# Eoin Colfer
**Eoin Colfer** (born 1965 in Wexford, Ireland) is an Irish author of children's and adult fiction best known for the *Artemis Fowl* series, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001021633.html) • [2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) A former primary school teacher, he became a full-time writer after the first *Artemis Fowl* book appeared in 2001 and has since written novels, graphic novels, picture books, and dyslexia-friendly chapter books, and served as Ireland's third Laureate na nÓg from 2014 to 2016.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) • [3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Wexford, Ireland[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001021633.html) |
| Signature series | *Artemis Fowl* (2001–2012), eight novels plus companions; over 25 million copies sold[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) • [4](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html) |
| Translations | 40 languages for the series per his official site; 47 languages for all his books per his 2026 IBBY dossier[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) • [3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) |
| Public role | Ireland's third Laureate na nÓg (2014–2016); 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award nominee[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) |
| Screen work | *Artemis Fowl* (Disney+, 2020), directed by Kenneth Branagh; *Half Moon Investigations* adapted by the BBC[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) |
| Other series | *The Fowl Twins* (trilogy), *W.A.R.P.*, *The Supernaturalist*, *Highfire* (adult, 2020)[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) • [3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) |
## Early life and education
Colfer was born in Wexford in 1965 into a family of teachers, storytellers, and artists, and began writing in primary school.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) The Library of Congress authority record gives his birth date as 1965 and lists his affiliation with Dublin University, where he earned the degree that qualified him for teaching.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001021633.html)
## Teaching career and path to publication
After qualifying as a primary school teacher, Colfer taught in Wexford before traveling and working abroad.[5](https://childrenslaureate.ie/past-laureates/eoincolfer/) He and his wife spent four years, from 1992 to 1996, teaching in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Italy.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) His first book, *Benny and Omar*, published in 1998, drew on his time in Tunisia; a sequel followed in 1999.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about)
*Artemis Fowl*, published in 2001, changed his working life: the book's success prompted him to leave teaching and write full-time.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) The classroom years left a lasting mark on his writing. The IBBY dossier for his 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award nomination identifies his "school-teacher drive" to get children reading as one of three hallmarks of his work, alongside Irish myth and folklore and authentic emotion beneath fast-paced adventure.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
## Artemis Fowl series
The first *Artemis Fowl* novel, a *New York Times* best seller, brought him worldwide recognition in 2001, and seven more titles followed.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) The series ran to eight books although it was initially planned as a trilogy, with the last adventure released in 2012.[4](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html) It has sold over 25 million copies and was named the public's favorite Puffin Modern Classic of all time.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about)
Colfer describes the premise as rooted in [Irish folklore](https://www.edgepedia.org/irish-folklore): "Artemis is really the retelling of an Irish story about a naughty boy stealing a crock of gold. I just wrote it in a new way," drawing on the mythology he had taught during his primary school years.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) The combination of fairy lore and science fiction became his trademark; he has said he presumed many writers had done it before, but it became the niche he is known for.[4](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html)
Scholarly reception has not been uniformly positive. Academic critics have objected to the series' use of the anti-hero, its reliance on scatological humor, a move away from a distinctly Irish voice toward a more generic globalized language, and what some see as its celebration of materialism (Keenan 2003; O'Reilly 2007; Ní Bhroin 2021). The books have been banned by some evangelical schools in America and elsewhere.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
## Other fiction for children and adults
Colfer's output beyond [Artemis Fowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/artemis-fowl) is broad. His novels include *The Wish List* and the *New York Times* best seller *The Supernaturalist*.[6](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/42047/eoin-colfer/) *Half Moon Investigations* was adapted into a BBC television series, and the *Legends* series retells Irish folklore.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) The *W.A.R.P.* trilogy, a time-travel adventure he describes as "MATRIX meets Oliver Twist," is built around moral and existential dilemmas.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
