Eoin Colfer is an Irish author of children's books. Born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, he was brought up by his father, an elementary school teacher, historian, and artist, and by his mother, a drama teacher. He developed an early interest in writing gripping Viking stories inspired by history he learned in school.

Colfer began his career as a primary school teacher after earning his degree from Dublin University. He and his wife spent four years (1992–1996) working abroad in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Italy. His first book, Benny and Omar (1998), was inspired by his time in Tunisia and has been translated into numerous languages.

His breakout success came with the Artemis Fowl series in 2001, which has sold over 25 million copies and been translated into 40 languages. The series expanded to include eight novels, several companion books, and a 2019 spin-off trilogy, The Fowl Twins. In 2020, Disney released an Artemis Fowl movie adaptation on Disney+.

Eoin's body of work includes The Wish List, The Supernaturalist, the Legends series, and Half Moon Investigations, the latter adapted into a BBC television series. His WARP series and crime novels featuring Irish bouncer Daniel McEvoy further showcase his versatility.

He was entrusted to write And Another Thing… (2009), the final installment in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. His collaborations include the picture book Imaginary Fred with Oliver Jeffers and the graphic novel Illegal with Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano.

Recent works, Global (2021) and Beanie and the Banshee (2024), continued to cement his reputation as a master storyteller. For adults, Eoin's Highfire (2020) introduced a new fantasy world featuring a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon.

A former Children’s Laureate of Ireland, Eoin proudly keeps his laureate medal close at all times—even in the bath.