Larry Collins (writer) facts for kids
John Lawrence Collins Jr. (born September 14, 1929 – died June 20, 2005) was an American writer. He was famous for writing many best-selling books, often with his friend Dominique Lapierre. Their books were usually about real historical events.
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Life of a Writer
Larry Collins was born in West Hartford, Connecticut. He went to school at Loomis Chaffee and then to Yale University, finishing in 1951. After college, he worked for a company called Procter and Gamble.
Later, he joined the United States Army. From 1953 to 1955, he worked in Paris for the Allied Headquarters. This is where he met Dominique Lapierre. They became great friends and wrote many popular books together for over 40 years.
After the army, Collins went back to Procter and Gamble. But he soon decided he wanted to be a journalist. He started working for United Press International in Paris in 1956. He later became a news editor in Rome and then a chief reporter in Beirut.
In 1959, he joined Newsweek magazine as an editor for the Middle East. He moved to Paris in 1961 to lead Newsweek's office there. By 1964, he decided to focus completely on writing books.
Writing Best-Selling Books
In 1965, Collins and Dominique Lapierre published their first book together, Is Paris Burning? This book told the true story of how Paris was saved from being destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. It was a huge success and was even made into a movie in 1966. Famous actors like Kirk Douglas and Glenn Ford starred in the film.
Their next book, Or I'll Dress you in Mourning (1967), was about a famous Spanish bullfighter named El Cordobés.
In 1972, after five years of careful research, they released O Jerusalem! This book was about the creation of Israel in 1948. It was also turned into a movie.
Another very popular book was Freedom at Midnight (1975). This book told the story of how India became independent in 1947. It also covered the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. People say they spent a lot of money researching this book but earned even more!
Fiction and Later Works
In 1981, Collins and Lapierre wrote their first fiction novel, The Fifth Horseman. This book was about a terrorist attack on New York City. It was so realistic that it caused some real-world changes. For example, the French President canceled a deal to sell nuclear equipment to Libya because of the book's story. A movie studio also decided not to make a film based on the book, fearing it might inspire real attacks.
Larry Collins also wrote several books on his own. These include Fall from Grace (1985), Maze (1989), and Black Eagles (1992). He also wrote Le Jour Du Miracle: D-Day Paris (1994) and Tomorrow Belongs To Us (1998).
Shortly before he passed away, he worked with Lapierre again on Is New York Burning? (2005). This novel imagined another terrorist attack on New York City, mixing made-up characters with real people.
Larry Collins died on June 20, 2005, in France, from a sudden brain bleed. He was working on a new book about the Middle East at the time.
Personal Life
In 1966, Larry Collins married Nadia Sultan. They had two sons named Michael and Lawrence.
Awards
Larry Collins won several important awards for his writing. He received the Deauville American Film Festival literary award in 1985. He also won the Mannesman Talley literary prize in 1989.
Works
Novels
- The Fifth Horseman (1980), with Dominique Lapierre, ISBN: 0-671-24316-0
- Fall from Grace (1985)
- Maze (1989)
- Black Eagles (1993)
- Tomorrow Belongs To Us (1998)
- The Road to Armageddon (2003)
- Is New York Burning? (2005), with Dominique Lapierre, ISBN: 1-59777-520-7
Non-fiction
- Biographies
- Or I'll Dress You in Mourning (1968), with Dominique Lapierre
- History
- Is Paris Burning? (1965), with Dominique Lapierre, ISBN: 9780785812463
- O Jerusalem! (1972), with Dominique Lapierre, ISBN: 0-671-21163-3
- Freedom at Midnight (1975), with Dominique Lapierre, ISBN: 0-671-22088-8
- The Secrets of D-Day (1994)
Adaptations
- Is Paris Burning? (1966), a film based on the book Is Paris Burning?
- Fall from Grace (1994), a TV movie based on the novel Fall from Grace
- Viceroy's House (2017), a film based on the book Freedom at Midnight
See also
In Spanish: Larry Collins para niños