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Agent 6
''Child 44'' is a 2008 thriller novel by British writer Tom Rob Smith. It is the first novel in a trilogy featuring former MGB Agent Leo Demidov, who investigates a series of gruesome child murders in Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union. Themes This novel, the first in a trilogy, takes inspiration from the crimes of Andrei Chikatilo, also known as the Rostov Ripper, the Butcher of Rostov, and the Red Ripper. Chikatilo was convicted of and executed for committing 52 murders in the Soviet Union, though his crimes occurred after the Stalin era. In addition to highlighting the problem of Soviet-era crime in a state where "there is no crime", the novel explores the paranoia of the age, the education system, the secret police apparatus, the Holodomor, orphanages, homosexuality in the USSR and mental hospitals. The second and third books in the trilogy, titled '' The Secret Speech'' (April 2009) and '' Agent 6'' (July 2011), respectively, also feature the protagonist Leo Demidov and his w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Rob Smith
Tom Rob Smith (born February 19, 1979) is an English author, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the author of Child 44, a novel about the investigation of child murders during the Soviet Union. The book was adapted into a film of the same name, and Smith has written two sequels: the The Secret Speech (novel), Secret Speech and Agent 6. His first standalone novel, ''The Farm (Smith novel), The Farm'', was published in 2014. Personal life and education The son of Swedish mother Barbro and English father Ron, both antiques dealers, Smith was born and raised at Norbury, South London. He went to school at Dulwich College between the years of 1987 and 1997. Following his graduation from St John's College, Cambridge, in 2001, he received the Harper Wood Studentship for English Poetry and Literature and continued his Creative Writing studies for a year at the University of Pavia, in Italy. He was formerly the partner of Ben Stephenson. Career After completing his studies, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sunday Telegraph
''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...'', also published by the Telegraph Media Group. ''The Sunday Telegraph'' was originally a separate operation with a different editorial staff, but since 2013 the ''Telegraph'' has been a seven-day operation. However, ''The Sunday Telegraph'' still has its own editor, different from that of ''The Daily Telegraph''. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the ''Sunday Telegraph'' had an average circulation of 214,711 copies per week in the first half of 2021. See also * References External links * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Costigan (film Producer)
Michael Costigan is a film and television producer. Biography Costigan graduated from Brown University in 1990. He was a production executive at Columbia Pictures at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he worked for nine years on films including ''Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' The People vs. Larry Flynt'' (1996), ''Gattaca'' (1997), '' Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), and ''Charlie's Angels'' (2000). He left Sony and worked as executive producer on ''Brokeback Mountain'' (2005). Costigan started a production company, Corduroy Films, in 2002. He then became president at Scott Free Productions Scott Free Productions is a film and television production company founded by English filmmakers and brothers Ridley and Tony Scott in 1995. The result of multiple mergers between companies established by the Scott brothers since 1971, it curre ... from 2005 to 2012. Costigan left Scott Free to work full-time as a film producer. He started the production company COTA Films and signed a two-year d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Child 44 (film)
''Child 44'' is a 2015 mystery thriller film directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Richard Price, and based on Tom Rob Smith's 2008 novel of the same name. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, and Vincent Cassel. It was released on 17 April 2015. Both the novel and the film are very loosely based on the case of Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. The film was a box office bomb, grossing just $13 million against its $50 million budget. Plot During Stalin's rule of the Soviet Union in the early 1950s, Ministry of State Security (MGB) Agent and war hero Leo Demidov uncovers a strange and brutal series of child murders. However, MGB leadership refuses to acknowledge the deaths as murders because Soviet doctrine states that only capitalism creates serial killers. The son of Leo's partner is murdered by the serial killer and during Leo's investigation, his wife, Raisa, is accused of be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. He ranks among the List of highest-grossing film directors, highest-grossing directors, with his films grossing a cumulative $5 billion worldwide. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ridley Scott, many accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He was Knight Bachelor, knighted by Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, and appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, Knight Grand Cross by Charles III, King Charles III in 2024. An alumnus of the Royal College of Art in London, Scott began his career in television as a designer and director before moving into advertising as a director o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard And Judy
