Daniel Silva (novelist)
American writer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel Silva (born 1960)[1] is an American journalist and author of thriller and spy novels.
Daniel Silva | |
|---|---|
Silva in 2013 | |
| Born | 1960[1] |
| Occupation | Novelist, journalist |
| Alma mater | California State University, Fresno (BA) |
| Period | 1996–present |
| Genre | Spy fiction |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Notable awards | Barry Award 2007 The Messenger Barry Award 2013 The Fallen Angel |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
| www | |
 Literature portal | |
Early life
Silva was born in 1960 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[2] When he was seven years old, his family moved to Merced, California. He was raised as a Catholic.[3]
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fresno. He began a graduate program in international relations at San Francisco State University but left when offered employment as a journalist at United Press International (UPI).[4]
Career
Journalist
Silva began his writing career as a journalist with a temporary position at UPI in 1984.[3] His assignment was to cover the Democratic National Convention. UPI made Silva's position permanent and, a year later transferred him to the Washington, D.C. headquarters. After two more years, he was appointed as UPI's Middle East correspondent and moved to Cairo.
Silva returned to Washington, D.C., for a position with Cable News Network's Washington bureau. He worked as a producer and executive producer for several of CNN's television programs, including Crossfire and Capital Gang.
Novelist
In 1994, he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy (1996). The novel debuted on The New York Times best-seller list on January 26, 1997; it remained on the list for five weeks, rising to number 13.[5] In 1997, Silva left CNN to pursue writing full-time.
Since then, Silva has written 27 more spy novels, all best-sellers on The New York Times list. Gabriel Allon, an Israeli art restorer, spy and assassin, is the protagonist in all but three of Silva's titles. The series has been a New York Times bestseller since its first installment in 2001.[6][7] Thirteen of the series' titles hit number one on The New York Times list of best sellers (bibliography below). Some of his novels involve Islamic terrorism, some involve Russian villains, and some are highly fanciful accounts about historic events related to World War II and the Holocaust. Silva did not come into the Allon series with a significant understanding of the world of art restoration but was able to use a neighbor's expertise to help him turn a spy-assassin into an artist.[3]
Adaptations
In 2007, Universal Pictures made an offer to option the rights to Silva's Gabriel Allon series, starting with The Messenger (2006). In 2011, it was announced that Jeff Zucker would serve as producer, though the deal was never signed.[8][9] On May 15, 2017, MGM Television acquired the adaption rights for the Allon series, though no production schedule was released and it was not specified which novel or novels were under consideration.[10]
Personal life
Silva met Jamie Gangel, a CNN special correspondent while they were both correspondents in the Middle East. They later married, and Silva converted from Catholicism to Judaism, his wife's religion.[3]
Silva and his wife have twins. Silva frequently takes his children on research trips for his books.[3][11]
Honors
- 2007 Barry Award for Best Thriller for The Messenger, 2013 Barry Award for Best Thriller for The Fallen Angel.[12]
- In January 2009, Silva was appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's United States Holocaust Memorial Council.[13]
Published works
| Series | Nbr | Title | Year | ISBN | NYT Weeks[A] | NYT Max[B] | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | The Unlikely Spy | 1996 | 0679455620 | 5[5] | 13[5] | ||
| Michael Osbourne | 1 | The Mark of the Assassin | 1998 | 0679455639 | 3[14] | 12[15] | |
| Michael Osbourne | 2 | The Marching Season | 1999 | 0375500898 | 5[16] | 17[17] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 1 | The Kill Artist | 2000 | 0375500901 | 1[6] | 12[6] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 2 | The English Assassin | 2002 | 0399148515 | 4[18] | 7[19] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 3 | The Confessor | 2003 | 0399149724 | 5[20] | 5[21] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 4 | A Death in Vienna | 2004 | 0399151435 | 5[22] | 5[23] | Nominated for 2005 Barry Award for Best Thriller |
| Gabriel Allon | 5 | Prince of Fire | 2005 | 0399152431 | 4[24] | 5[25] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 6 | The Messenger | 2006 | 978-0399153358 | 6[26] | 3[27] | Winner of 2007 Barry Award for Best Thriller |
| Gabriel Allon | 7 | The Secret Servant | 2007 | 978-0399154225 | 6[28] | 2[29] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 8 | Moscow Rules | 2008 | 978-0399155017 | 6[30] | 1[31] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 9 | The Defector | 2009 | 978-0399155680 | 4[32] | 1[33] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 10 | The Rembrandt Affair | 2010 | 978-0399156588 | 6[34] | 1[35] | Nominated for 2011 Barry Award for Best Thriller |
| Gabriel Allon | 11 | Portrait of a Spy | 2011 | 978-0062072184 | 6[36] | 2[37] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 12 | The Fallen Angel | 2012 | 978-0062073129 | 6[38] | 1[39] | Winner of 2013 Barry Award for Best Thriller |
| Gabriel Allon | 13 | The English Girl | 2013 | 978-0062073167 | 7[40] | 1[41] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 14 | The Heist | 2014 | 978-0062320056 | 6[42] | 1[43] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 15 | The English Spy | 2015 | 978-0062320056 | 7[44] | 1[45] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 16 | The Black Widow | 2016 | 978-0062320223 | 7[46] | 1[47] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 17 | House of Spies | 2017 | 978-0062354341 | 6[48] | 1[49] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 18 | The Other Woman | 2018 | 978-0062834829 | 5[50] | 1[51] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 19 | The New Girl | 2019 | 978-0062834836 | 5[52] | 1[53] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 20 | The Order | 2020 | 978-1460709764 | 6[54] | 1[55] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 21 | The Cellist | 2021 | 978-0063211988 | 5[56] | 1[57] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 22 | Portrait of an Unknown Woman[58][59] | 2022 | 978-006-2834850 | 3[60] | 3[61] | |
| Gabriel Allon | 23 | The Collector[62] | 2023 | 978-0062834874 | |||
| Gabriel Allon | 24 | A Death in Cornwall[63][64] | 2024 | 978-0062834874 | 1[65] | ||
| Gabriel Allon | 25 | An Inside Job[66] | 2025 | 978-0063384217 | Upcoming; Planned release July 15, 2025 |
A Weeks on The New York Times best seller list
B Highest level on The New York Times best seller list
