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Octavia Estelle Butler

Butler signing a copy of Fledgling
Born June 22, 1947(1947-06-22)
Pasadena, California
Died February 24, 2006 (aged 58)
Seattle, Washington
Occupation Novelist
Nationality United States
Writing period 1970s–2000s
Genres Science fiction
Influences
Official website

Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. 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 Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific American Writer of Short stories, Novellas, Teleplays Samuel Ray Delany Jr (born April 1, 1942, New York City) is an award-winning American Science fiction Toni Morrison (born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18 1931 is a Nobel Prize -winning American author editor and professor Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year 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 In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant. The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship (sometimes Nicknamed the "genius grant") is an award given by the John D [1]

Contents

Biography

Butler was born and raised in Pasadena, California. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Since her father Laurice, a shoeshiner, died when she was a baby, Butler was raised by her grandmother and her mother (Octavia M. Butler) who worked as a maid in order to support the family. Butler grew up in a struggling, racially mixed neighborhood. [2] According to the Norton Anthology of African American Literature, Butler was "an introspective, only child in a strict Baptist household" and "was drawn early to magazines such as Amazing, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Galaxy and soon began reading all the science fiction classics. W W Norton & Company is an American book publishing company that has remained independent since its founding "[3]

Octavia Jr. , nicknamed Junie, was paralytically shy and a daydreamer, and was later diagnosed as being dyslexic. Dyslexia is considered to be a Learning disability. It manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language particularly with Reading and Spelling She began writing at the age of 10 "to escape loneliness and boredom"; she was 12 when she began a lifelong interest in science fiction. [4] "I was writing my own little stories and when I was 12, I was watching a bad science fiction movie called Devil Girl from Mars", she told the journal Black Scholar, "and decided that I could write a better story than that. Devil Girl from Mars is a Black and white 1954 British Science fiction film directed by David MacDonald. And I turned off the TV and proceeded to try, and I've been writing science fiction ever since. "[5]

After getting an associate degree from Pasadena City College in 1968 [1], she next enrolled at California State University, Los Angeles. Pasadena City College (commonly known by the abbreviation PCC) is a Community college located on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California California State University Los Angeles (also known as Cal State L She eventually left CalState and took writing classes through UCLA extension. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United

Butler would later credit two writing workshops for giving her "the most valuable help I received with my writing" [2]:

Butler moved to Seattle, Washington, in November 1999. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

She described herself as "comfortably asocial—a hermit in the middle of Seattle—a pessimist if I'm not careful, a feminist, a Black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive. Pessimism, from the Latin pessimus (worst is the decision to evaluate perceive and view life in a generally negative light Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate The term black people usually refers to a racial group of Humans with dark Skin color, but the term has also been used to categorise a number of diverse Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. "[7] Themes of both racial and sexual ambiguity are apparent throughout her work.

She died outside of her home in Lake Forest Park, Washington, on February 24, 2006, at the age of 58. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [8] Some news accounts have stated that she died of head injuries after falling and striking her head on her walkway, while others report that she apparently suffered a stroke as a result of those injuries. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain

Career

Her first published story, "Crossover," appeared in Clarion's 1971 anthology; another short story, "Childfinder," was bought by Harlan Ellison for the never-published collection The Last Dangerous Visions. Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific American Writer of Short stories, Novellas, Teleplays The Last Dangerous Visions was planned to be a sequel to the Science fiction Short story anthologies Dangerous Visions (Like other stories purchased for that volume, it has yet to appear anywhere. ) "I thought I was on my way as a writer. . . " Butler wrote in her short fiction collection Bloodchild and Other Stories. Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only and rather brief collection of Science fiction stories and essays by Octavia E "In fact, I had five more years of rejections slips and horrible little jobs ahead of me before I sold another word. "[9]

Patternist series

In 1974, she started the novel Patternmaster (reportedly related to the story she started after watching Devil Girl from Mars), which became her first published book in 1976 (though it would become the fifth in the Patternist series). The Patternist series (also known as the Patternmaster series) is a group of Science fiction novels by Octavia E Over the next eight years, she would publish four more novels in the same story line, though the publication dates of the novels do not match the internal order of the series (see Works below).

Kindred

In 1979, she published Kindred, a novel that uses the science-fiction staple of time travel to explore slavery in the United States. Kindred is a 1979 novel by Octavia Butler. While most of Butler's work is classified as Science fiction, Kindred is often In this story, Dana, an African American woman, is inexplicably transported from 1976 Los Angeles to early nineteenth century Maryland. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa She meets her ancestors: Rufus, a white slave holder, and Alice, an African American woman who was born free but forced into slavery later in life.

