John Christopher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Christopher
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| Born | Sam Youd 16 April 1922 Huyton, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 3 February 2012 (aged 89) Bath, Somerset, England |
| Pen name | John Christopher (science fiction), several others |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Peter Symonds College |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Guardian Prize 1971 |
Sam Youd (born April 16, 1922, died February 3, 2012) was a British writer. He is most famous for his exciting science fiction stories, which he wrote under the name John Christopher. Some of his well-known books include The Death of Grass and the popular young-adult novel series The Tripods. His stories often made readers think about what the future might be like. He even won important awards for his books, like the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1971.
Youd also used many other pen names, such as Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, and Peter Graaf.
Contents
About John Christopher
Sam Youd was born in a place called Huyton, in England. He went to Peter Symonds' School and later served in the army during World War II, from 1941 to 1946. After the war, he received a special scholarship that helped him start his writing career.
Early Writing Career
His first book, The Winter Swan, was published in 1949. He started writing science fiction short stories in 1951, using the name John Christopher. His first science fiction book under this name was The Twenty-Second Century, a collection of short stories.
His first major success was the novel The Death of Grass, published in 1956. This book was very popular and has been reissued many times. He continued to use the name John Christopher for most of his writing, especially for his science fiction novels.
Writing for Young Adults
In 1966, Youd began writing science fiction specifically for adolescents (young adults). He used the name John Christopher for all these books too. Some of his popular young adult series include:
- The Tripods trilogy (1967–1968)
- The Lotus Caves (1969)
- The Guardians (1970)
- Sword of the Spirits trilogy (1971–1972)
His book The Guardians won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1971. In 1976, it also won a German award called the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.
Personal Life and Later Years
In 1946, Sam Youd married Joyce Fairbairn, and they had five children together. He later remarried Jessica Ball in 1978. He lived for many years in Rye, East Sussex. Sam Youd passed away in Bath, Somerset, on February 3, 2012, at the age of 89.
Books Made into Movies and TV Shows
Many of John Christopher's exciting stories have been turned into films and television series. This means that people could watch his adventures come to life on screen!
- The Death of Grass was made into a film in 1970, called No Blade of Grass.
- The Tripods was turned into a popular British TV series.
- Empty World became a TV movie in Germany in 1987, called Leere Welt.
- The Guardians was also made into a German TV series in 1986, called Die Wächter.
- There were plans to make The Lotus Caves into a film and later a TV pilot, but these projects did not become full series.
Short Stories and Magazine Features
John Christopher wrote many short stories that appeared in various science fiction magazines. Some of these magazines included Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Some of his longer stories were also published in parts, or "serialized," in magazines before they came out as full books. For example, No Blade of Grass was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post.
See also
In Spanish: Samuel Youd para niños
