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Orson Scott Card

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Orson Scott Card (born August 24 1951) is a prolific and best-selling author of numerous genres.

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Orson Scott Card often gives lectures to aspiring writers.

Overview

Card's launch in the publishing industry was with science fiction (Hot Sleep and Capitol) and later fantasy (Songmaster). He remains best known for the seminal Ender's Game, which has been among the most popular sci-fi novels ever since its publication in 1985. Both Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead were awarded both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, making Card the only author (as of 2004) ever to win both of sci-fi's top prizes in consecutive years. Card continues the series with Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and the 2005 release of Shadow of the Giant. Furthermore, Card recently announced that Ender's Game will soon be made into a movie (see Ender's Game (movie)).

He has since branched out into contemporary fiction, such as Lost Boys, Treasure Box and Enchantment. Other works demonstrating his versatility include the novelization of the James Cameron film The Abyss, the alternate histories The Tales of Alvin Maker and Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus, Robota, a collaboration with Star Wars artist Doug Chiang, and the comic book Ultimate Iron Man for Marvel Comics' Ultimate Marvel Universe series.

His writing is dominated by detailed characterization and moral issues. As Card says, "We care about moral issues, nobility, decency, happiness, goodness—the issues that matter in the real world, but which can only be addressed, in their purity, in fiction."

Some of his novels, for example Stone Tables, about the life of the Biblical prophet Moses; his Women of Genesis series; The Folk Of The Fringe stories; and Saints, about Latter-day Saint pioneers, have explicit religious themes. In his other writings, the influence of his Mormon beliefs is less obvious; Card's Homecoming and Alvin Maker sagas are partly retellings of the Book of Mormon and the life of LDS founder Joseph Smith, Jr.

In addition to his novels and short stories, Card has had an active career as a nonfiction writer. During the 1980s he wrote many technical articles and columns, primarily for Compute!'s Gazette and Ahoy!, two magazines covering Commodore home computers.

Early life, family, and career

Card was born in Richland, Washington; raised in California, Arizona, and Utah; served an LDS mission in Brazil; graduated from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah; and now lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. He and his wife Kristine are the parents of five children: Geoffrey (a published author in his own right), Emily (who adapted his short story "A Sepulchre of Songs" to the stage in Posing as People), Charlie Ben, Zina Margaret, and Erin Louisa. The children are named for the authors Chaucer, Brontë and Dickinson, Dickens, Mitchell, and Alcott.

In 2005, Card accepted a permanent appointment as professor at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia. Card has justified this action by citing his frustration with pervasive and dismal teaching methodology for creative writing. Card has worked closely with colleagues to develop new and effective ways to educate aspiring writers and has published two books on the subject. He was eager for the opportunity to apply these techniques in a university environment—his assorted workshops did not allow the follow-through he desired. Card splits his time evenly between writing and teaching.

Controversial views

Card is also active as a critic, political writer and speaker. Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks Card began to write a weekly "War Watch" (later renamed "World Watch") column for the Greensboro Rhino Times as well as "Uncle Orson Reviews everything" which are both archived on Card's website. Although a self-described Democrat, Card is a vocal supporter of George W. Bush, the war on terror, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the USA PATRIOT Act, and U.S. support of Israel. Card is also publically opposed to gay rights and action on global warming.

Other

Many credit Card with inventing the concept of the hyperlink in his short story "The Originist", written well before the birth of the World Wide Web. In the same story, he describes a research system that has a number of parallels with Wikipedia.

Selected bibliography

Pre-Ender's Game works

The Ender saga

The Shadow series

The Tales of Alvin Maker

The Homecoming Saga

The "Women of Genesis" series

Other post-Ender's Game works

Plays

  • Posing as People (2004) (three one-act plays based on short stories by Card, first production directed by Card)

Non-fiction works

Books on writing

  • Characters and Viewpoint (1988)
  • How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (1990)

Columns

  • World Watch (formerly known as War Watch) for the Rhinoceros Times (an independent Greensboro, NC newspaper)
  • Uncle Orson Reviews Everything for the Rhinoceros Times (an independent Greensboro, NC newspaper)
  • Hymns of the Heart for Meridian Magazine [2] (an LDS online magazine)

Other projects

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Orson Scott Card.
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