Citizendia

Gene Wolfe

BornMay 7, 1931 (1931-05-07) (age 77)
New York City
OccupationNovelist, Short story writer
NationalityUnited States
GenresFantasy, Science Fiction
Influences
Influenced

Gene Wolfe (born May 7, 1931, New York, New York) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature John Holbrook Vance (born August 28, 1916 in San Francisco, Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936 was an influential English writer of the early 20th century This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (maʁsɛl pʁust (10 July 1871 &ndash 18 November 1922 was a French Novelist Essayist and Critic Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (ˈdɒdsən (27 January 1832 &ndash 14 January 1898 better known by the Pen name Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ was an English Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and China Tom Miéville (ˈtʃɑinɑ ˈmieɪˌvɪl (born September 6, 1972 in Norwich) is an award-winning English "fantastic fiction" Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting He is noted for his dense, allusion-rich prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, which he adopted after marrying a Catholic. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". He is a prolific short story writer as well as a novelist, and has won the Nebula Award and World Fantasy Award twice each, the Campbell Memorial Award, and the Locus Award four times. The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for the best Science fiction / Fantasy fiction The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. The Locus Awards were established in 1971 and are presented to winners of Locus Magazine 's annual readers' poll He has also been nominated for the Hugo Award multiple times. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year In 1996, Wolfe was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Wolfe was Guest of Honor at Aussiecon Two, the 43rd World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1985. The 43rd World Science Fiction Convention ( Worldcon) also known as Aussiecon Two, was held 22 – 26 August 1985 at the Southern Cross Victoria

While attending Texas A&M University Wolfe published his first speculative fiction in The Commentator, a student literary journal. Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a Coeducational public Research University located in College Station Wolfe dropped out during his junior year, and was drafted to fight in the Korean War. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the [1] After returning to the United States he became an industrial engineer, receiving his degree from the University of Houston. The University of Houston (often referred to as " U of H," " UH," or " Houston " is a public doctoral/research For many years he edited the engineering review Plant Engineering, before retiring to write full-time. One little-known engineering achievement of Wolfe's is a contribution to the development of the mass production machine used to make Pringles potato chips, specifically the part which cooks the chips. Pringles are a Brand of potato-based salty snacks produced by Procter & Gamble. [2] He now lives in Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Barrington is a village in Cook County, Illinois and Lake County Illinois. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.

Wolfe is possibly a distant relative of author Thomas Wolfe. Thomas Clayton Wolfe ( October 3, 1900 &ndash September 15, 1938) was an acclaimed American Novelist of the early 20th [1]

Contents

Works

Wolfe's best-known and most highly regarded work is the multi-volume novel The Book of the New Sun. The Book of the New Sun is a novel in four parts written (1980–83 by Science fiction and Fantasy author Gene Wolfe. Set in a bleak, distant future (similar to that of Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, which Wolfe has acknowledged as an influence), the story details the life of Severian, an apprentice torturer, exiled from his guild for showing compassion to one of the condemned, as he rises to power. John Holbrook Vance (born August 28, 1916 in San Francisco, The Dying Earth is a series of Fantasy Fixups (novels created from older short stories by American author Jack Vance. Severian is the narrator and main character of Gene Wolfe 's four-volume novel The Book of the New Sun, as well as its sequel The Urth of the The novel is composed of the volumes The Shadow of the Torturer (1980), The Claw of the Conciliator (1981, winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel), The Sword of the Lictor (1982), and The Citadel of the Autarch (1983). Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for the best Science fiction / Fantasy fiction Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) A coda, The Urth of the New Sun (1987), wraps up some loose ends but is generally considered a separate work. The Urth of the New Sun is a 1987 Science fiction Novel by Gene Wolfe that serves as a sort of coda to his 4-volume Book Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Several Wolfe essays about the writing of The Book of the New Sun were published in The Castle of the Otter (1982; the title refers to a misprint of the fourth book's title in Locus magazine). When Gene Wolfe finished the third volume of his The Book of the New Sun Heroic fantasy epic fans of the series began clamoring almost immediately for Locus is a monthly American Magazine, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field"

