Chris Maslanka
Encyclopedia
Christopher M. Maslanka is a British writer and broadcaster, specialising in puzzles and problem solving.
He was born in Clapham
, London
, but was brought up by his uncle and aunt in Lowdham
, Nottingham
. He was educated at The Becket School
, Nottingham
and went on to study physics
at St. Catherine's College, Oxford.
His first book - The Pyrgic Puzzler - a collection of 80 puzzles with illustrations by Michael Harrington, was written without any particular view to publication, but was taken up by Iris Murdoch
who wrote an introduction for it in which she said that although she's not a great solver of puzzles, the book may be 'read as literature' just as in the case of Wittgenstein's Tractatus and the Bible
.
He was invited by Alan Rusbridger
to submit puzzles to Weekend Guardian
and his two puzzle columns: Wordplay and Pyrgic Puzzles have appeared in the Saturday edition of the newspaper for 20 years.
A book interview with David Freeman at BBC Radio Oxford
led to Maslanka's contributing anecdotes and puzzles to many programmes and he was eventually given his own programme PDQ which gave Maslanka a freer rein for his peculiar blend of comedy and conundrums.
He was also invited by the World Service to broadcast his humorous puzzle anecdotes to the hostages during the Gulf War
.
He presented the BBC Radio 4
programme Puzzle Panel
which was broadcast between 1998 and 2005.
He has retained his association with St Catherine's College, Oxford
who have created a special post for him, that of a "College Enigmatist".
He designed the puzzles for a 1996 computer game Drowned God: Conspiracy of the Ages, written by Harry Horse
.
He was born in Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but was brought up by his uncle and aunt in Lowdham
Lowdham
Lowdham is a village in Nottinghamshire between Nottingham and Southwell.Lowdham is in the Newark and Sherwood district.The dual carriageway to the north and Doncaster cuts the village in two....
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. He was educated at The Becket School
The Becket School
The Becket School is an 11-18 coeducational Roman Catholic comprehensive school in Nottinghamshire, England. It was formed in 1975 by the amalgamation of two schools, Corpus Christi Grammar School and Becket Grammar School for Boys....
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and went on to study physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at St. Catherine's College, Oxford.
His first book - The Pyrgic Puzzler - a collection of 80 puzzles with illustrations by Michael Harrington, was written without any particular view to publication, but was taken up by Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch
Dame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
who wrote an introduction for it in which she said that although she's not a great solver of puzzles, the book may be 'read as literature' just as in the case of Wittgenstein's Tractatus and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
He was invited by Alan Rusbridger
Alan Rusbridger
Alan Charles Rusbridger is the editor of the British newspaper The Guardian. He has also been a reporter and a columnist.-Early life:...
to submit puzzles to Weekend Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and his two puzzle columns: Wordplay and Pyrgic Puzzles have appeared in the Saturday edition of the newspaper for 20 years.
A book interview with David Freeman at BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
led to Maslanka's contributing anecdotes and puzzles to many programmes and he was eventually given his own programme PDQ which gave Maslanka a freer rein for his peculiar blend of comedy and conundrums.
He was also invited by the World Service to broadcast his humorous puzzle anecdotes to the hostages during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
He presented the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme Puzzle Panel
Puzzle Panel
Puzzle Panel was a light-hearted, though cerebral BBC Radio 4 panel game that was broadcast between 1998 and 2005. It was written and presented by puzzle columnist for The Guardian, Chris Maslanka....
which was broadcast between 1998 and 2005.
He has retained his association with St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
who have created a special post for him, that of a "College Enigmatist".
He designed the puzzles for a 1996 computer game Drowned God: Conspiracy of the Ages, written by Harry Horse
Harry Horse
Richard Horne better known under his pen name Harry Horse was an author, illustrator and political cartoonist. He was also known as a member of the band Swamptrash.-Books:...
.