**Highfire** (2020) marked a turn to adult readers: a fantasy about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon living in a Louisiana bayou, a register and audience clearly distinct from his middle-grade work.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) He has also written dyslexia-friendly chapter books for Barrington Stoke, including *Mary's Hair*, *The Seal's Fate*, *Mariella Queen of the Skies*, *The Fish in the Bathtub*, and *Anna Liza and the Happy Practice*.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) Recent titles include *Global* (2021), which addresses the climate crisis, and *Beanie and the Banshee* (2024), a folklore-inspired story co-written with Steve McCarthy.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about)
## Hitchhiker's Guide continuation and collaborations
In 2009 the [Douglas Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/douglas-adams) estate entrusted Colfer with *And Another Thing…*, a new installment in *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* series.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) Adams is also a stated influence on his sentence-level humor; Colfer has said that working out new and difficult words makes readers feel part of "a special club of readers".[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
Collaboration is a recurring mode for him. With Oliver Jeffers he created the picture book *Imaginary Fred*; with writer Andrew Donkin and artist Giovanni Rigano he has produced original graphic novels including *Illegal* and *Global*, with a third, *War*. The IBBY dossier cites research (Kirkham, 2022) that graphic novels develop reluctant readers' reading habits, a fit with his literacy aims.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) • [3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
## Screen adaptations
Walt Disney Studios released an *[Artemis Fowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/artemis-fowl-film)* film adaptation on Disney+ in 2020, directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh and starring Ferdia Shaw, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, and Dame Judi Dench.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) The BBC adapted *Half Moon Investigations* for television.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about)
## By the numbers
The *Artemis Fowl* series comprises eight novels plus companion books, sold over 25 million copies, and was translated into 40 languages according to his official site.[2](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about) His 2026 IBBY dossier gives a higher figure for his work as a whole: 47 languages.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) The two counts measure different things, the series alone versus all his books, and both are reported here as given. Beyond the main arc, the franchise includes a spin-off trilogy and graphic-novel editions, including an *Artemis Fowl* graphic novel published in 2019.[7](https://www.eoincolfer.com/works) Colfer himself places his blend of fantasy with other genres alongside contemporaries such as [Neil Gaiman](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-gaiman), Rick Riordan, and J.K. Rowling.[4](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html)
## Awards, honors, and public roles
Colfer served as Ireland's third Laureate na nÓg from 2014 to 2016, a national honor for a children's writer. As Laureate he inaugurated a nationwide storytelling tour called *Once Upon a Place*, focused on the link between stories and places, visiting schools, libraries, and community centers across Ireland, and later edited an anthology of the same name with illustrations by PJ Lynch.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) Children's Books Ireland identifies him as the author of the *New York Times* best-selling *Artemis Fowl* series and Ireland's third Laureate na nÓg.[8](https://childrensbooksireland.ie/author/eoin-colfer) He is a 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award nominee for Ireland.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
## Style and themes
Three hallmarks recur in critical appraisal of his work: the importance of Irish myth and folklore, a teacher's drive to get children reading, and the portrayal of real life and authentic emotions under a veneer of fast-paced adventure and subversive humor.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf) His protagonists are often antiheroes, and his humor is deliberately subversive.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
He frames his intent in explicitly escapist terms. "We've got Brexit, and refugees, and racism. It's terrifying. So I deliberately set out to write a book for kids in which they will not learn anything at all," he told *Publishers Weekly* in 2019, describing pure entertainment as a counterweight to grim news.[4](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html) The IBBY dossier compares his return to the Fowl universe with [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/arthur-conan-doyle)'s continuation of the [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherlock-holmes) stories.[3](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
## Writing process and personal life
Colfer works every day in a writing room at the end of his garden, plays a lot of 1980s music while writing, and describes his routine as disciplined, often juggling multiple projects at once.[4](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html) He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.[6](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/42047/eoin-colfer/)
## References
1. [Colfer, Eoin — Library of Congress Name Authority Record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001021633.html)
2. [About the Author — Eoin Colfer (official site)](https://www.eoincolfer.com/about)
3. [IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award 2026 Dossier — Eoin Colfer (Ireland)](https://www.ibby.org/archive-storage/12_HCAA_Dossiers/2026_Authors/0.1_IRELAND-A__Dossier__Eoin_Colfer.pdf)
4. [Q & A with Eoin Colfer, Publishers Weekly (2019)](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/81537-q-a-with-eoin-colfer.html)
5. [Eoin Colfer — Children's Laureate (Laureate na nÓg)](https://childrenslaureate.ie/past-laureates/eoincolfer/)
6. [Eoin Colfer — Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/42047/eoin-colfer/)
7. [Full Collection of Books and Works — Eoin Colfer (official site)](https://www.eoincolfer.com/works)
8. [Eoin Colfer — Children's Books Ireland](https://childrensbooksireland.ie/author/eoin-colfer)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Writers and literary biographies › Children's, comics, and media-genre writers › Children's and YA authors › Middle grade and classic children's authors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license