Sarasota Libraries' Off the Page Celebration: Anthony Horowitz

With Anthony Horowitz

Here's a secret: I don't have to have read an author's work to enjoy hearing him speak about his work. Case in point: Anthony Horowitz' recent appearance at Sarasota Libraries' Off the Page Celebration. He is smart and engaging and very funny. He's also British, so it would have been enjoyable to hear him read a phone book. 

Horowitz learned at an early age that he was a natural storyteller. He went to boarding school where he shared a room with five other boys. Sometimes they got a bit scared of the dark. Horowitz told stories to distract the kids (and himself) from their fears. He learned he had a gift despite his teachers telling him he was good for nothing. Newly confident, he began practicing his autograph. 

That practice has come in handy. Horowitz has written more than 50 books, primarily for children and young adults. But he's done significant work for an adult audience as well, including his "Magpie Murders." The book was made into a show now available on PBS. (I just finished the series, and it is highly enjoyable.) He has also written "continuation" novels for the James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie series. When does the guy sleep?

Anthony Horowitz with Renee Di Pilato 

Horowitz likened being a mystery author to standing at the top of a hill watching the action unfold. From his vantage point, he knows what the killer is going to do before the killer himself knows. On one side of the hill is the detective working to catch up with the action. On another side is the bumbling sidekick.

Most mystery authors who write themselves into their stories take on the role of the detective. Horowitz decicided instead to play the sidekick. No detective work is required to figure out the series in which he's taken this tack, and I've added the Hawthorne and Horowitz series to my "to read" list. Perhaps he'd even play the role if a film or tv adaptation of the series is done. (My musing, not his.)

Horowitz had some thoughts about why readers enjoy mysteries. We live in a world where truth is often hard to find. In fact, there often is no one truth. Put simply, it's a mystery. And therein lies the connection between our world and the crime novel. 

Digging in a bit deeper on the question, he noted that the reader and the crime solving character are similarly situated. Information is doled out to both parties simultaneously. The reader might even get ahead of the detective (but not, of course, the writer). I'd never thought about mysteries quite this way, but of course it's true. 

Horowitz talked as well about the differences between writing for the screen and the page. First, however, he noted the major similarity. You have to keep the attention of your audience, be it someone sitting on their couch with a remote in hand or someone nestled in her favorite chair with a book and a cup of tea. 

There are some important differences, though. When Horowitz is writing for tv, he's always worried people will change channels during the commerical break. The trick: Murder someone off just before the commercial. Clever. Then there's the fact that when you're writing for television, you have a team of people who assist you in telling your story. There are the actors and the costume team and, of course, the director. Whatever medium Horowitz is writing for, his goal is for people to feel that they can't wait for what's next. 

With that, it was time for the author to head out to work on his next project. I'm looking forward to delving into more of his work. For a full listing of Horowitz' offerings, click here. And to see which of his tales are available on PBS, click here. Thanks to the Sarasota Libraries for introducing me to this engaging author.