Richard and Judy is a term used to refer to British television presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, who are married. They co-hosted the ITV programme '' This Morning'' from 1988 to 2001 and later presented the chat show ''Richard & Judy'' from 2001 to 2009. Marriage and family Madeley and Finnigan met in 1982 while working on separate television programmes for Granada Television. Both were married to other people at the time. After divorcing their previous spouses, they began a relationship and married in 1986 in Manchester. The couple had two children together: Jack Christopher (born 1986) and Chloe Susannah (born 1987), both born in Manchester. ''This Morning'' They presented ''This Morning'' from its launch in 1988 until 2001. The programme featured a range of segments, including celebrity interviews, household tips, cookery, and phone-ins, and typically aired for around two hours each weekday morning on ITV. Initially broadcast from the Albert Dock in Live ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waverton Good Read Award
The Waverton Good Read Award was founded in 2003 by villagers in Waverton, Chester, England, and is based on ''Le Prix de la Cadière d'Azur'', a literary prize awarded by a Provençal village. Adult debut novels written by UK residents and published in the previous twelve months are eligible for consideration and are read by villagers. "The aim was not only to stimulate reading in the village but to provide encouragement to British writers". Two of the main founders were Gwen Goodhew (b 21 October 1942) an educational specialist who established Wirral Able Child Centre and has written and edited books on teaching the gifted child, and Wendy Smedley. It is the first British award to be judged by normal readers rather than literary figures. Waverton Good Read Children's Award was first presented in 2011, for children's literature. Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2019/20 shortlist and winner were announced on the same day, and there was no Children's award. Winners and shortli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Book Awards
The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the National Book Awards from 2010 to 2014. Book award history The British Book Awards, or Nibbies, ran from 1990 to 2009 and were founded by the editor of ''Publishing News''. The awards were then acquired by Agile Marketing, which renamed them the National Book Awards and called them the Galaxy (chocolate bar), Galaxy National Book Awards (2010–2011) and later the Specsavers National Book Awards (2012–2014) after their headline sponsors. There were no National Book Awards after 2014; in 2017 the awards were acquired by ''The Bookseller'' from the estate of ''Publishing News'' founder, Fred Newman, and renamed back to the British Book Awards or Nibbies. In 2018, a Specsavers National Book Awards ceremony was held on 20 November but was u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desmond Elliott Prize
The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK. The winning novel can be from any genre of fiction and must exhibit depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The winner receives . The prize is named in honour of the distinguished late publisher and literary agent, Desmond Elliott. History and administration The Desmond Elliott Prize was inaugurated at the bequest of Desmond Elliott, who died in August 2003. He stipulated that his literary estate should be invested in a charitable trust that would fund a literary award "to enrich the careers of new writers". The prize is therefore dedicated to supporting and celebrating aspiring authors and their fiction. The Desmond Elliott Prize was launched in 2007 as a biennial award for a first novel published in the UK. The inaugural prize was won by Nikita Lalwani for her novel, '' Gifted'', in June 2008. After the successful launch of the prize, the trustees decide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. The Association also promotes crime writing of fiction and non-fiction by holding annual competitions, publicising literary festivals and establishing links with libraries, booksellers and other writer organisations, both in the UK such as the Society of Authors, and overseas. The CWA enables members to network at its annual conference and through its regional chapters as well as through dedicated social media channels and private website. Members' events and general news items are published on the CWA website, which also features Find An Author, where CWA members are listed and information provided about themselves, their books and their awards. The CWA publishes a monthly magazine exclusively for members called ''Red Herrings'', edited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for best thriller of the year. The award is sponsored by the estate of Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his .... It is given to a title that fits the broadest definition of the thriller novel; these can be set in any period and include, but are not limited to, spy fiction and/or action/ adventure stories. Ian Fleming said there was one essential criterion for a good thriller – that “one simply has to turn the pages”; this is one of the main characteristics that the judges will be looking for. Winners 2000s 2010s 2020s References {{Ian Fleming, state=collapsed Crime Writers' Association awards Awards established in 2002 2002 establishment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in United Kingdom, UK and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then a brewery and owner of pub-restaurant chains, it was renamed when Costa Coffee, then a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship. The companion Costa Short Story Award was established in 2012. Costa Coffee was purchased by the Coca-Cola Company in 2018. The awards were discontinued in 2022. The awards were given both for high literary merit and for works that were enjoyable reading, and their aim was to convey the enjoyment of reading to the widest possible audience. As such, they were considered a more populist literary prize than the Booker Prize, which also limited winners to literature written in the English language and published in the UK and Ireland. Awards were separated into six categori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
