels are held in high regard today, they did not help him earn a substantial amount of money during his lifetime.
Eden Phillpotts was an English poet, author, and dramatist whose comic play The Farmer's Wife inspired several films, including Alfred Hitchcock's 1928 movie of the same name. His works were admired by writers like Jorge Luis Borges and Agatha Christie. Phillpotts also worked towards the conservation of Dartmoor National Park. For many years, he served as Dartmoor Preservation Association’s president.
Michael Arlen was born in Bulgaria, into an Armenian merchant family that had escaped to avoid persecution in the Ottoman Empire. The family then moved to England, where he later penned his iconic novel The Green Hat. Apart from romances, he also wrote thrillers, one of which was adapted by Hitchcock.