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'''George Raymond Richard Martin''', sometimes called GRRM, born September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey is an American author and screenwriter of science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
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| above      = George R. R. Martin
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| image      = [[File:George R R Martin.jpg|300px]]
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| caption    =
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| label2      = Born
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| data2      = September 20, 1948  (age: {{#ifexpr:(  {{#time:z}} < {{#time:z |20-09-1948 }} )| {{#expr:{{#time:o}} - 1948 -1}} |{{#expr:{{#time:o}} - 1948 }}}}) <br> Bayonne, New Jersey
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| label3      = Died
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| label4      = Resting place
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| label6      = Occupation
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| data6      = Author
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| label7      = Language
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| data7      =
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| label8      = Nationality
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| data8      = United States
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| label12    = Education
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| data12      =
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| label15    = Genres
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| data15      = [[w:Science fiction|Science fiction]], [[w:Horror fiction|horror fantasy]]
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| label18    = Notable work(s)
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| data18      = ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''
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| label19    = Notable award(s)
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| label21    = Spouse(s)
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| data21      = Gale Burnick (1975–1979) <br> Parris McBride (2011–present)
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| label22    = Partner(s)
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| data22      = {{{partner|}}}
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| label23    = Children
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| data23      = {{{children|}}}
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| label24    = Relative(s)
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| data24      = {{{relatives|{{{relations|}}}}}}
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| data26      = <hr />
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{{{!}} class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" Style="width:100%;background:none; border:none; padding: 0;text-align:left;"
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! Style="background:none;" {{!}} Influences
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{{!}}[[w:J. R. R. Tolkien|J. R. R. Tolkien]], [[w:Robert A. Heinlein|Robert A. Heinlein]], [[w:H. P. Lovecraft|H. P. Lovecraft]], [[w:F. Scott Fitzgerald|F. Scott Fitzgerald]], [[w:Robert E. Howard|Robert E. Howard]], [[w:Stan Lee|Stan Lee]], [[w:George MacDonald Fraser|George MacDonald Fraser]], [[w:Jack Vance|Jack Vance]], [[w:William Faulkner|William Faulkner]], [[w:Roger Zelazny|Roger Zelazny]], [[w:Bernard Cornwell|Bernard Cornwell]],
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{{!}}}
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| data27      = <hr />
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{{{!}} class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" Style="width:100%;background:none;border:none; padding: 0;text-align:left;"
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! Style="background:none;" {{!}} Influenced
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{{!}}-
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{{!}}[[w:Daniel Abraham (author)|Daniel Abraham]], [[w:Scott Lynch|Scott Lynch]], [[w:David Anthony Durham|David Anthony Durham]]
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{{!}}}
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}}
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'''George Raymond Richard Martin''' (born September 20, 1948), sometimes referred to as '''GRRM''', is an [[w:United States|American]] [[w:author|author]] and [[w:screenwriter|screenwriter]] of [[w:fantasy fiction|fantasy]], [[w:horror fiction|horror]], and [[w:science fiction|science fiction]]. He is best known for his ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' series of bestselling epic fantasy novels, which has been adapted into ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', a dramatic series on [[w:HBO|HBO]]. He was selected by ''[[w:TIME magazine|Time]]'' as one of the "2011 Time 100," a list of the "most influential people in the world."<ref name="time">''[[w:Time (magazine)|Time]]'': [http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2066367_2066369_2066129,00.html The 2011 TIME 100: George R.R. Martin], by John Hodgman, Thursday, April 21, 2011. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref> In 2012 he won the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.  
  
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
As a youth, Martin became an avid reader and collector of comic books. Issue 20 (Nov 1963) of ''Fantastic Four'' features a letter to the editor that he wrote during high school under the name George R. Martin. He credits the attention he received from this letter, as well as his following interest in fanzines, with leading to his interest in becoming a writer.<ref>Official site: [http://www.georgerrmartin.com/sp-goh84.html Speech at Electracon], 23 June 1984. URL accessed 21 November 2006.</ref>
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George R. R. Martin was born on September 20, 1948 in [[w:Bayonne, New Jersey|Bayonne, New Jersey]] the son of a [[w:longshoreman|longshoreman]], whose working class family lived not far from the Bayonne docks. As a youth, Martin became an avid reader and collector of 1960s [[w:Silver Age of Comic Books|"silver age"]] [[w:superhero|superhero]] [[w:comic books|comic books]]. ''[[w:Fantastic Four|Fantastic Four]]'' #20 (Nov 1963) features a letter to the editor he wrote while still in high school. He credits the attention he received from this letter, as well as his following interest in comics [[w:fandom|fandom]] and its [[w:fanzine|fanzine]]s, with his interest in becoming a writer. Martin has spoken of [[w:Marvel Comics|Marvel Comics]] and especially [[w:Stan Lee|Stan Lee]] as having influenced him.<ref>[[Not A Blog]]: [https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2018/11/16/farewell-to-a-marvel/ Farewell to a Marvel], November 16, 2018</ref><ref>''Den of Geek'': [https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/george-r-r-martin-marvel-letters/ What George R. R. Martin’s Letters to Marvel Tell Us About His Writing], by John Saavedra, April 1, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref><ref>''[[w:Nerdist|Nerdist]]'': [https://nerdist.com/article/george-r-r-martin-cites-avengers-influences-on-game-of-thrones/ George R.R. Martin Cites AVENGERS’ Influences on GAME OF THRONES], by Eric Diaz, April 30, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref>
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In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from [[w:Northwestern University|Northwestern University]], [[w:Evanston, Illinois|Evanston, Illinois]], graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern. Martin was married to Gale Burnick from 1975 to 1979.
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Martin began to write science fiction short stories in the early 1970s, and while his start into a career as a professional writer was not easy (one of his stories was rejected by different magazines forty-two times), he was never discouraged; several years later he went on to win the first of several [[w:Hugo Award|Hugo Award]]s and [[w:Nebula Award|Nebula Award]]s for his short fiction. His first story nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Award was ''[[w:With Morning Comes Mistfall|With Morning Comes Mistfall]]'', published in 1973 by ''[[w:Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Analog]]'' magazine. The story lost both awards, but Martin did not mind too much, noting that joining "Hugo-and-Nebula Losers" Club was a big enough accomplishment for him.
  
