Neil Gaiman's novel Neverwhere proved to fans and critics alike that he truly deserves the distinction of being listed along with Thomas Pynchon and William Burroughs as one of the Top Ten Post Modern Writers in America by the Dictionary of Literary Biography. His mythic, award-winning graphic novel series "The Sandman" has been hailed by Norman Mailer as "a comic strip for intellectuals."
Now, in his latest book, Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman dazzles the senses with a collection of short stories and poems that will move readers to the depths of their souls. Over the course of 30 tales, Gaiman takes readers on a wild ride from roving werewolves to Yellow Pages-listed assassins to the astrologically tuned groundskeepers at a run-down Los Angeles hotel. In typical Gaiman fashion, the "Renaissance man of the '90s" comes through with a collection guaranteed to slake the thirst of every fan (the list of which includes Tad Williams, Tori Amos, and the band Metallica).
Barnesandnoble.com welcomed cult hero Neil Gaiman to the Auditorium for a discussion of his new book, Smoke and Mirrors. Gaiman continued the fascinating dialogue with his numerous fans that began in his previous chat with barnesandnoble.com.
Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/
Hometown:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date of Birth:
November 10, 1960
Place of Birth:
Portchester, England
Education:
Attended Ardingly College Junior School, 1970-74, and Whitgift School, 1974-77
older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.
The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actually working in the factories.
Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.
He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.
"He is a treasure-house of story, and we are lucky to have him in any medium. His fecundity, coupled with the overall quality of his work, is both wonderful and a little intimidating."--Stephen King
Clive Barker
"Gaiman is a star. He constructs stories like some demented cook might make a wedding cake, building layer upon layer, including all kinds of sweet and sour in the mix."--Clive Barker
Interviews
Before the live bn chat, Neil Gaiman agreed to answer some of our questions:Q: If you could be any comic-book character, who would you be?
A: Plastic Man. He always looked like he was enjoying himself.
Q: Who is your favorite comic villain?
A: I always liked Marvel's monster comics by Jack Kirby. Characters like Fin Fang Foom -- I think he was the monster from 40,000 fathoms.
Q: Do you have a major literary influence?
A: G. K. Chesterton -- a turn-of-the-century author who wrote from a very English perspective -- and the American writer James Branch Cabell. In 1921 Cabell was probably the most famous writer in America. Now he's completely forgotten. He wrote fantasies, historical fiction, and short stories.
Q: Do you have any favorite contemporary writers?
A: I enjoy Jonathan Carroll...and Gene Wolfe is probably my favorite science fiction writer.
Q: Do you have a favorite place to get away to?
A: I have a gazebo in the woods. I go there to write.
Q: What do you do for insomnia?
A: I go and write. If I don't feel like writing, I'll buy secondhand books on the Web -- really obscure books by really obscure authors. I also might telephone someone who will be awake.
Q: How involved are you in the film version of the "Sandman" comics?
A: I'm not. It's so huge, I figure it's best if I just stay out of it.
Neil Gaiman is a remarkably affable fellow. Even a few minutes after finishing signing several hundred books, even several minutes before heading out onstage in front of hundreds of fans, he’ll sit down on a couch next to you to talk about stories: how we tell them, and why they mean so much to us. […]
Neil Gaiman fans, rejoice! We have exciting news to tide us over to March, when that long-gestating Starz adaptation of American Gods begins shooting: Neil Gaiman’s Likely Stories, a four-part TV series adapting some of Gaiman’s shorter fiction is scheduled to start filming in November to air on Sky Arts, a UK satellite channel. We don’t […]
There comes a time in every beloved author’s career when a book blogger must attempt to rank that author’s works. Surely, Neil Gaiman will be thrilled to know his day has now arrived. But where do you start with Gaiman, whose works diverge so greatly in style and approach, yet remain so very true to […]
So, you say you don’t read fantasy. Perhaps you’d like to try it, but you just can’t see yourself cracking open those gilded grimoires, hanging out with vampires, or frolicking through unicorn-infested forests with a bunch of elven maids. That’s perfectly all right, and we’ll ignore the fact that you might be basing your opinions […]
