Anthony Horowitz grew up as a sad, lonely, overweight child living on an
estate. He was born into a family of wealth. He wasn’t a very happy child. You
would think someone with so much money would be happy.
From an early age, Anthony Horowitz often dreamed of being a writer. He
found his escape from his unhappy childhood through writing. I will tell you how
his dreams came true.
Anthony Horowitz was born on April 5, 1955 in Stanmore, Middlesex,
England. His parents are Mark and Joyce Horowitz. Anthony was the second of
three kids. Anthony’s father was a solicitor (attorney) and was very involved in his
business. He was away from home more than he was at home. His father was also
very secretive. Even though Anthony knew his dad was an attorney, he felt that his
dad had another business. Anthony grew suspicious of his father’s work and often
wondered what else his father may be involved in. The rare times when his father
was around, he was very distant. This made Anthony sad. He felt like he didn’t
know his own father. Anthony’s mother was a socialite, or someone who was very
popular among her society. She attended parties, played bridge and traveled. She
was around more than his father was. Anthony adored his mother. One of
Anthony’s favorite memories of his mother is when she would tuck him into bed
and read horror stories to him. Anthony liked horror; he liked how she would retell
the stories of Dracula and Frankenstein. Anthony wanted a human skull, so his
mother bought him one for his 13th birthday. He still has it to this day.
Anthony Horowitz’s house was one most kids dreamed about living in.
Although it is no longer there, in its place stands 16 5-bedroom houses! He lived
on an estate called White Friars. Along with his family, Anthony lived with his
servants as well. There were housemaids, cooks, gardeners, handymen, and a
chauffeur. He was raised by nannies. Despite all these people around him,
Anthony was often lonely. Dinnertime was one of the only times when the family
was together. Anthony specifically remembers dinnertime as a kid because it was
a very big meal. Most days the amount of calories piled high into the hundreds and
thousands. This was one of the main reasons Anthony was overweight.
At the age of 8, Anthony was sent off to boarding school. The school,
named Orley Farm School, had a headmaster who flogged, or whipped his
students until they bled. The headmaster also humiliated his students. For
example, during an assembly, he called Anthony stupid in front of the whole
school. The only positive about attending this school was that it was here where he
first began to write. He wrote about kids who he wished he could be. Instead of
being bored in math class, Anthony would write about saving the world as a spy.
Five years later, in 1968, Anthony transferred to Rugby School, which was
definitely a more pleasant experience. Here he was introduced to literature by
Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare, two of his biggest heroes.
In 1973, Anthony graduated from Rugby School. The school gave him
confidence, friends, and happiness. Anthony later attended the University of York,
earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. He started writing his first book, called
Enter Frederick K. Bower, which was published in 1979.
In 1983, Anthony started writing for the hit television series, Dramarama.
In 1985, Anthony published The Kingfisher Book of Myths and Legends. In 1986,
Anthony began to write for a different television show called Robin of Sherwood.
In 1989 he began writing for a television show called Poirot. By this time,
Anthony considered giving up his dream of becoming an author, based on how
well he was doing in television writing. His book sales were doing ok, but not
great. He wanted to be recognized as a children’s writer. By the end of the 1990’s,
Anthony’s television writing career was successful. Many of his children’s books
never reached the kind of audience he hoped for. Children’s books were not
considered a major market. It wasn’t until the success of the Harry Potter books
that Anthony realized a demand for children’s books. He didn’t give up on his
dream of becoming a children’s writer. In 1994, Anthony released a book called
Granny, the main character portraying his own grandmother, who was truly a
mean person. Anthony danced on her grave when she died (Anthony literally
danced on her grave.) By 2005, Anthony had released 8 more books, two of them
Stormbreaker and Point Blank the first and second in the Alex Rider series. He
wrote about Alex as being a young spy. He took his suspicions about his father as
material for his book. He was able to put his thoughts on paper.
Anthony was proud of his work. Some of Anthony’s books have won
awards. Some of his books have won Calderale Children’s Book of the Year, ALA
(American Library Association) Best Book for Young Adults, and Stockport
Children’s Book of the Year.
If Anthony Horowitz hadn’t had an unhappy childhood and found his
escape through writing would had he even wanted to become a writer? He is now
happily married with two sons. His passion is writing and he is happy that is
recognized as a children’s author. This is how Anthony Horowitz’s dream of being
a writer had come true.