O'NEILL, Anthony 1964-

PERSONAL:

Born 1964, in Melbourne, Australia; son of a policeman and a stenographer. Education: Attended Christian Brothers College (St. Kilda, Australia).

ADDRESSES:

Home—Melbourne, Australia. Agent—c/o Author's Mail, Scribner, c/o Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

CAREER:

Novelist. Worked variously as a bank clerk, storeman, warehouse supervisor, video store manager, and computer salesman.

WRITINGS:

Scheherazade: A Tale, Flamingo (New York, NY), 2001.

The Lamplighter: A Novel, Scribner (New York, NY), 2003.

O'Neill's work has been translated into several language, including French.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A mystery novel featuring Napoleon Bonaparte.

SIDELIGHTS:

Australian author Anthony O'Neill wrote his first novel-length work of fiction when he was only twelve years old. Deciding against college, he took on jobs that allowed him enough time and energy to focus on writing. O'Neill's first published novel, Scheherazade: A Tale, was written using the technique of writing one page per day for at least 365 days. The book, which retells the story of Arabian queen Scheherazade, gained international acclaim and has been translated into several languages.

In 2003 O'Neill came out with his second book, The Lamplighter: A Novel. A murder mystery based on months of research on location in Edinburgh, Scotland, the novel recalls tales of Jack the Ripper due to its dark plot and sinister undertones. A Publishers Weekly reviewer praised The Lamplighter, calling O'Neill "a masterful storyteller with a thorough knowledge of both the urban life and the literary tropes of late 19th-century Britain.…But readers won't pause too long to admire his erudition—the thrilling story will have them turning pages compulsively." Library Journal contributor Wilda Williams dubbed The Lamplighter "a treat for fans of traditional and contemporary Victorian thrillers," while Kate Mediatore noted in Booklist that "readers will enjoy the Victorian gothic setting and the characters, even though they will likely figure out who the murderer is long before the end."

In in interview for Publishers Weekly, O'Neill discussed his work on "A mystery-adventure that involves Napoleon. I've done 18 months of research, and I'm about to start the first draft—I plan it like a military invasion. I plot everything out in advance. Then I can't wait to get everything on the page."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Australian (Sydney, Australia), June 13, 2001, James Bradley, review of Scheherazade, p. 13B.

Booklist, March 1, 2003, review of The Lamplighter, p. 1149.

Boston Globe, April 20, 2003, Anna Mundow, "Death and Danger, on Sailing Ships, in Squalid Cities," p. D6.

Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), March 15, 2003, Lucy Clark, "Escape into Horror," p. 38.

Evening News (Edinburgh, Scotland), May 27, 2003, Thom Dibdin, review of The Lamplighter, p. 23.

Globe and Mail, July 5, 2003, Margaret Cannon, review of The Lamplighter.

Guardian (London, England), June 14, 2003, Maxim Jakubowski, review of The Lamplighter.

Independent on Sunday (London, England), February, 5, 2002, Wendy Bardsley, review of Scheherazade.

Library Journal, February, 15, 2003, Wilda Williams, review of The Lamplighter, p. 170.

Publishers Weekly, March 10, 2003, interview and review of The Lamplighter, p. 53.

Sydney Morning Herald, April 17, 2003, Graham Williams, review of The Lamplighter.

Weekend Australian, April 28, 2001, Helen Elliott, "Romancing Madonna," p. R12; March 1, 2003, Kathy Hunt, review of The Lamplighter, p. B10.

ONLINE

AllReader.com,http://www.allreaders.com/ (July 12, 2003), Harriet Klausner, review of The Lamplighter.

January,http://www.janmag.com/ (March, 2003), Sarah Weinman, review of The Lamplighter.

Mostly Fiction,http://mostlyfiction.com/ (June 18, 2003), Mary Whipple, review of The Lamplighter. *