I was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1971, and studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, where I was awarded the Curtis Brown prize.

My early writing consisted mostly of short stories and I published a number of them. My first story, The Entertainments Jar, was shortlisted for the Hennessy Literary Award in Ireland. In total, I’ve published about 70 short stories.

My 2006 novel, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, was made into an award-winning Miramax film. The novel itself won 2 Irish Book Awards, the Bisto Book of the Year, and was shortlisted or won a host of international awards. Amongst other accolades, it spent more than 80 weeks at no.1 in Ireland, topped the New York Times Bestseller List, and was the bestselling book in Spain in both 2007 and 2008. Worldwide, it has sold more than 5 million copies.

My novels are published in 45 languages. Details of which languages each novel is available in can be found on the fiction pages.

My eighth novel, NOAH BARLEYWATER RUNS AWAY, a book for younger readers, was published in October 2010 and reached no.1 on the Irish Bestseller Chart. It was also shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year.

My most recent novel, THE ABSOLUTIST, was published in 2011.

A new children’s book, THE TERRIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO BARNABY BROCKET, will be published in the UK, Australia and Ireland in August 2012.

In April 2012, at the Hennessy Literary Awards in Dublin, I was inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ for my body of work.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

NOVELS:

• The Thief of Time (2000)
• The Congress of Rough Riders (2001)
• Crippen (2004)
• Next of Kin (2006)
• Mutiny On The Bounty (2008)
• The House of Special Purpose (2009)
• The Absolutist (2011)

NOVELS FOR YOUNGER READERS:

• The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (2006)
• Noah Barleywater Runs Away (2010)
• The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket (2012)