In 1991, Suzanne Collins began her professional career writing for children's television. She worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.

What did Suzanne Collins do before writing?

Collins began her television writing career in 1991 after earning a degree from Indiana University with a double major in drama and telecommunications. She worked on a number of television productions for Nickelodeon such as Clarissa Explains It All (1991), Little Bear (1995) and Oswald (2001).

What inspired Suzanne Collins to write The Hunger Games?

Collins has said that the inspiration for The Hunger Games came from channel surfing on television. On one channel she observed people competing on a reality show and on another she saw footage of the invasion of Iraq. The two "began to blur in this very unsettling way" and the idea for the book was formed.

What is the background story of The Hunger Games?

What inspired The Hunger Games? The Hunger Games was inspired by the Greek myth of "Theseus and the Minotaur." In this story, King Minos of Crete punishes Athens for the death of a son by demanding a sacrifice of 14 youths—seven girls and seven boys—to be brought to the Minotaur.

Why was The Hunger Games banned?

According to the American Library Association, The Hunger Games has been banned or challenged "due to insensitivity, offensive language, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and occult/satanic" and the 2014 addition of "inserted religious views." While there's clear violence and horrific death scenes in The Hunger Games ...

5 Questions with Suzanne Collins: author of the Hunger Games trilogy

How long did it take Suzanne Collins to write The Hunger Games?

We don't know the turnaround from when the novel was accepted for publication and how long it took to be released, but based on those release years, I'd assume it took her no more than a year to write, plus however many edits she went through with it.

Who won the 1st Hunger Games?

The first winner of the Hunger Games can be tricky

Esme Yule is a lumberjack from District 7 and became the victor. According to the story being told by Magnus, the games took place in a vast field. It describes Esme choking another competitor and using her axe to slaughter a boy possibly from District 9.

What was the shortest Hunger Games?

With the last killing occuring before an hour had even passed, these games shocked the Capitol audience and are the quickest in the history of the games.

What age is appropriate for reading The Hunger Games?

Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in an annual battle in which 24 teens fight to the death on live television. The book is rated by Scholastic as grade 5.3 and for ages 11-13. Parents' concerns about The Hunger Games center around violence. The book has a lot of it, and it is graphic at times.

When did Suzanne Collins get the idea for Hunger Games?

David Levithan: Let's start at the origin moment for “The Hunger Games.” You were flipping channels one night. Suzanne Collins: Yes, I was flipping through the channels one night between reality television programs and actual footage of the Iraq War, when the idea came to me.

What was Suzanne Collins first book?

Suzanne Collins is an American author who published her debut book, Gregor the Overlander, the first of the five-part The Underland Chronicles, in 2003. In 2008, her first book of The Hunger Games series was published.

Is The Hunger Games Based on a true story?

Is The Hunger Games based on a true story? Author Suzanne Collins drew inspiration from the Greek myth of Theseus for her character Katniss. She drew inspiration from her father's military experience and reality television. The story, however, is fictional.

What was Suzanne Collins early life like?

Collins was the youngest of four children. Because her father was a career officer in the U.S. Air Force, the family moved frequently, and she spent time in Indiana and Belgium before graduating from high school in Birmingham, Alabama.

What are 5 facts about Suzanne Collins?

Has a 12 year old won the Hunger Games?

District 12 has the most Hunger Games victors, with five winners, including Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, and Lucy Gray. Finnick Odair is the youngest winner in history, winning at just 14 years old.

Is Peeta shorter than Katniss?

She stumbles into the snow at first, but then she dusts herself off, rises, and begins waving to the photographers, arm in arm with Peeta. The camera zooms out to a neutral angle, giving audiences a sudden, somewhat startling reminder that oh, that's right—Katniss is slightly taller than Peeta.

Who won 72 Hunger Games?

The 72nd Hunger Games was known for being one of the best known Hunger Games in the history of Panem. It was also the first Games where Seneca Crane was Head Gamemaker. Art Solace was crowned as the victor of the 72nd Hunger Games. Art scored a 8 in his Training session.

Who was the first person Katniss killed in The Hunger Games?

Katniss kills Glimmer, Marvel, and Cato in The Hunger Games. Glimmer's death occurs by chance. Katniss drops a tracker jacker nest on the Career Tributes' camp while they are sleeping, and Glimmer is stung to death before she can get away. Marvel is the first person that Katniss intentionally kills.

Why does Johanna hate Katniss?

In the case of Johanna, they each hated each other because that was what the Capitol had taught them to do. They were from competing Districts, and the idea of the Games was to keep the lesser citizens of Panem distrustful of one another and unwilling to form alliances (or raise arms in war).

Who won the Hunger Games at 14?

Finnick Odair won the 65th Hunger Games when he was just 14 years old. As a male tribute from District 4, he was mentored by Mags. He was already skilled in fighting but the use of a trident in the arena led to his big win, as did the various gifts sent by sponsors.

Who inspired Suzanne Collins?

After meeting children's author James Proimos while working on the Kids' WB show Generation O!, Collins felt inspired to write children's books herself.

Who influenced Suzanne Collins?

She was inspired to venture into the world of novel writing after meeting child author James Proimos. The result was a critically acclaimed series of books called The Underland Chronicles, a series often forgotten in the blinding light of the success of her later works.

How much money did Suzanne Collins get from The Hunger Games?

With $20 million in earnings, almost all of it from sales of her “Hunger Games” books, Collins didn't quite make the most recent edition of the FORBES Celebrity 100.