James Herbert
James Herbert was an English horror novelist and science fiction writer, born in London on 8 April 1943.
Herbert was educated at St Aloysius RC College and later at Middlesex University. He also worked as a film editor before establishing himself as a full-time writer. In that capacity, he took an unusually hands-on approach to his career, designing his own book covers and publicity materials. His notable works include The Rats and The Fog, titles that contributed to his standing within horror literature. He received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his contributions, and the World Horror Convention presented him with its Grand Master Award. His books sold 54 million copies worldwide and were translated into 34 languages, among them Chinese and Russian, attesting to the reach of his work across international markets.
Herbert died on 20 March 2013 in Woodmancote. Throughout his career he worked consistently within the genre of horror literature, producing novels in English that found readership well beyond the United Kingdom, of which he was a citizen. The breadth of translation into 34 languages and the cumulative sales figure of 54 million copies remain among the most concrete measures of the scale his writing achieved. His work in horror literature, represented by titles such as The Rats and The Fog, defines the genre framework within which his output as a novelist is most accurately placed.
Quotes by James Herbert
The dead body of Gardenia was crashing around the cabin, eyes rolling in its head and mouth grinning crazily.
Still, that was the city, a great big filthy breeding-place for vermin – animal and human.
He never walked away from a problem, but occasionally liked to bury it and dig it up later.
I’ve always suffered from being labelled a horror writer – just because I didn’t go to university, just because I still talk in my natural voice, just because I’m not as articulate as Martin Amis.
Terror was the key, of course, for there’s a fine line between paralyzing dread and galvanizing fright.
For me, a good friend is someone you might only see once or twice a year but each time it feels as though you’ve just seen them last week.
