Biography
John Howlett is a novelist, biographer, and writer for film, radio, television, and stage. He studied History at Jesus College, Oxford, where, alongside his school friend from Tonbridge, David Sherwin, he co-wrote Crusaders, the original screenplay that later became Lindsay Anderson's acclaimed 1960s film If... By then, John was collaborating on scripts with English directors Seth Holt and Peter Duffell and working on an unproduced film adaptation of I Claudius for Tony Richardson. Following his early novels and biographies, John spent many years in Italy—his mother and wife’s homeland—becoming, in his own words, 'a jobbing screenwriter for hire throughout Europe.' He was commissioned to create original dramas and adaptations for RAI and various Italian/German/French/Scandinavian co-productions while continuing to research and write his own projects. His television credits include Murder of a Moderate Man, the adaptation of Len Deighton's Game, Set and Match, Roy Battersby's revival of Doomwatch in Winter Angel, as well as Where Were You That Night?, Bonne Chance Frenchie, and Colpa di Coda.
Together with Robert Campbell, John wrote the musical Dean, depicting the brief triumph and tragedy of actor James Dean. It was performed for many years in London's West End and in Japan. John and Robert, alongside composer Theo Jaskolowski, have now created a new musical drama about the life and death of Federico Garcia Lorca.
From his wartime childhood through his student years and professional life, John has maintained a profound engagement with 20th-century history, always aware of how it influenced the four branches of his and his wife's families across England, Italy, and Sicily. He is currently developing the Harry Cardwell series of novels, beginning with Love of an Unknown Soldier, which blends history and fact with fiction, spanning from 1916 into the new millennium.
John and his wife now reside in Rye, East Sussex. Their two daughters are both educators: Isabel lives in Barcelona with Toni and Francesco, while Suzanne lives in Stockwell, south London, with Marcus, Naira, Marco Salvatore, and Malakai.