Martin wrote short fiction in the early 1970s, and won several Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards before he began writing novels late in the decade. Although much of his work is fantasy or horror, a number of his earlier works are science fiction occurring in a loosely-defined future history. He has also written at least one piece of political-military fiction, "Night of the Vampyres", collected in Harry Turtledove's anthology ''The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.''<ref>Turtledove, Harry, ed, with Martin H. Greenberg. ''The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.'' New York: Ballantine, May 2001, p. 279-306.</ref>
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In 1976 for Kansas City's [[w:MidAmeriCon|MidAmeriCon]], the 34th World Science Fiction Convention ([[w:Worldcon|Worldcon]]), Martin, along with his friend and fellow writer [[w:Gardner Dozois|Gardner Dozois]], conceived of and organized the first Hugo Losers Party. It was a gathering spot, held the final evening of MidAmeriCon, for the losing writers (and their friends and family) to commiserate following the Hugo Awards ceremony the previous night. The large party had been planned well in advance, and perhaps fittingly, being the party's undisputed host, Martin had lost again in 1976; this time it was for ''two'' Hugo Awards: the novelette "...and Seven Times Never Kill Man" and the novella "The Storms of Windhaven," co-written with [[w:Lisa Tuttle|Lisa Tuttle]]. In the years and decades that have followed, the Hugo Losers Party become an annual event, evolving into one of the largest social gatherings held at the annual Worldcon, while adopting a more [[w:politically correct|politically correct]] title of Post-Hugo Nominees Reception along the way.<ref>[[Not A Blog]]: [https://grrm.livejournal.com/439464.html The Hugo Losers Party], Augus 26, 2015</ref>
  
In the 1980s he turned to work in television and as a book editor.  On television, he worked on the new ''Twilight Zone'' and ''Beauty and the Beast'' series. As an editor, he oversaw the lengthy ''Wild Cards'' cycle, which took place in a shared universe in which an alien virus bestowed strange powers or disfigurements on a slice of humanity during World War II, affecting the history of the world thereafter (the premise was inspired by comic book superheroes and a Superworld superhero role-playing game of which Martin was gamemaster). Contributors to the ''Wild Cards'' series included Stephen Leigh, Lewis Shiner, Howard Waldrop, Walter Jon Williams and Roger Zelazny. His own contributions to the series often featured Thomas Tudbury, "The Great and Powerful Turtle", a powerful psychokinetic whose flying "shell" consisted of an armored VW Beetle.
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Although much of Martin's work is fantasy or horror, a number of his earlier works are science fiction occurring in a loosely-defined [[w:future history|future history]], known informally as 'The Thousand Worlds' or 'The manrealm'. He has also written at least one piece of political-military fiction, "Night of the Vampyres", collected in [[w:Harry Turtledove|Harry Turtledove's]] anthology ''The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.''<ref>Turtledove, Harry, ed, with Martin H. Greenberg. ''The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.'' New York: Ballantine, May 2001, p. 279-306.</ref>
  
Martin's short story of the same name was adapted into the feature film ''Nightflyers'' (1987).
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During the 1980s Martin also began to write for television and work as a series book editor. For television, he worked in [[w:Hollywood|Hollywood]] on the revival of ''[[w:The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|Twilight Zone]]'' and the new ''[[w:Beauty and the Beast (series)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' series. As a book series editor, he oversaw the development of the lengthy and still on-going ''[[w:Wild Cards|Wild Cards]]'' cycle, which takes place in a [[w:shared universe|shared universe]] in which an alien virus, released during an air battle over [[w:New York City|New York City]], bestowed strange powers or disfigurements on a slice of humanity during [[w:World War II|World War II]], affecting the history of the world thereafter. (The premise was inspired by [[w:comic book|comic book]] [[w:supehero|superhero]]es and the [[w:Superworld|Superworld]] superhero [[w:role-playing game|role-playing game]], of which Martin was [[w:gamemaster|gamemaster]] with local science fiction writers and friends.) Contributors to the long-running ''[[w:Wild Cards|Wild Cards]]'' series have included [[w:Pat Cadigan|Pat Cadigan]], [[w:Stephen Leigh|Stephen Leigh]], [[w:Lewis Shiner|Lewis Shiner]], [[w:Howard Waldrop|Howard Waldrop]], [[w:Walter Jon Williams|Walter Jon Williams]] and [[w:Roger Zelazny|Roger Zelazny]]. His own contributions to the series often feature Thomas Tudbury, "[[w:The Great and Powerful Turtle|The Great and Powerful Turtle]]", a powerful [[w:psychokinetic|psychokinetic]] whose flying "shell" consisted of an armored [[w:VW Beetle|VW Beetle]]. The Wild Cards series continues under Martin's direction and editorship, with more than twenty volumes having been published; in 2012 the series will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary.
  
In 1996 Martin returned to writing novel-length stories, beginning his lengthy cycle ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' (ostensibly inspired by the Wars of the Roses]] and Ivanhoe).  In November of 2005, ''[[A Feast for Crows]]'', the fourth book in this series, became ''The New York Times'' #1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on ''The Wall Street Journal'' bestseller list.  In addition, in September 2006 A Feast for Crows was nominated for both a Quill award, and the British Fantasy Award.<ref>[http://www.georgerrmartin.com/news.html A Feast for Crows award nominaions]</ref> The series has received praise from [http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Crows-Song-Fire-Book/dp/product-description/0553801503#Review authors], [http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0553103547&pub=pw publishers], [http://www.sfsite.com/columns/best00b.htm readers] and [http://www.curledup.com/swords.htm critics] alike.
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Martin's novella, ''[[w:Nightflyers|Nightflyers]]'', was adapted into [[w:Nightflyers (film)|a 1987 feature film]] that saw national release. The novella was also adapted into [[w:Nightflyers (TV series)|a 2018 television series]].
  
It was announced January, 2007 that HBO Productions has purchased the broadcast rights for the entire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series, with the author also serving as co-executive producer on the project.  The plan calls for each book from the series to be filmed over an entire season's worth of episodes.  Production will take place in Europe or New Zealand and Martin is reported to have agreed to script one episode per season.  Further details are expected to be announced soon.<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957532.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 ASoIaF to become a television series]</ref>
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[[File:Bookset.jpg|thumb|US covers for the first five books of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'']]
  
