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Paul Dowswell

Paul Dowswell

Biography

After Paul Dowswell completed a history degree at Goldsmith's College in London, he began working as a researcher for museums and publishers. He particularly enjoyed his time as a picture researcher with the Science museum team that set up Bradford's National Museum of Photography in 1983. He also worked as a researcher on Time-Life's History of the World series.

After this Paul Dowswell started working for Usborne in the Wolverhampton office. He worked as an editor and writer of children's non-fiction. After eight years he went freelance, writing information books for everyone from the National Trust to Microsoft's DVD Encarta encyclopedia. He started writing more narrative non-fiction with Usborne's True Stories series that eventually led him to write his first full-length novel, Powder Monkey.

In 2009 Paul Dowswell wrote Ausländer, the tale of an orphaned Polish boy being raised by a Nazi family in Berlin. It was a great success and received huge critical acclaim. It was also shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize in 2009.

www.pauldowswell.co.uk

Questions & Answers

How would you describe Ausländer in five words?
Humans, don't do this again!
How did you research your novel?
Very carefully. I didn't want anyone to seize on a minor mistake to discredit the bigger picture of what happened in Nazi Germany. I went to archives and museums in Berlin and also spent a lot of time at the Imperial War Museum in London.
How important do you think it is for children to learn about history?
It really distresses me to hear kids say history is boring. Learning lists of kings and queens IS tedious, but learning how people lived in the past can be fascinating. Also, we need to look to history to learn how we can prevent some of the terrible mistakes we've made in the past.
What is your favourite children's book?
Doctor DeSoto by William Steig
Where is your favourite place in the world?
London
What's your favourite joke?
Q: Why do anarchists drink herbal tea?
A: Because proper tea is theft.
If you could have any super power what would it be?
Mind reader
Who makes you laugh?
TV critic Charlie Brooker
Who is your hero?
My Dad - grit, determination, generosity and selflessness.
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