This novel is often shelved in the literature or African-American literature sections of bookstores instead of science fiction—Butler herself categorized the novel not as science fiction but rather as a "grim fantasy," as there was "absolutely no science in it"[10] (no scientific explanation of the book's time travel is ever given[11]). See Fantasy for an account of the literary genre involving the development of common or popular fantasies Kindred became the most popular of all her books, with 250,000 copies currently in print. "I think people really need to think what it's like to have all of society arrayed against you," she said of the novel. [12]

Lilith's Brood

Lilith's Brood (formerly Xenogenesis trilogy) refers to a collection of three novels. Lilith's Brood is a collection of three works by Octavia Butler. The central characters are Lilith and her genetically altered children. Lilith, along with the few other surviving humans, are saved by extraterrestrials, the Oankali, after a "handful of people [a military group] tried to commit humanicide," leading to a missile war that destroyed much of Earth. Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth. The Oankali are a race of intelligent extraterrestrial aliens in Octavia Butler 's Xenogenesis Book Trilogy ( Dawn The Oankali have a third gender, the ooloi, who have the ability to manipulate genetics, plus the ability of sexually seductive neural-stimulating and consciousness-sharing powers. The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize All of these abilities allow them to unify the other two genders in their species, as well as unifying their species with others that they encounter. The Oankali are biological traders, driven to share genes with other intelligent species, changing both parties.

The Parable series

In 1994, her dystopian novel Parable of the Sower was nominated for a Nebula for best novel, an award she finally took home in 1999 for a sequel, Parable of the Talents. A dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος alternatively cacotopia, kakotopia, cackotopia, or anti-utopia) is the vision of a society Parable of the Sower is the first in a two-book series of science fiction novels written by Octavia E Parable of the Talents is the second in a series of science fiction novels written by Octavia E The two novels provide the origin of the fictional religion Earthseed. Earthseed is a fictional Religion based on the idea that " God is Change

Butler had originally planned to write a third Parable novel, tentatively titled Parable of the Trickster, mentioning her work on it in a number of interviews, but at some point encountered a form of writer's block, going seven years without publishing a new novel. Writer's block is a Phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing usually due to lack of inspiration or Creativity.

Fledgling

She eventually shifted her creative attention, resulting in the 2005 novel, Fledgling, a vampire novel with a science-fiction context. Fledgling is a Science fiction novel by Octavia Butler Plot summary The novel tells the story of Shori who appears to be a 10 Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living Although Butler herself passed Fledgling off as a lark, the novel is connected to her other works through its exploration of race, sexuality, and what it means to be a member of a community. Fledgling is a Science fiction novel by Octavia Butler Plot summary The novel tells the story of Shori who appears to be a 10 Moreover, the novel continues the theme, raised explicitly in Parable of the Sower, that diversity is a biological imperative.

Short stories

Butler published one collection of her shorter writings, Bloodchild and Other Stories, in 1996. Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only and rather brief collection of Science fiction stories and essays by Octavia E She states in the preface that she "hate[s] short-story writing" and that she is "essentially a novelist. The ideas that most interest me tend to be big. "[13] The collection includes five short stories spanning Butler's career, the first finished in 1971 and the last in 1993. "Bloodchild," the Hugo and Nebula award-winning title story, concerns humans who live on a reservation on an alien planet ruled by insect-like creatures. Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only and rather brief collection of Science fiction stories and essays by Octavia E The aliens breed by implanting eggs in the humans, with whom they share a symbiotic existence. This article is about the biological phenomenon for other uses see Symbiosis (disambiguation The term symbiosis (from the Greek In Butler's afterword to the story, she writes that it is not about slavery as some have suggested, but rather about love and coming-of-age--as well as male pregnancy and the "unusual accommodation[s]" that a group of interstellar colonists might have to make with their adopted planet's prior inhabitants. [14] She also states that writing it was her way of overcoming a fear of bot flies. Oestridae (also called botfly or "bumfly" bot fly) is a family of Oestroidea. [14]

In 2005, Seven Stories Press released an expanded edition. Seven Stories Press is an independent Publishing company located in New York City that publishes both cutting-edge works of fiction and a wide array of non-fiction

Series

Butler is well known for her Patternist series, Lilith's Brood (formerly the Xenogenesis trilogy), and the Parable of the Sower Series. The Patternist series (also known as the Patternmaster series) is a group of Science fiction novels by Octavia E Lilith's Brood is a collection of three works by Octavia Butler. The first book which she wrote for the Patternist series, Patternmaster (1976), is actually the last in the internal chronology of the series. In fact, most of the Patternmaster novels were written and published out of sequence. The four novels in Butler's "Patternist series" other than Survivor were released in 2006 as the single volume Seed to Harvest.

