Clive King was born in Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom on April 24, 1924. He studied at Downing College, Cambridge and at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London before serving in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He later worked as a language teacher for the British Council. His first children's book, Hamid of Aleppo, was published in 1958. His other books included The Twenty-Two Letters, The Town that Went South, The Night the Water Came, Me and My Million, Ninny's Boat, The Sound of Propellers, The Seashore People, and Snakes and Snakes. Stig of the Dump was published in 1963 and was adapted for television in 1981 and in 2002. He also wrote plays for children's theatre including Poles Apart, Get the Message, and The Butcher of Rye. He died on July 10, 2018 at the age of 94.
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