Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny | |
---|---|
science-fiction | |
Literary movement | New Wave (although he denounced the term himself) |
Notable works | Lord of Light, The Chronicles of Amber, Isle of the Dead, The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, and Other Stories, Doorways in the Sand, Eye of Cat, Unicorn Variations, A Night in the Lonesome October |
Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995)
Biography
Zelazny was born in Euclid, Ohio, the only child of Polish immigrant Joseph Frank Żelazny and Irish-American Josephine Flora Sweet. In high school, he became the editor of the school newspaper and joined the Creative Writing Club.[4] In the fall of 1955, he began attending Western Reserve University and graduated with a B.A. in English in 1959.[4] He was accepted to Columbia University in New York and specialized in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, graduating with an M.A. in 1962.[4] His M.A. thesis was entitled Two Traditions and Cyril Tourneur: an Examination of Morality and Humor Comedy Conventions in "The Revenger's Tragedy".
Between 1962 and 1969 he worked for the U.S.
His first fanzine appearance was part one of the story "Conditional Benefit" (Thurban 1 #3, 1953) and his first professional publication and sale was the fantasy short story "Mr. Fuller's Revolt" (Literary Calvalcade, 1954).[4] As a professional writer, his debut works were the simultaneous publication of "Passion Play" (Amazing, August 1962) and "Horseman!" (Fantastic, August 1962).[4] "Passion Play" was written and sold first.[4] His first story to attract major attention was "A Rose for Ecclesiastes", published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, with cover art by Hannes Bok.
Roger Zelazny was also a member of the
Zelazny died in 1995, aged 58, of kidney failure secondary to colorectal cancer.[6]
Personal life
Zelazny was married twice, first to Sharon Steberl in 1964 (divorced, no children), and then to Judith Alene Callahan in 1966. Prior to this he was engaged to folk singer Hedy West for six months from 1961 to 1962.[4] Roger and Judith had two sons, Devin and Trent (an author of crime fiction), and a daughter, Shannon. At the time of his death, Roger and Judith were separated and he was living with author Jane Lindskold.[6]
Raised as a
Zelazny died in Santa Fe on June 16, 1995, of kidney failure associated with cancer. At the time of his death, he had been a twenty-year resident of Santa Fe.[7]
Themes
In his stories, Zelazny frequently portrayed characters from myth, depicted in the modern or a future world. Mythological traditions his fiction borrowed from include:
- Chinese mythology, in Lord Demon (with Jane Lindskold)
- Egyptian mythology, in Creatures of Light and Darkness
- Greek mythology, in ...And Call Me Conrad
- Hindu mythology, in Lord of Light
- Navajo mythology, in Eye of Cat
- Norse mythology, in The Mask of Loki
- Psychoanalysis, Arthurian mythos, Norse mythology and Kabbalah, in The Dream Master
Additionally, elements from
Another recurring motif of Zelazny's is the "absent father" (or father-figure). Again, this occurs most notably in the
Two other personal characteristics that influenced his fiction were his expertise in martial arts and his addiction to tobacco. Zelazny became expert with the épée in college, and thus began a lifelong study of several different martial arts, including judo, aikido (which he later taught as well, having gained a black belt), tai chi, and baguazhang. In turn, many of his characters ably and knowledgeably use similar skills whilst dispatching their opponents. Zelazny was also a passionate cigarette and pipe smoker (until he quit in the early 1980s), so much so, that he made many of his protagonists heavy smokers as well. However, he quit in order to improve his cardiovascular fitness for the martial arts; once he had quit, characters in his later novels and short stories stopped smoking too.[5]
He also often experimented with form in his stories. The novel Doorways in the Sand practices a flashback technique in which most chapters open with a scene, typically involving peril, not implied by the end of the previous chapter. Once the scene is established, the narrator backtracks to the events leading up to it, then follows through to the end of the chapter, whereupon the next chapter jumps ahead to another dramatic non-sequitur.
In
Creatures of Light and Darkness, featuring characters in the personae of Egyptian gods, uses a narrative voice entirely in the present tense; the final chapter is structured as a play, and several chapters take the form of long poems.
Another common stylistic approach in his novels is the use of mixed genres, whereby elements of each are combined freely and interchangeably. Jack of Shadows and Changeling, for example, revolve around the tensions between the two worlds of magic and technology. Lord of Light, perhaps one of his most famous works, is written in the classic style of a mythic fantasy, while it is established early in the book that the story itself takes place on a colonized planet.[10]
Legacy
Zelazny's stories inspired other authors in his generation including Samuel R. Delany, whose novel Nova and many of his short stories were written "partly in response to Zelazny’s eruption into the field."[11] In 1967 Algis Budrys listed Zelazny, Delany, J. G. Ballard, and Brian Aldiss as "an earthshaking new kind of" writers, and leaders of the New Wave.[12] Neil Gaiman said Zelazny was the author who influenced him the most,[13] with this influence particularly seen in Gaiman's literary style and the topics he writes about.[11] Andrzej Sapkowski considered Zelazny his spiritual teacher, whose work inspired him to write his first novel.[14]
The anthology Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, was released in 1998 and featured essays and stories in honor of Zelazny by Walter Jon Williams, Jack Williamson, John Varley, Gaiman, Gregory Benford and many other authors.[15]
The anthology Shadows & Reflections: A Roger Zelazny Tribute Anthology, edited by Trent Zelazny and Warren Lapine, was released in 2017 and featured two essays and fifteen stories set in universes Zelazny created. Contributors included Zelazny,
Awards
Zelazny won at least 16 awards for particular works of fiction: six
- ...And Call Me Conrad (published in book form as This Immortal) won the 1966 Hugo Award (novel), a tie with Dune by Frank Herbert.[17]
- "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" won the 1966 Nebula Award (novelette).