Martin has also been an instructor in journalism (in which he holds a master's degree) and a chess tournament director. In his spare time he collects medieval-themed miniatures<ref>http://www.georgerrmartin.com/knights/index.html</ref> and continues to treasure his comic collection, which includes the first issues of ''Spiderman'' and ''Fantastic Four''. Although he is fairly active on the internet, he notes: "I do my writing on a completely different computer than the one I use for email and the internet, in part to guard against viruses, worms, and nightmares like this. (...) I write with WordStar 4.0 on a pure DOS-based machine."<ref> Not A Blog [http://grrm.livejournal.com/9841.html]</ref>
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In 1991 Martin briefly returned to writing novels, and began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series, ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' (ostensibly inspired by the [[w:Wars of the Roses|Wars of the Roses]] and [[w:Ivanhoe|Ivanhoe]]), which is planned to run to seven volumes. The first volume ''[[A Game of Thrones]]'' was published in 1996. In November 2005, ''[[A Feast for Crows]]'', the fourth book in this series, became ''[[w:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'' #1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on ''[[w:The Wall Street Journal|The Wall Street Journal]]'' bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006 ''A Feast for Crows'' was nominated for both a [[w:Quill Awards|Quill award]], and the [[w:British Fantasy Award|British Fantasy Award]].<ref name=winlose>georgerrmartin.com: [https://georgerrmartin.com/you-win-some-you-lose-some/ YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME], October 30, 2006. Retrieved March 03, 2006.</ref> The series has received praise from authors, readers and critics alike.
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[[w:HBO|HBO]] purchased the television rights for the entire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series in 2007. Named ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' after the first book, ''[[A Game of Thrones]]'', the television series premiered in 2011 and concluded in 2019.
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In 2003 [[w:Fantasy Flight Games|Fantasy Flight Games]] released the board game ''[[A Game of Thrones (board game)|A Game Of Thrones]]'' and in 2010 ''[[Battles of Westeros]]'', a miniatures board game based on the battles depicted in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series. Additional games and related products continue to be published.
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Martin has been a college instructor in [[w:journalism|journalism]] (in which he holds a [[w:master's degree|master's degree]]) and when he was younger a [[w:chess|chess]] tournament director. In his spare time he collects medieval-themed [[w:Miniature figure (gaming)|miniatures]], reading and collecting science fiction, fantasy, and horror books, and treasuring his still-growing comics collection, which includes the first issues of Marvel's "silver age" ''[[w:Spider-Man|Spider-Man]]'' and ''[[w:Fantastic Four|Fantastic Four]]''.
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On February 15, 2011 Martin married his longtime partner Parris McBride in a small ceremony at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. The couple exchanged custom made, Celtic-inspired wedding rings made for them by local artisans. Area friends were in attendance and helped them celebrate the occasion. On August 19, 2011, they held a larger wedding ceremony and reception at [[w:Renovation|Renovation]], the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, in [[w:Reno, Nevada|Reno]] for their larger circle of friends within the fantasy and science fiction fields.
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==''A Song of Ice and Fire''==
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{{main|A Song of Ice and Fire}}
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In 1991 Martin briefly returned to writing novels, and began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series, ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' (reportedly inspired by the [[w:Wars of the Roses|Wars of the Roses]] and [[w:Ivanhoe|Ivanhoe]]), which will run to at least seven volumes. The first volume ''[[A Game of Thrones]]'' was published in 1996. In November 2005, ''[[A Feast for Crows]]'', the fourth book in this series, became ''[[w:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'' #1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on ''[[w:The Wall Street Journal|The Wall Street Journal]]'' bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006, ''A Feast for Crows'' was nominated for both a [[w:Quill Award|Quill Award]] and the [[w:British Fantasy Award|British Fantasy Award]].<ref name=winlose/> The fifth book, ''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'', was published in July 2011, quickly becoming a huge international bestseller, including a #1 ranking on the New York Times Bestseller list and  many others. The series has received critical praise from authors, readers, and critics alike.
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==''Game of Thrones''==
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{{main|Game of Thrones}}
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[[File:Game of Thrones title card.jpg|thumb|Title card of ''[[Game of Thrones]]'']]
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During completion of ''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'' and other projects, George R. R. Martin was also heavily involved in the production of the ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' television series, an adaptation by [[w:HBO|HBO]] of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' named after the first book in the series, ''[[A Game of Thrones]]''. Martin's involvement included the selection of a production team and participation in scriptwriting; he is listed in the opening credits as an [[w:executive producer|executive producer]] of the series. ''Game of Thrones'', which premiered in 2011 and concluded in 2019, is critically acclaimed.<ref>''[[w:Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'': [https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/game-of-thrones-emmy-nominations-record-1203268760/ ‘Game of Thrones’ Breaks Emmys Record for Most Nominations in a Single Season], by Alex Stedman. June 16, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref><ref>''[[w:Harper's Bazaar|Harper's Bazaar]]'': [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a29068578/game-of-thrones-emmys-total-wins/ Every Emmy Award ''Game of Thrones'' Has Ever Won], by Chelsea Sanchez. September 22, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref>
  
 
==Themes==
 
==Themes==
Martin's work is rarely cheerful; critics have described it as dark and cynical. <ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129596,00.html "The American Tolkien" by Lev Grossman, a Times article on Martin.</ref> His first novel, ''Dying of the Light'', set the tone for most of his future work; it is set on a mostly abandoned world that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story, and many of Martin's others, have a strong sense of melancholy.  His characters are often unhappy, or at least unsatisfied, and many have elements of tragic heroes. Reviewer T. M. Wagner writes, "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic." <ref>http://www.sfreviews.net/stormofswords.html Review of ''A Storm of Swords'' by T. M. Wagner</ref> However, this gloominess can be an obstacle for some readers. The Inchoatus Group writes, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you’re looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere." <ref>http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords,%20George%20Martin.htm Review of ''A Game of Thrones'' by The Inchoatus Group</ref>
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Critics have described Martin's work as dark and cynical.<ref>''[[w:Time (magazine)|Time]]'': [http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129596,00.html The American Tolkien], by Lev Grossman. November 13, 2005. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref> His first novel, ''[[w:Dying of the Light|Dying of the Light]]'', set the tone for most of his future work; it is set on a mostly abandoned planet that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story, and many of Martin's others, have a strong sense of [[w:melancholy|melancholy]].  His characters are often unhappy, or at least unsatisfied — trying to stay idealistic in a ruthless world.  Many have elements of [[w:tragic hero|tragic hero]]es in them. Reviewer T. M. Wagner writes, "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic."<ref>sfreviews.net: [http://www.sfreviews.net/stormofswords.html Review of ''A Storm of Swords''], by Thomas M. Wagner. 2003. Retrieved on November 03, 2007.</ref> This gloominess can be an obstacle for some readers. The Inchoatus Group writes, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you’re looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere."<ref>{{Cite web | title = Review of ''A Game of Thrones''
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| archiveurl = http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20080325003052/http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords,%20George%20Martin.htm | archivedate = 2008-03-25
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| url = http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords,%20George%20Martin.htm | accessdate = 2007-11-03 }}</ref>
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Martin's characters are multi-faceted, each with surprisingly intricate pasts, inspirations, and ambitions. ''Publisher's Weekly'' writes of his ongoing epic fantasy ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', "The complexity of characters such as Daenarys [sic], Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates." <ref>[http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0553106635&pub=pw Review of ''A Storm of Swords''] by Publisher's Weekly</ref> No one is given an unrealistic string of luck, however; so misfortune, injury, and death (and even false death) can befall ''any'' character, major or minor, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin has described his penchant for killing off important characters as being necessary for the story's depth: "...when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps."
  
His characters are also multi-faceted, each with surprisingly intricate pasts, inspirations, and ambitions. Publisher's Weekly writes "The complexity of characters such as [[Daenerys Targaryen|Daenarys]] [sic], [[Arya Stark|Arya]] and the [[Jaime Lannister|Kingslayer]] will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates." <ref>http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0553106635&pub=pw Review of ''A Storm of Swords'' by Publisher's Weekly</ref>  No one is given an unrealistic string of luck, however, so misfortune, injury, and death (and even false death) can befall any character, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin once described his reasons for killing off characters as "...when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps."  <ref>[http://www.geekson.com/archives/archiveepisodes/2006/episode080406.htm Geekson interview with George RR Martin, 08/04/06]</ref>
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==Relationship with Fans==
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In addition to writing, Martin is known for his regular, decades-long attendance at various [[w:science fiction convention|science fiction convention]]s and comics conventions and his accessibility to both genre's many fans. In the early 1970s critic and writer [[w:Thomas Disch|Thomas Disch]] identified Martin as a member of the "Labor Day Group", writers who congregated at the annual [[w:Worldcon|Worldcon]], usually held on or around the [[w:Labor Day|Labor Day]] weekend.
  
==Fan relationship==
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Martin has a good relationship with his official fan club, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and has praised them in the past for their convention parties and gatherings. His many fans also gather at website forums devoted to both the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy series and to his long-running ''Wild Cards'' series.
In addition to writing, Martin is known for his regular attendance at science fiction conventions and his accessibility to fans. In the early 70's, critic and writer Thomas Disch identified Martin as a member of the "Labor Day Group",<ref>http://www.georgerrmartin.com/sp-lasfs81.html Essay by GRRM discussing his status as a member of the "Labour Day Group"</ref> writers who congregated at the annual Worldcon, usually held around Labor Day.
 
