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George R. R. Martin

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George R. R. Martin <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Image:George R. R. Martin 2005.JPG
George R. R. Martin at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow</td></tr>
Born: September 20, 1948
Bayonne, New Jersey
Occupation(s): Novelist

<tr><th style="text-align: right;">Genre(s):</th><td>Fantasy, Science-Fiction</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align: right;">Influences:</th><td>L. Frank Baum, Charles Dickens, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Jack Vance</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align: right;">Website:</th><td>http://www.georgerrmartin.com/</td></tr>

George Raymond Richard Martin (sometimes called GRRM, born September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American author and screenwriter of science fiction, horror, and fantasy.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Martin wrote short fiction in the early 1970s, and won several Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards before he began writing novels late in the decade. Although much of his work is fantasy or horror, a number of his earlier works are science fiction occurring in a loosely-defined future history. He has also written at least one piece of political-military fiction, "Night of the Vampyres", collected in Harry Turtledove's anthology The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.<ref>Turtledove, Harry, ed, with Martin H. Greenberg. The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century. New York: Ballantine, May 2001, p. 279-306.</ref>

In the 1980s he turned to work in television and as an editor. On television, he worked on the new Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast series. As an editor, he oversaw the lengthy Wild Cards cycle, which took place in a shared universe in which an alien virus bestowed strange powers or disfigurements on a slice of humanity during World War II, affecting the history of the world thereafter (the premise was inspired by comic book superheroes and a Superworld superhero role-playing game of which Martin was gamemaster). Contributors to the Wild Cards series included Stephen Leigh, Lewis Shiner, Howard Waldrop, Walter Jon Williams and Roger Zelazny. His own contributions to the series often featured Thomas Tudbury, "The Great and Powerful Turtle", a powerful psychokinetic whose flying "shell" consisted of an armored VW Beetle.

Martin's short story of the same name was adapted into the feature film Nightflyers (1987).

In 1996 Martin returned to writing novel-length stories, beginning his lengthy cycle A Song of Ice and Fire (ostensibly inspired by the Wars of the Roses and Ivanhoe). In November of 2005, A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in this series, became The New York Times #1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006 A Feast for Crows was nominated for both a Quill award, and the British Fantasy Award. [1] The series has received praise from authors, publishers, readers and critics alike.

Martin has also been an instructor in journalism (in which he holds a master's degree) and a chess tournament director.

[edit] Themes

Image:George R. R. Martin.jpg

Martin's work is rarely cheerful; critics have described it as dark and cynical. <ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129596,00.html "The American Tolkien" by Lev Grossman, a Times article on Martin.</ref> His first novel, Dying of the Light, set the tone for most of his future work; it is set on a mostly abandoned world that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story, and many of Martin's others, have a strong sense of melancholy. His characters are often unhappy, or at least unsatisfied, and many have elements of tragic heroes. Reviewer T. M. Wagner writes, "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic." <ref>http://www.sfreviews.net/stormofswords.html Review of A Storm of Swords by T. M. Wagner</ref> However, this gloominess can be an obstacle for some readers. The Inchoatus Group writes, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you’re looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere." <ref>http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords,%20George%20Martin.htm Review of A Game of Thrones by The Inchoatus Group</ref>

His characters are also multi-faceted, each with surprisingly intricate pasts, inspirations, and ambitions. Publisher's Weekly writes "The complexity of characters such as Daenarys [sic], Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates." <ref>http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0553106635&pub=pw Review of A Storm of Swords by Publisher's Weekly</ref> No one is given an unrealistic string of luck, however, so misfortune, injury, and death (and even false death) can befall any character, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin once described his reasons for killing off characters as "...when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps." <ref>Geekson interview with George RR Martin, 08/04/06</ref>

[edit] Fan relationship

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In addition to writing, Martin is known for his regular attendance at science fiction conventions and his accessibility to fans. In the early 70's, critic and writer Thomas Disch identified Martin as a member of the "Labor Day Group"<ref>http://www.georgerrmartin.com/sp-lasfs81.html Essay by GRRM discussing his status as a member of the 'Labour Day Group'</ref>, writers who congregated at the annual Worldcon, usually held around Labor Day.

Martin has a good relationship with his official fan club, the Brotherhood without Banners, and has praised them in the past for their philanthropic efforts <ref>http://www.childsplaycharity.org/index.php</ref> and excellent parties<ref>[http://www.bwbfanclub.com/fr_grrm.php</ref>. As of September 2006, the organization has over 800 official members listed on its website<ref>http://www.bwbfanclub.com/mb_member.php</ref>.

Martin is opposed to fan fiction, believing it to be copyright infringement and bad exercise for aspiring writers. He does not allow any of his intellectual property to be used in fan fiction. <ref>http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Fan_Fiction/ </ref>

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Novels

[edit] Novellas

[edit] Collections

[edit] Wild Cards (as editor)

  • Wild Cards I (1987)
  • Wild Cards II: Aces High (1987)
  • Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild (1987)
  • Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad (1988)
  • Wild Cards V: Down & Dirty (1988)
  • Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole (1990)
  • Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand (1990)
  • Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks (1991)
  • Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle (1991)
  • Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire (1992)
  • Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice (1992)
  • Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards (1993)
  • Wild Cards: Card Sharks (1993)
  • Wild Cards: Marked Cards (1994)
  • Wild Cards: Black Trump (1995) (these three books are a trilogy)
  • Wild Cards: Deuces Down (2002)
  • Wilds Cards: Death Draws Five (2006)

[edit] Children's books

[edit] Awards

A more complete list of Martin's awards and nominations can be found at The Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards.

[edit] Interviews

[edit] External links

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[edit] Trivia

  1. A fan letter written by a high school-aged Martin, under the name George R. Martin, was published in an issue of the Fantastic Four comic book. <ref>Official site: Speech at Electracon, 23 June 1984. URL accessed 21 November 2006.</ref>

[edit] Footnotes

<references/>

[edit] See Also

ca:George R.R. Martin cs:George R. R. Martin de:George R. R. Martin es:George R. R. Martin fr:George R. R. Martin it:George Raymond Richard Martin he:ג'ורג' ר. ר. מרטין nl:George R.R. Martin ja:G・R・R・マーティン pl:George R. R. Martin ru:Мартин, Джордж fi:George R. R. Martin sv:George R.R. Martin th:จอร์จ อาร์. อาร์. มาร์ติน

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