- "He Who Shapes" tied for the 1966 Nebula Award (novella)
- Lord of Light won the 1968 Hugo Award (novel).[18]
- Prix Tour-Apollo Award(novel).
- This Immortal won the 1976 Seiun Award (foreign novel).
- "Home Is the Hangman" won both the 1976 Hugo Award and the 1976 Nebula Award (novella).
- "Balrog Award(short fiction).
- "Unicorn Variation" won the 1982 Hugo Award (novelette) and the 1984 Seiun Award (foreign short fiction).
- Unicorn Variations won the 1984 Balrog Award(collection/anthology).
- "24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai" won the 1986 Hugo Award (novella).
- Trumps of Doom won the 1986 Locus Award (fantasy novel).[19]
- "Permafrost" won the 1987 Hugo Award (novelette).
In addition, Zelazny was the Worldcon Guest of Honor at Discon II in Washington, D.C. in 1974, and won an Inkpot Award for lifetime achievement at Comic-Con International in 1993. "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" was included in Visions of Mars: First Library on Mars, a DVD taken on board the Phoenix Mars Lander in 2008.[6]
Tributes
The ostracod Sclerocypris zelaznyi was named after him.[20]
Bibliography
References
- ^ Roger Zelazny at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- ^ David Pringle (21 June 1995). "Obituary: Roger Zelazny". The Independent.
- ^ a b
"Zelazny, Roger" Archived 2012-10-16 at the Locus Publications. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "...And Call Me Roger": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 1, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 1: Threshold, NESFA Press, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "'...And Call Me Roger': The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny", Part 3, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 3: This Mortal Mountain, NESFA Press, 2009.
- ^ a b c "...And Call Me Roger": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 6, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 6: The Road to Amber, NESFA Press, 2009.
- Washington Post, June 1995
- ^ "...And Call Me Roger": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 5, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 5: Nine Black Doves, NESFA Press, 2009.
- ^ "...And Call Me Roger": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 4, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 4: Last Exit to Babylon, NESFA Press, 2009.
- ^ "...And Call Me Roger"": The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 2, by Christopher S. Kovacs. In: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 2: Power & Light, NESFA Press, 2009.
- ^ Tor.com, November 11, 2012.
- ^ Budrys, Algis (October 1967). "Galaxy Bookshelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 188–194.
- ^ "Of Meetings and Partings" by Neil Gaiman, introduction to This Mortal Mountain: Volume 3 of The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, NESFA Press, edited by David G. Grubbs, Christopher S. Kovacs, and Ann Crimmins, 2009, page 12.
- ^ Andrzej Sapkowski: "I had to find my own channel. And I found it... " / / Star Road. — 2003. — № 7—8.
- ^ Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Avon Eos, 1998.
- ^ Shadows & Reflections: A Roger Zelazny Tribute Anthology edited by Trent Zelazny & Warren Lapine, Positronic Publishing, 2017.
- ^ "1966 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ^ "1968 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ^ "1986 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- S2CID 11073671.
Further reading
- Yoke, Carl (1979). Roger Zelazny: Starmont Reader's Guide 2. West Linn, Oregon: Starmont House.
- Republished as Yoke, Carl B. (2007). Roger Zelazny. Borgo Press. ISBN 978-0916732134.
- Republished as Yoke, Carl B. (2007). Roger Zelazny. Borgo Press.
Biographies and literary critiques
- Kovacs, Christopher S. (February 2009). "'...And Call Me Roger': The Early Literary Life of Roger Zelazny". The New York Review of Science Fiction #246. 21 (6): 1, 8–19. Essay-length excerpt of full biography published in Collected Stories (next entry).
- Kovacs, Christopher S. (2009). "'...And Call Me Roger': The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny". The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny. Vol. 1–6. Boston: NESFA Press.
- Krulik, Theodore (1986). Roger Zelazny. New York: Ungar Publishing.
- Lindskold, Jane M. (1993). Roger Zelazny. Twayne's United States Authors Series. New York: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 978-0805739534.
- Yoke, Carl (1979). Roger Zelazny and Andre Norton: Proponents of Individualism. Ohio Authors. Columbus, Ohio: State University of Ohio.
Bibliographies
- Kovacs, Christopher S. (2010). The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny. The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny. Boston: NESFA Press. ISBN 978-1886778924.
- Kovacs, Christopher S. (2015). The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny. The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny (2nd revised ed.). Boston: NESFA Press. ISBN 978-1-61037-309-8.
- Levack, Daniel J. H. (1983). Amber Dreams: A Roger Zelazny Bibliography. San Francisco: Greenwood. ISBN 0313276781.
- Sanders, Joseph (1980). Roger Zelazny: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography. Boston: G. K. Hall and Co. ISBN 0816180814.
- Stephens, Christopher P. (1991). A Checklist of Roger Zelazny. New York: Ultramarine Press. ISBN 0893662208.
- Stephensen-Payne, Phil (1993). Roger Zelazny, Master of Amber: A Working Bibliography. Galactic Central Bibliographies Series #38. Borgo Press. ISBN 0809547368.
External links
- Bibliography
- Roger Zelazny at the Internet Book List
- Roger Zelazny at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Other
- Zelazny obituary at The Washington Post
- Roger Zelazny at the Locus Index to SF Awards
- The Annotated Amber—explanations of some allusions
- Finding aid to the Roger Zelazny papers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County library