We all know and love Suzanne Collin’s work. From the original Hunger Games trilogy published in 2008 to her most recent prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, she has stood the test of time as one of the most well-known authors in young adult fiction. She is a critically acclaimed author and the executive producer and co-writer in the screen adaptions of the Hunger Games trilogy and her newest movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Suzanne Collins first began writing in 1991 when she worked on a Nickelodeon series called “Clarissa Explains It All.” From there, she was encouraged to start writing books by a fellow author, James Priomos. The inspiration for The Hunger Games sparked when Collins switched her television between reality TV and news about the Iraq War. After that, she ran with that idea until she developed what we now know as The Hunger Games.
Collins attributes her creative process to a simple routine focusing on writing with minimal distractions. She believes in writing about the things you know and love and leaning on the things familiar to you. Along with her simplistic writing process, she also likes to draw inspiration from real-world events and often visits local museums and historical sites. When adapting her work into a movie, she takes meticulous care in focusing on the book and translating the words into images on the screen. A big reason why her films were so successful is because she works firsthand with the production company to ensure that her work is the most authentic it can be.
I love the Hunger Games books and movies. They make such an important statement about humanity. She truly stands out in dystopian fantasy literature. This one quote in my focus book, Faith, Hope, and Carnage, really seems to fit with Collin "‘We are, each of us, imperilled,’ Nick says at one point in Faith, Hope and Carnage, ‘insofar as anything can turn catastrophic at any time, personally, for each of us. Each life is precarious, and some of us understand it and some don’t. But certainly everyone will understand it in time.’ The words echo anew" (253). Both Collin and Cave have an appreciation of life and humanity. As you stated above, Collin finds inspiration in human current and past history. Cave also looks to past and current experiences to inspire his lyrics. They both also warn against catastrophe's like death and negative culture shifts.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of both the hunger games books and movies, and I think it is so interesting that she describes her creative process as simplistic. The complexity of the plots are such a clear reflection of certain aspects of humanity, both good and bad, and it is really cool to hear that she draws so much inspiration from what she sees around her. Great post!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who doesn't usually feel called to YA or dystopian stories, I didn't watch or read the Hunger Games until last year, but when I watched the movies with my friends I found I love them! I think it's so interesting that Collins was inspired by what she saw on TV and it really makes sense with the way she explores media and commodification in her work. I'm excited to read the books and explore a new (to me) genre!
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