Christopher Paolini biography

Christopher Paolini was born on the 17th November 1983 in Southern California. His best known works include Eragon and Eldest, both part of the Inheritance Cycle. Paolini's childhood was spent in the Paradise Valley of Montana. Christopher was taught at home and passed his accredited correspondence courses at the age of 15. Following his graduation he began writing the novels that would go on to become Eragon and Eldest.

As a child Christopher wrote many short stories and poems and was an avid reader. Frank Herbert’s Dune and Raymond E. Feist’s Magician were amongst his favourite fantasy books. Other influences included David Eddings and Ursula Le Guin.

Eragon was the product of childhood daydreams and this, coupled with the works of his favourite authors lead him to begin writing the book that would become Eragon. He was fifteen when he finished the first draft and this was followed by a year’s revision before he handed the book over to his parents to gain their thoughts and opinions. His parents were so impressed that they decided to self-publish the book a year of proofreading, design and typesetting the manuscript followed.

His parent’s company published Eragon in 2002 and a book tour followed which included visiting over one hundred schools. Christopher's sister Angela drew the illustrations that formed the cover art and the maps of his books. The book came to the attention of Michelle Frey, the executive editor of Knopf Books for Young Readers and she approached the Paolini’s asking if they would allow Knopf to publish Eragon. The answer was a resounding yes and by 2003 the Knopf version was available in bookstores.

Eragon became a New York Times bestseller in 2003 and further success followed in 2005 with the release of Eldest in 2005. The third book of the Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr will be released on the 20th September 2008.

In December 2006, Fox 2000 released their movie adaptation of Eragon in theatres around the world.

Christopher Paolini influences

• J.R.R. Tolkien
• E. R. Eddison
• Raymond E. Feist
• David Eddings
• Ursula K. Le Guin

Christopher Paolini books

• Eragon
• Eldest
• Brisingr

Christopher Paolini interviews

Powells.com conduct a three-way phone interview with fantasy authors Christopher Paolini, Philip Pullman and Tamora Pierce - http://www.powells.com/authors/paolini.html

Two essays by Christopher Paolini, one on writing and one on becoming a writer - http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=934

The official Christopher Paolini web site

Latest news: Christopher Paolini

Canadian books that made a difference over the past decade
Indigo Books & Music Inc. have revealed the 75 books that most impacted booklovers during the past ten years in the Canadian retailer's first Best of the Decade List. Compiled, considered and debated by the dedicated team of Indigo book buyers who have read, reviewed, recommended and bought a st [...]

Christopher Paolini to attend two Montana events to promote latest releases
Christopher Paolini will be attending two events to promote his latest releases, the Brisingr Deluxe Edition and Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia. Please note that the two events are located in Montana. At this time, no other scheduled appearances have been announced. The Livingston event originally sch [...]

Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia now available
From the creators of the bestselling books Dragonology, Egyptology, Piratelogy, and others, this is a never-before-seen glimpse into the world of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle. Alagaësia comes alive in a lush and detailed look at an unforgettable magical land. From elves, dwarves, Urgals, [...]

Dawn of Darkness published by Outskirts Press
Jeremy Barandela’s latest fantasy novel, Dawn of Darkness, is the second in a seven-book series titled United We Stand. At over 400 pages, Dawn of Darkness is an expansive, epic adventure aimed at the  young adult audience, and especially to fans JK Rowling, Christopher Paolini, and JRR Tolkien [...]

Film rights to Peter V Brett’s “The Warded Man” picked up
Filmmaker Paul WS Anderson and long-time producing partner Jeremy Bolt, the duo behind the moneymaking "Resident Evil" franchise, have picked up film rights to Peter V Brett's debut fantasy novel, "The Warded Man." The book is set in an undetermined future where mankind is bese [...]

More news on the 29th Steinbeck Festival
The 29th Steinbeck Festival, which will focus on John Steinbeck's life-long passion for King Arthur, will take place between the 6th and 9th of August at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. The theme of the festival is “Legends, Myth and Magic” and the event coincides with the rec [...]

Ask Christopher Paolini your questions
Shur'tugal.com is currently accepting submissions for their monthly questions and answer session with Christopher Paolini, the young bestselling fantasy author. To ask Christopher a question, or to see his answers from the two prior sessions, visit http://www.shurtugal.com/?news=697. Here are the qu [...]

Christopher Paolini to headline the 29th Steinbeck Festival
California’s will be able to catch up with their favourite fantasy son at The National Steinbeck Center this summer. The 29th Steinbeck Festival, named Legends, Myth and Magic will be celebrated between the 6th and 9th of August 2009. The four day festival of film, tours, talks and visual and perf [...]

Questions and Answers with Christopher Paolini
Shur’tugal.com features a question and answers session with fantasy author Christopher Paolini. The questions were submitted by the fans themselves with over 1,000 questions in total being received by the website. An example of the questions asked: Will an Eldunarí from a young dragon grow along wi [...]

Winners of the 2009 Audies
The 2009 Audies, recognizing audio's most engaging and innovative audiobooks of the 2008 publishing year, were held at a formal Gala at the New-York Historical Society on May 29th in New York City. The Audies are the only awards program in the United States honouring spoken word entertainment. [...]