Stephen R. Donaldson
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| Stephen Reeder Donaldson | |
|---|---|
Stephen R. Donaldson on a 2007 book tour.
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| Born | May 13, 1947 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Pen name | Reed Stephens |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Fantasy, science fiction, mystery |
Stephen Reeder Donaldson (born May 13, 1947) is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, his ten-novel fantasy series. His work is characterized by psychological complexity, conceptual abstractness, moral bleakness, and the use of an arcane vocabulary, and has attracted critical praise for its "imagination, vivid characterizations, and fast pace."[1] He earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and a Master's degree from Kent State University. He currently resides in New Mexico.
In the United Kingdom he is usually called "Stephen Donaldson" (without the "R").
Contents
Personal life
Donaldson spent part of his youth in India, where he attended what is now the Kodaikanal International School. He was attending Kent State University as a graduate student at the time of the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970. Though he was not on campus at the time of the shootings, his apartment was one and a half blocks away, and he was forced to live under martial law for three days afterwards. Donaldson does not like to discuss the incident, as he finds the memories disturbing.[2]
Donaldson is a fan of opera, and has said that he "love[s] that direct expression of passionate emotion in beautiful sound".[3]
Major influences
Donaldson is part of the generation of fantasy authors which came to prominence in the 1970s and early 1980s. Like that of many of his peers, his writing is heavily influenced by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. However, Donaldson's stories show a wide range of other influences, including Mervyn Peake, C. S. Lewis, Robert E. Howard, and the operas of Richard Wagner. Donaldson is also a great fan of Roger Zelazny's Amber novels, which were a direct inspiration for his own Mordant's Need series. Also, in the Gradual Interview section of his website, Donaldson mentions his extensive study of Joseph Conrad, Henry James and William Faulkner to further develop his narrative style.
List of works
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Awards
See full list of awards
Honorary degrees
- 2009: Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of St Andrews[4]
Further reading
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References
- ↑ "Stephen R. Donaldson Criticism". Contemporary Literary Criticism. Enotes.com. Accessed 28 November 2010.
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External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Stephen R. Donaldson |
- Official website not in Wikidata
- 1947 births
- American fantasy writers
- American mystery novelists
- 20th-century American novelists
- American science fiction writers
- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
- College of Wooster alumni
- The Gap Cycle
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer winners
- Kent State University alumni
- Kodaikanal International School alumni
- Living people
- People from Cleveland, Ohio
- People from New Mexico
- 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
- American male novelists
- American male dramatists and playwrights
