ABOUT THE BOOK
Maybe you've heard about a little television show called "Game of Thrones"? You know, the fantasy show that's garnered both critical praise and skyrocketing ratings, not to mention rabid fans?
Well, like many great cinematic spectacles, "Game of Thrones" began as a series of books, known as A Song of Ice and Fire. This ongoing series (there will be at least seven books) is the creation of one George R. R. Martin, a burly, white-bearded fellow with a penchant for newsboy caps.
Although Martin has been writing science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction since the 1960s and has gained legions of avid readers over the decades, it has been the creation of the television show "Game of Thrones" that has catapulted him into the media spotlight.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Lily is very close to finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Oxford. She also has an utterly non-lucrative Masters of Fine Arts in poetry. "Lily McNeil" is used as a pseudonym at the author's request.
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
It is virtually impossible to separate Martin's life from his work. His hobbies, obsessions, friends and daily creative responsibilities fuel his prolific (although at times, slow) output. (Martin once joked, "Well, maybe it's OK if I take a leak once in a while?")
But there have been several key figures who have influenced Martin throughout his writing career. The Marvel comics of Martin's childhood may have introduced him to alternative narrative strategies and characterizations, but it is J. R. R. Tolkien's (Tolkien's "R. R." stands for Ronald Reuel) The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with its wizards and elves and magical objects and epic battles, not to mention its allegorical references to World War II, that stands as a clear template for Martin's gritty medieval imaginings. The close association between Tolkien's and Martin's fiction led Lev Grossman, in his TIME magazine review of A Feast for Crows, to dub Martin "the American Tolkien."
CHAPTER OUTLINE
George R.R. Martin: A Biography
+ Introduction
+ Background, Upbringing and Personal Life
+ Major Accomplishments and Awards
+ The Influence of and Deviation from Tolkien
+ ...and much more
Maybe you've heard about a little television show called "Game of Thrones"? You know, the fantasy show that's garnered both critical praise and skyrocketing ratings, not to mention rabid fans?
Well, like many great cinematic spectacles, "Game of Thrones" began as a series of books, known as A Song of Ice and Fire. This ongoing series (there will be at least seven books) is the creation of one George R. R. Martin, a burly, white-bearded fellow with a penchant for newsboy caps.
Although Martin has been writing science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction since the 1960s and has gained legions of avid readers over the decades, it has been the creation of the television show "Game of Thrones" that has catapulted him into the media spotlight.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Lily is very close to finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Oxford. She also has an utterly non-lucrative Masters of Fine Arts in poetry. "Lily McNeil" is used as a pseudonym at the author's request.
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
It is virtually impossible to separate Martin's life from his work. His hobbies, obsessions, friends and daily creative responsibilities fuel his prolific (although at times, slow) output. (Martin once joked, "Well, maybe it's OK if I take a leak once in a while?")
But there have been several key figures who have influenced Martin throughout his writing career. The Marvel comics of Martin's childhood may have introduced him to alternative narrative strategies and characterizations, but it is J. R. R. Tolkien's (Tolkien's "R. R." stands for Ronald Reuel) The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with its wizards and elves and magical objects and epic battles, not to mention its allegorical references to World War II, that stands as a clear template for Martin's gritty medieval imaginings. The close association between Tolkien's and Martin's fiction led Lev Grossman, in his TIME magazine review of A Feast for Crows, to dub Martin "the American Tolkien."
CHAPTER OUTLINE
George R.R. Martin: A Biography
+ Introduction
+ Background, Upbringing and Personal Life
+ Major Accomplishments and Awards
+ The Influence of and Deviation from Tolkien
+ ...and much more