  
Martin has a good relationship with his official fan club, the [http://www.bwbfanclub.com Brotherhood without Banners], and has praised them in the past for their parties<ref>[http://www.bwbfanclub.com/fr_grrm.php</ref> and philanthropic efforts.<ref>http://www.childsplaycharity.org/index.php</ref> As of December 2006, the organization has over 1,000 official members listed on its website.<ref>http://www.bwbfanclub.com/mb_member.php</ref>
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Martin has been criticized by a number of his many fans worldwide for the long delays between books in that series, notably the many-year gap between the fourth volume ''A Feast for Crows'' and the fifth volume ''A Dance with Dragons''. This led him to respond online in kind, accusing angry fans of unfairly demanding he devote ''all'' of his time to the epic fantasy series, something he is unwilling to do; Martin has long-term writing and book-editing commitments on other projects, in addition to his best-selling series of epic fantasy novels.<ref>{{Cite web | last = Flood | first = Alison | title = Excitement as George RR Martin announces he's 1,200 pages into new book | publisher = Guardian.co.uk | date = 16 February 2010 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/16/george-rr-martin-new-book | accessdate = 2010-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | last = Kay | first = Guy Gavriel | title = Restless readers go bonkers | publisher = The Globe and Mail | date = Apr. 10, 2009 | url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/article8003.ece | accessdate = 2010-05-13}}</ref> Many of these fans have expressed concern that Martin will leave his fantasy series unfinished,{{fact}} in the same fashion as deceased author [[w:Robert Jordan|Robert Jordan]] did with his lengthy ''[[w:The Wheel of Time|The Wheel of Time]]'' series.
  
Martin is opposed to fan fiction, believing it to be copyright infringement and bad exercise for aspiring writers. He does not allow any of his intellectual property to be used in fan fiction.<ref>http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Fan_Fiction/ </ref>
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Martin is strongly opposed to any type of [[w:fan fiction|fan fiction]], believing it to be copyright infringement and a bad exercise for all aspiring writers. He never gives permission for any of his [[w:intellectual property|intellectual property]] to be used in fan fiction.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Fan_Fiction/ Fan Fiction], May 09, 1999</ref>
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
===Novels===
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===Author===
*''Dying of the Light'' (1977)
+
====Novels====
*''Windhaven'' (1981), with [[w:Lisa Tuttle|Lisa Tuttle]])
+
[[File:George R R Martin 2011 Shankbone.JPG|thumb|250px|Martin at the 2011 Time 100 gala]]
*''Fevre Dream'' (1982)
+
*''[[w:Dying of the Light|Dying of the Light]]'' (1977) -- Hugo Award nominee, 1978;<ref name="HugoAwards">[http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/ www.thehugoawards.org] ''Hugo Award History'' retrieved June 5, 2011</ref> British Fantasy Award nominee, 1979 <ref name="WWE-1979">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1979|title=Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 1979 Award Winners & Nominees|work=Worlds Without End|accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>
*''The Armageddon Rag'' (1983)
+
*''[[w:Windhaven|Windhaven]]'' (1981, with [[w:Lisa Tuttle|Lisa Tuttle]]) -- Locus SF Award nominee, 1982<ref name="Locusmag">[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus.html www.locusmag.com] ''The Locus Index to SF Awards'' retrieved June 5, 2011</ref>
 
+
*''[[w:Fevre Dream|Fevre Dream]]'' (1982) -- Locus SF<ref name="Locusmag"/> and World Fantasy Award nominee, 1983<ref name="WFA">[http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/awardslist.html www.worldfantasy.org] ''World Fantasy Convention:  Award Winners & Nominees'' retrieved June 5, 2011</ref>
 +
*''[[w:The Armageddon Rag|The Armageddon Rag]]'' (1983) -- Locus SF<ref name="Locusmag"/> and World Fantasy Award nominee, 1984<ref name="WFA"/>
 
*''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' series:
 
*''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' series:
**''[[A Game of Thrones]]'' (1996)
+
**''[[A Game of Thrones]]'' (1996) -- Locus Fantasy Award winner<ref name="Locusmag"/>, Nebula and World Fantasy Award nominee, 1997<ref name="WFA"/>
**''[[A Clash of Kings]]'' (1998)
+
**''[[A Clash of Kings]]'' (1998) -- Locus Fantasy Award winner<ref name="Locusmag"/>, Nebula Award nominee, 1999<ref name="WWE-1999">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1999|title=Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 1999 Award Winners & Nominees|work=Worlds Without End|accessdate=2009-06-07}}</ref>
**''[[A Storm of Swords]]'' (2000)
+
**''[[A Storm of Swords]]'' (2000) -- Locus Fantasy Award winner<ref name="Locusmag"/>, Hugo<ref name="HugoAwards"/> and Nebula Awards nominee, 2001<ref name="WWE-2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2001|title=Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 2001 Award Winners & Nominees|work=Worlds Without End|accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>
**''[[A Feast for Crows]]'' (2005)
+
**''[[A Feast for Crows]]'' (2005) -- Hugo<ref name="HugoAwards"/>, Locus Fantasy<ref name="Locusmag"/>, and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 2006 <ref name="WWE-2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2006|title=Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 2006 Award Winners & Nominees|work=Worlds Without End|accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>
**''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'' (2012)
+
**''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'' (2011) -- Hugo, Locus Fantasy and World Fantasy Award nominee
 
**''[[The Winds of Winter]]'' (forthcoming)
 
**''[[The Winds of Winter]]'' (forthcoming)
 
**''[[A Dream of Spring]]''  (forthcoming)
 
**''[[A Dream of Spring]]''  (forthcoming)
 +
*''[[w:Hunter's Run|Hunter's Run]]'' (2007, expanded version of the novella "[[w:Shadow Twin|Shadow Twin]]", with [[w:Gardner Dozois|Gardner Dozois]] and [[w:Daniel Abraham (author)|Daniel Abraham]])
  
*''Shadow Twin'' (2005), with Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham)
+
====Selected novellas====
  
===Novellas===
+
*"A Song for Lya", originally in ''Analog'', June 1974.
*Night of the Vampyres, originally in [http://www.locusmag.com/index/s500.html ''Amazing'', 1975], re-published in ''The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century''
+
*[[w:Night of the Vampyres|Night of the Vampyres]], originally in ''Amazing'', 1975<ref>[http://www.locusmag.com/index/s500.html www.locusmag.com]</ref>, re-published in ''The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century''
*''The Skin Trade'' (1989) from the three-author collection Dark Visions.
+
*"[[w:The Skin Trade|The Skin Trade]]" (1989, from the three-author collection ''[[w:Dark Visions|Dark Visions]]''; optioned for film by Mike the Pike Productions) <ref>http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Mike-The-Pike-Productions-Inc-1042223.html Press release</ref>
*''[[The Hedge Knight]]'' (1998) - set in the world of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''
 
*''[[The Sworn Sword]]'' (2003) - sequel to ''The Hedge Knight''
 
  
===Collections===
+
*"[[Dunk and Egg]]" series - set in the world of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''
*''A Song for Lya'' (1976)
+
**"[[The Hedge Knight]]" (1998)
*''Songs of Stars and Shadows'' (1977)
+
**"[[The Sworn Sword]]" (2003)
*''Sandkings'' (1981)
+
**"[[The Mystery Knight]]" (2010)
*''Songs the Dead Men Sing'' (1983)
+
 
