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.

"I know when I'm writing if I happen to get sidetracked into long pastoral descriptions or too many fantastical elements, I find that my interest, even as the writer, diminishes. It doesn't return until somehow I find a way to get back to the characters' inner lives and how they're dealing with the questions of everyday life."

Christopher Paolini influences

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