Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan | |
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![]() Jordan during 2005. | |
Born | James Oliver Rigney Jr. October 17, 1948 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
Died | September 16, 2007 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged 58)
Occupation | Novelist |
Genre | Fantasy |
Notable works | The Wheel of Time |
Spouse | Harriet McDougal |
Signature | ![]() |
James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pseudonym Robert Jordan,[1] was an American author of epic fantasy. He is known best for his series the Wheel of Time (finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death) which comprises 14 books and a prequel novel. He is one of several writers to have written original Conan the Barbarian novels.[2] Jordan also published historical fiction using the pseudonym Reagan O'Neal, a western as Jackson O'Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung. Rigney claimed to have ghostwritten an "international thriller" that is still believed to have been written by someone else.[3]
Early life[edit]
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner.[4] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm.[5] After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel, where he received an undergraduate degree in physics; after graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer.[6] He began writing in 1977.
Personal life[edit]
Jordan was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe-collecting. He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian[6] and received communion more than once a week.[7] He lived with his wife, Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.[8]
Illness and death[edit]
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis and that, with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years.[9] In a separate weblog post, he encouraged his fans not to worry about him and stated that he intended to have a long and creative life.[10]
He began chemotherapy at Mayo Clinic during early April 2006.[11] He participated with a study of the drug Revlimid, which had been approved recently for multiple myeloma but not yet tested for primary amyloidosis.[12]
Jordan died on September 16, 2007,[13] and his funeral service was on September 19, 2007.[14] He was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston, South Carolina.[15][16]
Jordan's papers can be found in the special collections of the College of Charleston.[17]
Selected works[edit]
The Wheel of Time[edit]
- New Spring (2004); prequel set 20 years before the events of the first novel
- The Eye of the World (1990)
- The Great Hunt (1990)
- The Dragon Reborn (1991)
- The Shadow Rising (1992)
- The Fires of Heaven (1993)
- Lord of Chaos (1994)
- A Crown of Swords (1996)
- The Path of Daggers (1998)
- Winter's Heart (2000)
- Crossroads of Twilight (2003)
- Knife of Dreams (2005)
- The Gathering Storm (2009); co-authored by Brandon Sanderson
- Towers of Midnight (2010); co-authored by Brandon Sanderson
- A Memory of Light (2013); co-authored by Brandon Sanderson
Conan the Barbarian[edit]
- Conan the Invincible (1982)
- Conan the Defender (1982)
- Conan the Unconquered (1983)
- Conan the Triumphant (1983)
- Conan the Magnificent (1984)
- Conan the Destroyer (1984)
- Conan the Victorious (1984)
References[edit]
- ^ "Robert Jordan" was the name of the protagonist in the 1940 Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, though this is not how the name was chosen according to a 1997 interview he did on the DragonCon SciFi Channel Chat.
- ^ "Walking Through the Valley..: What I'm Reading - 8/26/10". August 31, 2010.
- ^ Ross (September 2005). "Radio Dead Air Interview with Robert Jordan". Radio Dead Air. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ McQueeney, W. Thomas (2017). The Rise of Charleston: Conversations with Visionaries, Luminaries & Emissaries of the Holy City. The History Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-1625858597. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ "Robert Jordan". Obituaries. The Daily Telegraph. September 21, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Jordan, Robert (June 1, 2007). "(untitled)". Dragonmount, the Robert Jordan blog. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007.
- ^ Denzel, Jason (September 27, 2007). "My Journey to Robert Jordan's Funeral". Dragonmount, the Robert Jordan blog. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
- ^ "Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ^ "Letter from Robert Jordan". Locus Online. March 23, 2006.
- ^ Jordan, Robert (March 24, 2006). "Sorry about the premature announcement". Dragonmount.
- ^ Jordan, Robert (March 25, 2006). "Important note". Tor Books.
- ^ "Important note from Robert Jordan". March 25, 2005. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006.
- ^ "Jordan's death". Dragonmount. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "James Oliver Rigney Jr". The Post and Courier. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012.
- ^ "Robert Jordan (1948 - 2007)". Find a Grave. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ ""The Stone" - Entry in Robert Jordan's Blog at Dragonmount, dated October 6, 2008". Dragonmount.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ "Inventory of the James Oliver Rigney, Jr., Papers, 1905-2012". archives.library.cofc.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
Further reading[edit]
- "Robert Jordan". The Times. September 19, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
External links[edit]
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Robert Jordan |
![]() |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Wheel of Time |
- Robert Jordan's Official Blog (hosted by dragonmount.com)
- Robert Jordan at Tor Books
- Robert Jordan at the Internet Book List
- Reviews at FantasyLiterature.net
- Robert Jordan at Worlds Without End
- Robert Jordan at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- 1948 births
- 2007 deaths
- 20th-century American novelists
- 21st-century American novelists
- American Episcopalians
- American fantasy writers
- Anglican writers
- Conan the Barbarian novelists
- Deaths from amyloidosis
- Writers from Charleston, South Carolina
- The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni
- The Wheel of Time
- United States Army officers
- Pseudonymous writers
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
- United States Navy officers
- American male novelists
- Novelists from South Carolina
- United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
- Disease-related deaths in South Carolina