Colin Duriez is a writer on fantasy and related matters.

He was born in Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

 and spent his early life in Long Eaton

Long Eaton

Long Eaton is a town in Derbyshire, England. It lies just north of the River Trent about southwest of Nottingham and is part of the Nottingham Urban Area...

, Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

, in a couple of new council estates near Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

 and six years in a mining village in South Wales, before moving to the West Midlands

West Midlands (region)

The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...

. After school he studied for two years at the University of Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, before completing his studies at the University of Ulster

University of Ulster

The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...

 in Coleraine

Coleraine

Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 where he read English and philosophy. After a career in editing and journalism in London, interspersed with some teaching, he migrated to Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

 in 1983 to work with a small publisher, IVP, as a commissioning editor. In 2002 he started his own business, InWriting, devoted to writing, editorial services, and some book acquisition for publishers.

Duriez won the Clyde S. Kilby

Clyde S. Kilby

Clyde Samuel Kilby was an American author and English professor, best known for his scholarship on the Inklings, especially J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. A professor at Wheaton College for most of his life, Dr. Kilby founded the Marion E...

 Award in 1994 for his research on the Inklings

Inklings

The Inklings was an informal literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford, England, for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction, and encouraged the writing of fantasy...

. He has published many articles, books and other written works, and he has spoken to a variety of literary, academic and professional groups. His best-known books include The C. S. Lewis Handbook (Monarch Publications/Baker Book House, 1990), the Tolkien and Middle-earth Handbook (Monarch Publications/Baker Book House/Angus and Roberston, 1992), The C. S. Lewis Encyclopedia (Crossway, 2000/SPCK, 2002), The Inklings Handbook (co-authored with David Porter, Azure/Chalice Books, 2001) and Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings (Azure/Hidden Spring, 2001).

Literary works

• The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia
• The Inklings Handbook (with David Porter)
• Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle Earth
• A Field Guide to Narnia
• A Field Guide to Harry Potter
• The Poetic Bible (compiler)

Biography

• Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life
• Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship
• The C.S. Lewis Chronicles