Daniel Easterman was born in Belfast in 1949. He was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution in a much quieter time. From there to Trinity College Dublin and a B.A and M.A. in English. Easterman then studied Persian and Arabic at Edinburgh University, studies which would sow the seeds for his writing career to come. He took his PhD at King’s College, Cambridge on Iranian Shi’ism. He has travelled around the Middle East, particularly in Iran, Israel and Morocco.
From 1981 to 1986, he lectured in Islamic Studies at Newcastle University. Just prior to this he started to write the fiction that emanated from his knowledge of the Middle East: THE LAST ASSASSIN (1984) is set in Iran in the days before the fall of the Shah; against the backdrop of the Sinai desert; THE SEVENTH SANCTUARY (1987) reflects the author’s deep concerns about totalitarianism, particularly fascism; in THE NINTH BUDDHA (1988) the action moves to the Far East and mountainous Tibet; BROTHERHOOD OF THE TOMB (1989) opens in the tombs beneath the city of Jerusalem and ends in the heart of the Vatican; set in Brooklyn and Haiti, NIGHT OF THE SEVENTH DARKNESS (1991) ranges from the old world to the new, from ancient blood rites to common murder.
Daniel Easterman has published widely on Baha’ism and other controversial religious movements. He is a specialist on Iran, Shi’ism and modern fundamentalism and is without question one of the world’s leading authorities on contemporary Islam. He still writes on academic subjects and has made over 200 contributions to books and journals. Now an Honorary Fellow at Durham University, he also finds time to travel the country and lecture on Islamic subjects.
There are many other consuming interests including alternative medicine – his wife Beth is a homeopath – public health, human rights, and issues related to the role of religion in a secular society. He has been actively involved in the defence of Salman Rushdie and in lobbying for the abolition of the blasphemy laws. The Eastermans live today in Newcastle with Sammy the tabby, a record collection containing opera, folk, rock and world music, and a selection of French new wave music on video.
But it is at the W.P. working on his latest thrilling novel when Daniel Easterman is at his most content. For a pacifist he ‘knocks off’ his characters regularly, bloodily and without compunction.