In the 1990s, Wolfe published two more works in the same universe as The Book of the New Sun. The first, The Book of the Long Sun, consists of the novels Nightside the Long Sun (1993), Lake of the Long Sun (1994), Caldé of the Long Sun (1994), and Exodus From the Long Sun (1996). The Book of the Long Sun is a tetralogy by Gene Wolfe, comprising Nightside the Long Sun, Lake of the Long Sun, Calde of the Long Sun Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) These books follow the priest of a small parish as he becomes wrapped up in political intrigue and revolution in his city-state. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches Wolfe then wrote a sequel of sorts, The Book of the Short Sun, composed of On Blue's Waters (1999), In Green's Jungles (2000) and Return to the Whorl (2001), dealing with colonists who have arrived on the sister planets Blue and Green. The Book of the Short Sun is a trilogy by Gene Wolfe, comprising On Blue's Waters, In Green's Jungles, and Return to the Whorl. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The three Sun works (The Book of the New Sun, The Book of the Long Sun, and The Book of the Short Sun), generally thought to be his most popular writing, are often collectively referred to as the "Solar Cycle".

Wolfe has also written many stand-alone books. His first novel, Operation Ares, was published by Berkley Books in 1970 and was unsuccessful. He subsequently wrote two novels held in particularly high esteem, Peace and The Fifth Head of Cerberus. The Fifth Head of Cerberus is the title of both a Novella and a single-volume collection of three novellas written by American Science fiction The first is the seemingly-rambling narrative of Alden Dennis Weer, a man of many secrets who reviews his life under mysterious circumstances. The Fifth Head of Cerberus is either a collection of three novellas, or a novel in three parts, dealing with colonialism, memory, and the nature of personal identity. The first story, which gives the book its name, was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for the best Science fiction / Fantasy fiction Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The stated year is that of publication awards are given in the following year

Wolfe frequently creates an unreliable narrator to tell his stories. In literature film theatre and music an unreliable narrator (a term coined by Wayne C According to Wolfe, "Real people really are unreliable narrators all the time, even if they try to be reliable narrators. "[2] Sometimes this is a person who is simply naïve (Pandora by Holly Hollander, The Knight), or is not particularly intelligent (There Are Doors) or is not always truthful (The Book of the New Sun), or is suffering from serious illness (Latro in Soldier of the Mist, who forgets everything within 24 hours). He is also known for extremely subtle hints and lacunae which may never be explicitly referred to in the text; for example, a backyard full of morning glories is an intentional foreshadowing of events in Free Live Free, but is only apparent to a reader with a horticultural background.

Some readers have found Wolfe's use of the unreliable narrator confusing, on the grounds that, if the reader cannot trust the narrator, there is no way to determine the "meaning" of the text. Others find that, while it requires more work on the part of the reader, this trope creates a wider and deeper space of possible meaning for the reader to discover and explore. Thus, Wolfe's texts encourage multiple readings. Wolfe himself has said, in a letter to Neil Gaiman (Gaiman 2002): "My definition of good literature is that which can be read by an educated reader, and reread with increased pleasure. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and "

Importance

Although not a best-selling author, Wolfe is highly regarded by critics and fellow writers, and considered by many to be one of the best living science fiction authors. Indeed, he has sometimes been called the best living American writer regardless of genre. Award-winning science fiction author Michael Swanwick has said: "Gene Wolfe is the greatest writer in the English language alive today. Michael Swanwick (born November 18, 1950) is an American Science fiction author Let me repeat that: Gene Wolfe is the greatest writer in the English language alive today! I mean it. Shakespeare was a better stylist, Melville was more important to American letters, and Charles Dickens had a defter hand at creating characters. William Shakespeare ( baptised Herman Melville (August 1 1819 &ndash September 28 1891 was an American novelist Short story writer Essayist and poet But among living writers, there is nobody who can even approach Gene Wolfe for brilliance of prose, clarity of thought, and depth in meaning. "[3]