*''Nightflyers'' (1985)
+
*"[[w:Shadow Twin|Shadow Twin]]" (2004, with [[w:Gardner Dozois|Gardner Dozois]] and [[w:Daniel Abraham (author)|Daniel Abraham]])
*''Tuf Voyaging'' (1987, collection of linked stories)
+
*''[[w:Shadow Twin|Shadow Twin]]'' (2005, published in hardcover as an illustrated, signed, and numbered limited-edition)
*''Portraits of His Children'' (1987)
+
 
*''Quartet'' (2001)
+
====Selected novelettes====
*''GRRM: A RRetrospective'' (2003; reissued 2006 and 2007 as ''Dreamsongs'')
+
 
 +
*''[[w:Sandkings (novelette)|Sandkings]]'', [[w:Hugo Award|Hugo]], [[w:Nebula Award|Nebula]] awards winner.
 +
*''[[w:Meathouse Man|Meathouse Man]]'', first published in 1976, in ''Orbit'' 18.
 +
 
 +
====Children's books====
 +
*''[[The Ice Dragon]]''
 +
 
 +
====Collections====
 +
*''[[w:A Song for Lya|A Song for Lya]]'' (1976)
 +
*''[[w:Songs of Stars and Shadows|Songs of Stars and Shadows]]'' (1977)
 +
*''[[w:Sandkings (fiction)|Sandkings]]'' (1981)
 +
*''[[w:Songs the Dead Men Sing|Songs the Dead Men Sing]]'' (1983)
 +
*''[[w:Nightflyers|Nightflyers]]'' (1985)
 +
*''[[w:Tuf Voyaging|Tuf Voyaging]]'' (1987, collection of linked stories)
 +
*''[[w:Portraits of His Children|Portraits of His Children]]'' (1987)
 +
*''[[w:Quartet (George R. R. Martin)|Quartet]]'' (2001)
 +
*''[[w:GRRM: A RRetrospective|GRRM: A RRetrospective]]'' (2003; reissued 2006 and 2007 as ''Dreamsongs'')
 
<!-- the doubled "R" in "RRetrospective is not a typo -->
 
<!-- the doubled "R" in "RRetrospective is not a typo -->
  
==Wild Cards (as editor, and contributor to many editions)==
+
====Television====
*''Wild Cards I'' (1987)
+
{{Columns|2|
 +
* ''[[w:The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''
 +
** ''The Last Defender of Camelot'' (1986) - writer (teleplay)
 +
** ''The Once and Future King'' (1986) - writer (teleplay), story editor
 +
** ''A Saucer of Loneliness'' (1986) - story editor
 +
** ''Lost and Found'' (1986) - writer (teleplay), from a published short story by [[w:Phyllis Eisenstein|Phyllis Eisenstein]]
 +
** ''The World Next Door'' (1986) - story editor
 +
** ''The Toys of Caliban'' (1986) - writer (teleplay), from an unpublished short story by Terry Matz
 +
** ''The Road Less Travelled'' (1986) - writer (story and teleplay), story editor
 +
 
 +
* ''[[w:Beauty and the Beast (TV series)|Beauty and the Beast]]''
 +
** ''Terrible Saviour'' (1987) - writer
 +
** ''Masques'' (1987) - writer
 +
** ''Shades of Grey'' (1988) - writer
 +
** ''Promises of Someday'' (1988) - writer
 +
** ''Fever'' (1988) - writer
 +
** ''Ozymandias'' (1988) - writer
 +
** ''Dead of Winter'' (1988) - writer
 +
** ''Brothers'' (1989) - writer
 +
** ''When the Blue Bird Sings' (1989) - writer (teleplay)
 +
** ''A Kingdom by the Sea'' (1989) - writer
 +
** ''What Rough Beast'' (1989) - writer (story)
 +
** ''Ceremony of Innocence'' (1989) - writer
 +
** ''Snow'' (1989) - writer
 +
** ''Beggar's Comet'' (1990) - writer
 +
** ''Invictus'' (1990) - writer
 +
 
 +
* ''[[w:Doorways|Doorways]]'' (1993, unreleased pilot) - writer, producer, creator; (''[[w:IDW Publishing|IDW Publishing]]'' issued the pilot's storyline as a graphic novel miniseries (2010))<ref>http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/article/1348/</ref>
 +
 
 +
* ''[[w:Game of Thrones (TV series)|Game of Thrones]]
 +
** Pilot - writer (story, teleplay), producer, creator
 +
** ''[[The Pointy End]]'' - writer (story, teleplay, 1st season)
 +
** ''[[Blackwater (TV)|Blackwater]]'' - writer (story, teleplay, 2nd season)
 +
** ''[[The Bear and the Maiden Fair (TV)|The Bear and the Maiden Fair]]'' - writer (story, teleplay, 3rd season)
 +
** ''[[The Lion and the Rose]]'' - writer (story, teleplay, 4th season)
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Editor===
 +
====''Wild Cards'' (also contributor to many volumes)====
 +
 
 +
{{Columns|2|
 +
*''Wild Cards I'' (1987) (Expanded 2010 with three new authors/stories)
 
*''Wild Cards II: Aces High'' (1987)
 
*''Wild Cards II: Aces High'' (1987)
 
*''Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild'' (1987)
 
*''Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild'' (1987)
Line 74: Line 208:
 
*''Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks'' (1991)
 
*''Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks'' (1991)
 
*''Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle'' (1991)
 
*''Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle'' (1991)
*''Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire'' (1992)  
+
*''Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire'' (1992)
 
*''Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice'' (1992)
 
*''Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice'' (1992)
 
*''Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards'' (1993)
 
*''Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards'' (1993)
 
+
*''Wild Cards: Card Sharks'' (1993) (Book I of a New Cycle Trilogy)
*''Wild Cards: Card Sharks'' (1993)
+
*''Wild Cards: Marked Cards'' (1994) (Book II of a New Cycle Trilogy)
*''Wild Cards: Marked Cards'' (1994)
+
*''Wild Cards: Black Trump'' (1995) (Book III of a New Cycle Trilogy)
*''Wild Cards: Black Trump'' (1995) (these three books are a trilogy)
 
 
 
 
*''Wild Cards: Deuces Down'' (2002)
 
*''Wild Cards: Deuces Down'' (2002)
*''Wilds Cards: Death Draws Five'' (2006)
+
*''Wild Cards: Death Draws Five'' (2006) (solo novel by John J. Miller)
 +
*''Inside Straight: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2008) (Book I of the Committee Triad)
 +
*''Busted Flush: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2008) (Book II of the Committee Triad)
 +
*''Suicide Kings: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2009) (Book III of the Committee Triad)
 +
*''Fort Freak: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2011) (A stand-alone novel)
 +
*''Lowball: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2014; sequel to ''Fort Freak'')
 +
*''High Stakes: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2016)
 +
*''Mississippi Roll: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2017)
 +
*''Low Chicago: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2018)
 +
*''Texas Hold'em: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2018)
 +
*''Knaves Over Queens: A Wild Cards Novel'' (2019)
 +
*See also [[w:List of Wild Cards books and short stories|List of Wild Cards books and short stories]]
 +
}}
  
