Conor Kostick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Conor Kostick
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Kostick in 2007
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| Born | Conor Kostick 26 June 1964 Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Occupation | Writer, historian |
| Citizenship | Irish |
| Genre | Fantasy, science fiction, LitRPG, children's literature |
| Notable works | Epic |
Conor Kostick (born June 26, 1964) is a well-known historian and writer from Dublin, Ireland. He has written many books, both history and exciting stories. Conor has won several awards for his work. He also used to be in charge of the Irish Writers Union and was on the board of the National Library of Ireland.
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Growing Up
Conor Kostick was born in Chester, England. He is the older of two brothers. His parents, Gerrie and Marjorie Kostick, were both teachers. His father was from Dublin and taught physical education. His mother taught maths. Conor's grandparents on one side were Polish Jews who moved to Ireland to escape difficult times. Conor went to school in Chester.
What He Does
Conor Kostick is a historian and has a special degree called a doctorate. He has taught and done research at Trinity College Dublin. He has also received special research awards from the Irish Research Council and the University of Nottingham.
In 2018, a company in the UK called Ockham Publishing asked him to lead a new part of their company. This new part, called Level Up publishing, focuses on publishing LitRPG books.
His Famous Books
Epic was Conor Kostick's first novel. It's a LitRPG book, which means it combines literature with role-playing games. This book was chosen for the International Board on Books for Young People Honours list in 2006. It also made the Booklist Best Fantasy Books for Youth list in 2007. Over 100,000 copies of Epic have been sold!
The story of Epic continues in a book called Saga, which came out in 2006. The third book, Edda, was published in 2011. Together, these three books make up the 'Avatar Chronicles' trilogy.
Games He Designed
Conor Kostick helped design one of the UK's very first live action role-playing games. This game was called Treasure Trap.
Other Important Roles
Conor Kostick was the chairperson of the Irish Writers Union two times. This union helps writers in Ireland. He also had a special writing residency at Farmleigh in 2010. In 2015, he became the chairperson of the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency. This agency helps protect writers' work.
He was the head of the Irish judging panel for the EU Prize for Literature in 2015 and again in 2019. Also in 2015, he was asked to join the Board of the National Library of Ireland.
In 2018, the Kerala Literature Festival in India decided to feature Irish literature. Conor Kostick was one of seven Irish writers invited to take part in this big event.
Awards and Nominations
Conor Kostick has won many awards for his writing and historical work.
In 2009, the Reading Association of Ireland gave him a Special Merit Award. This was to celebrate his important contributions to writing for children in Ireland.
He was also nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in both 2012 and 2013. This is a very important international award for children's and young adult literature.
As a historian, Conor has received several awards. These include a gold medal from Trinity College Dublin. He also won first prize in the 2001 Dublinia Medieval Essay Competition. He has received fellowships from the Irish Research Council and the University of Nottingham. He also got a Marie Curie Career Integration Grant. In 2015, he won the British Academy's Rising Star Engagement Award.
Conor Kostick is also good at the game Diplomacy. He won a big European Diplomacy event called Manorcon in 2000. He was also part of the Irish team that won the Diplomacy National World Cup in 2012.
His Family
Conor Kostick's brother is Gavin Kostick, who is a playwright.