Among others, writers Neil Gaiman and Patrick O'Leary have credited Wolfe for inspiration. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Patrick O'Leary ( Saginaw, Michigan, September 13, 1952) is an American Science fiction and Fantasy author and O'Leary has said: "Forget 'Speculative Fiction'. Gene Wolfe is the best writer alive. Period. And as Wolfe once said (in reference to Gaiman), 'All novels are fantasies. Some are more honest about it. ' No comparison. Nobody – I mean nobody – comes close to what this artist does. "[4] O'Leary also wrote an extensive essay concerning the nature of Wolfe's artistry, entitled "If Ever A Wiz There Was", found both in his collection Other Voices, Other Doors, and on his webpage. [1]

Wolfe's fans regard him with considerable dedication, and one Internet mailing list (begun in November 1996) dedicated to his works has amassed over ten years and thousands of pages of discussion and explication. Similarly, much analysis and exegesis has been published in fanzine and small-press form (e. g. Lexicon Urthus ISBN 0964279592).

When asked the "Most overrated" and "Most underrated" authors, Thomas Disch identified Isaac Asimov and Gene Wolfe, respectively, writing: ". Thomas Michael Disch ( February 2 1940 – c July 4 2008) was an American Science fiction author and Poet Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian . . all too many have already gone into a decline after carrying home some trophies. The one exception is Gene Wolfe. . . Between 1980 and 1982 he published The Book of the New Sun, a tetralogy of couth, intelligence, and suavity that is also written in VistaVision with Dolby Sound. VistaVision is a variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Pictures in 1954 based on the Glamorama and Superama Imagine a Star Wars-style space opera penned by G. K. Chesterton in the throes of a religious conversion. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Space opera is a subgenre of Speculative fiction or Science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often Melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936 was an influential English writer of the early 20th century Wolfe has continued in full diapason ever since, and a crossover success is long overdue. "[5]

Wolfe was Guest of Honor at Aussiecon Two, the 1985 World Science Fiction Convention. The 43rd World Science Fiction Convention ( Worldcon) also known as Aussiecon Two, was held 22 – 26 August 1985 at the Southern Cross Victoria

Bibliography

Novels

The first half of The Book of the New Sun, 2000 printing.
The first half of The Book of the New Sun, 2000 printing. The Book of the New Sun is a novel in four parts written (1980–83 by Science fiction and Fantasy author Gene Wolfe. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

Story collections

Chapbooks

Wolfe has published a number of short chapbooks, many published in very small quantities by Cheap Street. Gene Wolfe's Book of Days is a short story collection by American Science fiction author Gene Wolfe published in 1981 by Doubleday Storeys from the Old Hotel is a short story collection by American Science fiction author Gene Wolfe published in 1988. Innocents Aboard is a short story collection by American Science fiction and Fantasy author Gene Wolfe published in 2004 Starwater Strains is a collection of short stories by Gene Wolfe. Chapbook is a generic term to cover a particular genre of pocket-sized booklet popular from the sixteenth through to the later part of the nineteenth century Cheap Street Press was a small publishing company started up and operated by the husband-wife duo George and Jan O'Nale in New Castle Virginia. Some of these have been reprinted in his collections, as when Starwater Strains reprinted "Empires of Foliage and Flower".

Other works

Books By Others About Gene Wolfe

References

  1. ^ a b Autobiographical sketch
  2. ^ a b Lawrence Person (Fall/Winter 1998). "Suns new, long, and short: an interview with Gene Wolfe". Nova Express 5 (1).  
  3. ^ Michael Swanwick interview
  4. ^ Interview with Patrick O'Leary
  5. ^ From an article first published in American Heritage May-June 1999. Pg 211 of Overrated/underrated: 100 experts topple the icons and champion the slighted, ed. by the editors of American Heritage magazine. American Heritage is a monthly magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership 2001, ISBN 1579121632, 256 pages, hardcover.

External links

Interviews with Wolfe

Works available online

Persondata
NAMEWolfe, Gene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTIONAmerican novelist
DATE OF BIRTHMay 7, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Locus is a monthly American Magazine, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field" Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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