===Children's books===
+
====Cross-genre anthologies edited (with Gardner Dozois)====
*''The Ice Dragon'' (Originally printed in 1980<ref>[http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_martin_icedragon.html Review of The Ice Dragon with a footnote on the original printing]</ref>, illustrated and re-printed October, 2006)
+
*''[[w:Songs of the Dying Earth|Songs of the Dying Earth]]'' (2009), a tribute anthology to [[w:Jack Vance|Jack Vance]]´s seminal [[w:Dying Earth|Dying Earth]] series, initially published by [[w:Subterranean Press|Subterranean Press]]
 +
*''[[w:Warriors (anthology)|Warriors]]'' (2010), a massive, cross-genre anthology featuring stories about war and warriors
 +
*''[[w:Songs of Love and Death (anthology)|Songs of Love and Death]]'' (2010), a cross-genre anthology featuring stories of romance in fantasy and science-fiction settings, originally entitled ''Star Crossed Lovers''
 +
*''[[w:Down These Strange Streets|Down These Strange Streets]]'' (2011), another cross-genre anthology, blending classic private eye detective stories with fantasy and science fiction
 +
* ''[[w:Dangerous Women (anthology)|Dangerous Women]]'' (2013), a cross-genre anthology focusing on women warriors and strong female characters, originally titled ''Femmes Fatales''<ref>[[Not A Blog]]: [http://grrm.livejournal.com/225206.html Stuff and Nonsense (July 2nd, 2011)]</ref>
 +
*''[[w:Rogues (anthology)|Rogues]]'' (2014), a cross-genre anthology featuring twenty-one short stories from various authors
  
 
==Awards==
 
==Awards==
*"A Song for Lya" 1975 Hugo Award for Best Novella
+
*"A Song for Lya" 1975 [[w:Hugo Award|Hugo Award]] for [[w:Hugo Award for Best Novella|Best Novella]]
*"Sandkings" 1980 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and Nebula Award for Best Novelette
+
*"[[w:Sandkings (novelette)|Sandkings]]" 1980 Hugo Award for [[w:Hugo Award for Best Novelette|Best Novelette]] and [[w:Nebula Award|Nebula Award]] for [[w:Nebula Award for Best Novelette|Best Novelette]] (the only one among Martin's stories to achieve that double)
*"The Way of Cross and Dragon" 1980 Hugo Award for Best Short Story
+
*"[[w:The Way of Cross and Dragon|The Way of Cross and Dragon]]" 1980 Hugo Award for Best [[w:Hugo Award for Best Short Story|Short Story]]
 
*"Portraits of His Children" 1986 Nebula Award for Best Novelette
 
*"Portraits of His Children" 1986 Nebula Award for Best Novelette
*"The Pear-Shaped Man" 1988 Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction
+
*"The Pear-Shaped Man" 1988 [[w:Bram Stoker Award|Bram Stoker Award]] for [[w:Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction|Long Fiction]]
*"The Skin Trade" 1989 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella
+
*"[[w:The Skin Trade|The Skin Trade]]" 1989 [[w:World Fantasy Award|World Fantasy Award]] for [[w:World Fantasy Award for Best Novella|Best Novella]]
*"Blood of the Dragon" 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella
+
*"[[Blood of the Dragon]]" 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella
*"A Feast for Crows" 2006 Quill award and British Fantasy Award (nominated)
+
*''[[A Feast for Crows]]'' 2006 Quill Award and British Fantasy Award (nominated)
 +
*Declared by ''[[w:Time Magazine|Time]]'' "One of the Most Influential People of 2011"<ref name="time"/>
 +
*Named Author of the Year 2011 by ''[[w:USA Today|USA Today]]''<ref>''Locus'':[https://locusmag.com/2011/12/g-r-r-m-named-usa-todays-author-of-the-year/ G.R.R.M. Named USA Today’s Author of the Year], December 29, 2011. Retrieved March 06, 2020.</ref>
 +
* 2012 [[w:World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement|World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement]]
 +
 
 +
A more complete list of [http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit86.html#3371 Martin's awards and nominations] can be found at The ''[[w:Locus (magazine)|Locus]]'' Index to Science Fiction Awards.
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
* [http://www.georgerrmartin.com/ George R. R. Martin official site]
 +
* [https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/ Not A Blog: George R. R. Martin's Livejournal]
 +
* [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/ So Spake Martin], collection of Martin's interviews, correspondence with fans etc.
  
A more complete list of [http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit85.html#3030 Martin's awards and nominations] can be found at The ''Locus'' Index to Science Fiction Awards.
+
==References==
 +
{{References}}
  
==Footnotes==
+
{{EnWP|George R. R. Martin|small=yes}}
<references/>
 
  
==External links==
+
{{GRRM works|state=uncollapsed}}
*[http://www.georgerrmartin.com/ George R. R. Martin official site]
+
{{ASOIAF|state=collapsed}}
*[http://grrm.livejournal.com/ Not A Blog: George R. R. Martin's Livejournal]
 
*[http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheGeorgeRRMartinPodcast George R. R. Martin's Podcast]
 
*[http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Fantasy/george-martin.shtml Interview with George R. R. Martin in Abebooks.com]
 
*[http://www.westeros.org/ Westeros: The 'A Song of Ice and Fire' Domain (a major fansite)]
 
*[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?George_R._R._Martin| George R. R. Martin] at the [[w:Internet Speculative Fiction Database|Internet Speculative Fiction Database]]
 
*[http://www.bwbfanclub.com/ The Brotherhood without Banners official site]
 
*[http://www.iblist.com/author326.htm| George R. R. Martin] at the [[w:Internet Book List|Internet Book List]]
 
===Interviews===
 
*[http://www.fantasybookspot.com/node/1209 Interview with George R.R. Martin] conducted by Jay Tomio at Fantasybookspot.com (June 2006)
 
* [http://www.sffworld.com/interview/186p0.html Interview with George R.R. Martin] at SFFWorld.com
 
  
==References and Sources==
+
[[Category:Content]]
{{EnWP|George R. R. Martin}}
 
  
 +
[[es:George R. R. Martin]]
 +
[[fa:جرج آر. آر. مارتین]]
 
[[fr:George R. R. Martin]]
 
[[fr:George R. R. Martin]]
 +
[[pt:George R. R. Martin]]
 +
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Revision as of 08:53, 20 August 2020

George R. R. Martin
George R R Martin.jpg
Born September 20, 1948 (age: 75)
Bayonne, New Jersey
Occupation Author
Nationality United States
Genres Science fiction, horror fantasy
Notable work(s) A Song of Ice and Fire
Spouse(s) Gale Burnick (1975–1979)
Parris McBride (2011–present)


George Raymond Richard Martin (born September 20, 1948), sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of bestselling epic fantasy novels, which has been adapted into Game of Thrones, a dramatic series on HBO. He was selected by Time as one of the "2011 Time 100," a list of the "most influential people in the world."[1] In 2012 he won the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.

Biography

George R. R. Martin was born on September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey the son of a longshoreman, whose working class family lived not far from the Bayonne docks. As a youth, Martin became an avid reader and collector of 1960s "silver age" superhero comic books. Fantastic Four #20 (Nov 1963) features a letter to the editor he wrote while still in high school. He credits the attention he received from this letter, as well as his following interest in comics fandom and its fanzines, with his interest in becoming a writer. Martin has spoken of Marvel Comics and especially Stan Lee as having influenced him.[2][3][4]

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern. Martin was married to Gale Burnick from 1975 to 1979.