Themes of Social Criticism

Butler used the hyperbolic reach of speculative fiction to explore modern and ancient social issues. She often represented concepts like race, sexuality, gender, religion, social progress and social class in metaphoric language. However, these issues were not relegated only to metaphor. For instance, class struggle is an overt topic in the Parable of the Sower series.

Awards

Winner:

Nominated:

Scholarship fund

The Octavia E. Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Parable of the Sower is the first in a two-book series of science fiction novels written by Octavia E Winners of the Nebula Award for best Novelette. The stated year is that of publication awards are given in the following year Butler Memorial Scholarship was established in Butler's memory in 2006 by the Carl Brandon Society. The Carl Brandon Society is a group originating in the science fiction community "dedicated to addressing the representation of People of color in the fantastical Its goal is to provide an annual scholarship to enable writers of color to attend one of the Clarion writing workshops where Butler got her start. Clarion is a six-week workshop for new and aspiring Science fiction and Fantasy writers The first scholarships were awarded in 2007. [17]

Works

Series

Standalone novels

Short stories

Articles

See also

Literature Portal


Notes

  1. ^ Crossley, Robert (2003). The Patternist series (also known as the Patternmaster series) is a group of Science fiction novels by Octavia E The Patternist series (also known as the Patternmaster series) is a group of Science fiction novels by Octavia E Wild Seed is a Science fiction Novel by writer Octavia Butler and it is book three of the Patternist series. Lilith's Brood is a collection of three works by Octavia Butler. Parable of the Sower is the first in a two-book series of science fiction novels written by Octavia E Parable of the Talents is the second in a series of science fiction novels written by Octavia E Kindred is a 1979 novel by Octavia Butler. While most of Butler's work is classified as Science fiction, Kindred is often Fledgling is a Science fiction novel by Octavia Butler Plot summary The novel tells the story of Shori who appears to be a 10 Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only and rather brief collection of Science fiction stories and essays by Octavia E Essence is an American Fashion, Lifestyle and Entertainment Magazine. Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29 1954 often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American Black science fiction Afrofuturism, or afro-futurism, is an African diaspora cultural and literary movement whose thinkers and artists see Science Note that this Partial list contains some authors whose works of fantastic fiction would today be called science fiction even if they predate or did not work in that genre The Oankali are a race of intelligent extraterrestrial aliens in Octavia Butler 's Xenogenesis Book Trilogy ( Dawn "Critical Essay". Kindred: 25th Anniversary Edition: 273, Boston: Beacon Press.  
  2. ^ AA Registry.com profile on Octavia Butler.
  3. ^ Norton Anthology of African American Literature, p. 2515.
  4. ^ Voices.
  5. ^ Essay.
  6. ^ Washington Post obituary, 2006/2/27
  7. ^ TW Bookmark.
  8. ^ New York Times obituary, March 1, 2006
  9. ^ Butler, Octavia E. (2005), Bloodchild and Other Stories (second ed. Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only and rather brief collection of Science fiction stories and essays by Octavia E ), Seven Stories Press, pp. 120 
  10. ^ Crossley, Robert (2003). "Critical Essay". Kindred: 25th Anniversary Edition: 269, Boston: Beacon Press.  
  11. ^ Crossley, Robert (2003). "Critical Essay". Kindred: 25th Anniversary Edition: 267-268, Boston: Beacon Press.  
  12. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  13. ^ Butler, Octavia E. (2005), Bloodchild and Other Stories (second ed. ), Seven Stories Press, pp. vii-viii 
  14. ^ a b Butler, Octavia E. (2005), Bloodchild and Other Stories (second ed. ), Seven Stories Press, pp. 30-32 
  15. ^ 1985 Locus Awards
  16. ^ Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Awards Winners By Year
  17. ^ Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship

Further reading

Biographies

Scholarship

External links

Biographies and works

Interviews


Persondata
NAME Butler, Octavia Estelle
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American novelist
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Pasadena, California
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 2006
PLACE OF DEATH Seattle, Washington
Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
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