Martin began to write science fiction short stories in the early 1970s, and while his start into a career as a professional writer was not easy (one of his stories was rejected by different magazines forty-two times), he was never discouraged; several years later he went on to win the first of several Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards for his short fiction. His first story nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Award was With Morning Comes Mistfall, published in 1973 by Analog magazine. The story lost both awards, but Martin did not mind too much, noting that joining "Hugo-and-Nebula Losers" Club was a big enough accomplishment for him.

In 1976 for Kansas City's MidAmeriCon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), Martin, along with his friend and fellow writer Gardner Dozois, conceived of and organized the first Hugo Losers Party. It was a gathering spot, held the final evening of MidAmeriCon, for the losing writers (and their friends and family) to commiserate following the Hugo Awards ceremony the previous night. The large party had been planned well in advance, and perhaps fittingly, being the party's undisputed host, Martin had lost again in 1976; this time it was for two Hugo Awards: the novelette "...and Seven Times Never Kill Man" and the novella "The Storms of Windhaven," co-written with Lisa Tuttle. In the years and decades that have followed, the Hugo Losers Party become an annual event, evolving into one of the largest social gatherings held at the annual Worldcon, while adopting a more politically correct title of Post-Hugo Nominees Reception along the way.[5]

Although much of Martin's work is fantasy or horror, a number of his earlier works are science fiction occurring in a loosely-defined future history, known informally as 'The Thousand Worlds' or 'The manrealm'. He has also written at least one piece of political-military fiction, "Night of the Vampyres", collected in Harry Turtledove's anthology The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.[6]

During the 1980s Martin also began to write for television and work as a series book editor. For television, he worked in Hollywood on the revival of Twilight Zone and the new Beauty and the Beast series. As a book series editor, he oversaw the development of the lengthy and still on-going Wild Cards cycle, which takes place in a shared universe in which an alien virus, released during an air battle over New York City, bestowed strange powers or disfigurements on a slice of humanity during World War II, affecting the history of the world thereafter. (The premise was inspired by comic book superheroes and the Superworld superhero role-playing game, of which Martin was gamemaster with local science fiction writers and friends.) Contributors to the long-running Wild Cards series have included Pat Cadigan, Stephen Leigh, Lewis Shiner, Howard Waldrop, Walter Jon Williams and Roger Zelazny. His own contributions to the series often feature Thomas Tudbury, "The Great and Powerful Turtle", a powerful psychokinetic whose flying "shell" consisted of an armored VW Beetle. The Wild Cards series continues under Martin's direction and editorship, with more than twenty volumes having been published; in 2012 the series will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Martin's novella, Nightflyers, was adapted into a 1987 feature film that saw national release. The novella was also adapted into a 2018 television series.

US covers for the first five books of A Song of Ice and Fire

In 1991 Martin briefly returned to writing novels, and began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire (ostensibly inspired by the Wars of the Roses and Ivanhoe), which is planned to run to seven volumes. The first volume A Game of Thrones was published in 1996. In November 2005, A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in this series, became The New York Times #1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006 A Feast for Crows was nominated for both a Quill award, and the British Fantasy Award.[7] The series has received praise from authors, readers and critics alike.

HBO purchased the television rights for the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series in 2007. Named Game of Thrones after the first book, A Game of Thrones, the television series premiered in 2011 and concluded in 2019.

In 2003 Fantasy Flight Games released the board game A Game Of Thrones and in 2010 Battles of Westeros, a miniatures board game based on the battles depicted in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Additional games and related products continue to be published.

Martin has been a college instructor in journalism (in which he holds a master's degree) and when he was younger a chess tournament director. In his spare time he collects medieval-themed miniatures, reading and collecting science fiction, fantasy, and horror books, and treasuring his still-growing comics collection, which includes the first issues of Marvel's "silver age" Spider-Man and Fantastic Four.

On February 15, 2011 Martin married his longtime partner Parris McBride in a small ceremony at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. The couple exchanged custom made, Celtic-inspired wedding rings made for them by local artisans. Area friends were in attendance and helped them celebrate the occasion. On August 19, 2011, they held a larger wedding ceremony and reception at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, in Reno for their larger circle of friends within the fantasy and science fiction fields.

A Song of Ice and Fire

In 1991 Martin briefly returned to writing novels, and began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire (reportedly inspired by the Wars of the Roses and Ivanhoe), which will run to at least seven volumes. The first volume A Game of Thrones was published in 1996. In November 2005, A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in this series, became The New York Times #1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006, A Feast for Crows was nominated for both a Quill Award and the British Fantasy Award.[7] The fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, was published in July 2011, quickly becoming a huge international bestseller, including a #1 ranking on the New York Times Bestseller list and many others. The series has received critical praise from authors, readers, and critics alike.

Game of Thrones

Title card of Game of Thrones

During completion of A Dance with Dragons and other projects, George R. R. Martin was also heavily involved in the production of the Game of Thrones television series, an adaptation by HBO of A Song of Ice and Fire named after the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones. Martin's involvement included the selection of a production team and participation in scriptwriting; he is listed in the opening credits as an executive producer of the series. Game of Thrones, which premiered in 2011 and concluded in 2019, is critically acclaimed.[8][9]

Themes

Critics have described Martin's work as dark and cynical.[10] His first novel, Dying of the Light, set the tone for most of his future work; it is set on a mostly abandoned planet that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story, and many of Martin's others, have a strong sense of melancholy. His characters are often unhappy, or at least unsatisfied — trying to stay idealistic in a ruthless world. Many have elements of tragic heroes in them. Reviewer T. M. Wagner writes, "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic."[11] This gloominess can be an obstacle for some readers. The Inchoatus Group writes, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you’re looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere."[12]

Martin's characters are multi-faceted, each with surprisingly intricate pasts, inspirations, and ambitions. Publisher's Weekly writes of his ongoing epic fantasy A Song of Ice and Fire, "The complexity of characters such as Daenarys [sic], Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates." [13] No one is given an unrealistic string of luck, however; so misfortune, injury, and death (and even false death) can befall any character, major or minor, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin has described his penchant for killing off important characters as being necessary for the story's depth: "...when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps."

Relationship with Fans

In addition to writing, Martin is known for his regular, decades-long attendance at various science fiction conventions and comics conventions and his accessibility to both genre's many fans. In the early 1970s critic and writer Thomas Disch identified Martin as a member of the "Labor Day Group", writers who congregated at the annual Worldcon, usually held on or around the Labor Day weekend.

Martin has a good relationship with his official fan club, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and has praised them in the past for their convention parties and gatherings. His many fans also gather at website forums devoted to both the A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series and to his long-running Wild Cards series.

Martin has been criticized by a number of his many fans worldwide for the long delays between books in that series, notably the many-year gap between the fourth volume A Feast for Crows and the fifth volume A Dance with Dragons. This led him to respond online in kind, accusing angry fans of unfairly demanding he devote all of his time to the epic fantasy series, something he is unwilling to do; Martin has long-term writing and book-editing commitments on other projects, in addition to his best-selling series of epic fantasy novels.[14][15] Many of these fans have expressed concern that Martin will leave his fantasy series unfinished,[citation needed] in the same fashion as deceased author Robert Jordan did with his lengthy The Wheel of Time series.

Martin is strongly opposed to any type of fan fiction, believing it to be copyright infringement and a bad exercise for all aspiring writers. He never gives permission for any of his intellectual property to be used in fan fiction.[16]

Bibliography

Author

Novels

Martin at the 2011 Time 100 gala

Selected novellas

  • "A Song for Lya", originally in Analog, June 1974.
  • Night of the Vampyres, originally in Amazing, 1975[24], re-published in The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century
  • "The Skin Trade" (1989, from the three-author collection Dark Visions; optioned for film by Mike the Pike Productions) [25]

Selected novelettes

Children's books

Collections

Television

  • The Twilight Zone
    • The Last Defender of Camelot (1986) - writer (teleplay)
    • The Once and Future King (1986) - writer (teleplay), story editor
    • A Saucer of Loneliness (1986) - story editor
    • Lost and Found (1986) - writer (teleplay), from a published short story by Phyllis Eisenstein
    • The World Next Door (1986) - story editor
    • The Toys of Caliban (1986) - writer (teleplay), from an unpublished short story by Terry Matz
    • The Road Less Travelled (1986) - writer (story and teleplay), story editor
  • Beauty and the Beast
    • Terrible Saviour (1987) - writer
    • Masques (1987) - writer
    • Shades of Grey (1988) - writer
    • Promises of Someday (1988) - writer
    • Fever (1988) - writer
    • Ozymandias (1988) - writer
    • Dead of Winter (1988) - writer
    • Brothers (1989) - writer
    • When the Blue Bird Sings' (1989) - writer (teleplay)
    • A Kingdom by the Sea (1989) - writer
    • What Rough Beast (1989) - writer (story)
    • Ceremony of Innocence (1989) - writer
    • Snow (1989) - writer
    • Beggar's Comet (1990) - writer
    • Invictus (1990) - writer
  • Doorways (1993, unreleased pilot) - writer, producer, creator; (IDW Publishing issued the pilot's storyline as a graphic novel miniseries (2010))[26]

Editor

Wild Cards (also contributor to many volumes)

  • Wild Cards I (1987) (Expanded 2010 with three new authors/stories)
  • Wild Cards II: Aces High (1987)
  • Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild (1987)
  • Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad (1988)
  • Wild Cards V: Down & Dirty (1988)
  • Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole (1990)
  • Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand (1990)
  • Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks (1991)
  • Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle (1991)
  • Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire (1992)
  • Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice (1992)
  • Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards (1993)
  • Wild Cards: Card Sharks (1993) (Book I of a New Cycle Trilogy)
  • Wild Cards: Marked Cards (1994) (Book II of a New Cycle Trilogy)
  • Wild Cards: Black Trump (1995) (Book III of a New Cycle Trilogy)
  • Wild Cards: Deuces Down (2002)
  • Wild Cards: Death Draws Five (2006) (solo novel by John J. Miller)
  • Inside Straight: A Wild Cards Novel (2008) (Book I of the Committee Triad)
  • Busted Flush: A Wild Cards Novel (2008) (Book II of the Committee Triad)
  • Suicide Kings: A Wild Cards Novel (2009) (Book III of the Committee Triad)
  • Fort Freak: A Wild Cards Novel (2011) (A stand-alone novel)
  • Lowball: A Wild Cards Novel (2014; sequel to Fort Freak)
  • High Stakes: A Wild Cards Novel (2016)
  • Mississippi Roll: A Wild Cards Novel (2017)
  • Low Chicago: A Wild Cards Novel (2018)
  • Texas Hold'em: A Wild Cards Novel (2018)
  • Knaves Over Queens: A Wild Cards Novel (2019)
  • See also List of Wild Cards books and short stories

Cross-genre anthologies edited (with Gardner Dozois)

  • Songs of the Dying Earth (2009), a tribute anthology to Jack Vance´s seminal Dying Earth series, initially published by Subterranean Press
  • Warriors (2010), a massive, cross-genre anthology featuring stories about war and warriors
  • Songs of Love and Death (2010), a cross-genre anthology featuring stories of romance in fantasy and science-fiction settings, originally entitled Star Crossed Lovers
  • Down These Strange Streets (2011), another cross-genre anthology, blending classic private eye detective stories with fantasy and science fiction
  • Dangerous Women (2013), a cross-genre anthology focusing on women warriors and strong female characters, originally titled Femmes Fatales[27]
  • Rogues (2014), a cross-genre anthology featuring twenty-one short stories from various authors

Awards

A more complete list of Martin's awards and nominations can be found at The Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards.

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Time: The 2011 TIME 100: George R.R. Martin, by John Hodgman, Thursday, April 21, 2011. Retrieved March 06, 2020.
  2. Not A Blog: Farewell to a Marvel, November 16, 2018
  3. Den of Geek: What George R. R. Martin’s Letters to Marvel Tell Us About His Writing, by John Saavedra, April 1, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.
  4. Nerdist: George R.R. Martin Cites AVENGERS’ Influences on GAME OF THRONES, by Eric Diaz, April 30, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.
  5. Not A Blog: The Hugo Losers Party, Augus 26, 2015
  6. Turtledove, Harry, ed, with Martin H. Greenberg. The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century. New York: Ballantine, May 2001, p. 279-306.
  7. 7.0 7.1 georgerrmartin.com: YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME, October 30, 2006. Retrieved March 03, 2006.
  8. Variety: ‘Game of Thrones’ Breaks Emmys Record for Most Nominations in a Single Season, by Alex Stedman. June 16, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.
  9. Harper's Bazaar: Every Emmy Award Game of Thrones Has Ever Won, by Chelsea Sanchez. September 22, 2019. Retrieved March 06, 2020.
  10. Time: The American Tolkien, by Lev Grossman. November 13, 2005. Retrieved March 06, 2020.
  11. sfreviews.net: Review of A Storm of Swords, by Thomas M. Wagner. 2003. Retrieved on November 03, 2007.
  12. "Review of A Game of Thrones". Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20080325003052/http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords,%20George%20Martin.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  13. Review of A Storm of Swords by Publisher's Weekly
  14. Flood, Alison (16 February 2010). "Excitement as George RR Martin announces he's 1,200 pages into new book". Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/16/george-rr-martin-new-book. Retrieved 2010-05-13. 
  15. Kay, Guy Gavriel (Apr. 10, 2009). "Restless readers go bonkers". The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/article8003.ece. Retrieved 2010-05-13. 
  16. So Spake Martin: Fan Fiction, May 09, 1999
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 www.thehugoawards.org Hugo Award History retrieved June 5, 2011
  18. "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 1979 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1979. Retrieved 2009-03-28. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 www.locusmag.com The Locus Index to SF Awards retrieved June 5, 2011
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 www.worldfantasy.org World Fantasy Convention: Award Winners & Nominees retrieved June 5, 2011
  21. "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 1999 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1999. Retrieved 2009-06-07. 
  22. "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 2001 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2001. Retrieved 2009-03-28. 
  23. "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 2006 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2006. Retrieved 2009-03-28. 
  24. www.locusmag.com
  25. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Mike-The-Pike-Productions-Inc-1042223.html Press release
  26. http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/article/1348/
  27. Not A Blog: Stuff and Nonsense (July 2nd, 2011)
  28. Locus:G.R.R.M. Named USA Today’s Author of the Year, December 29, 2011. Retrieved March 06, 2020.

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