Marion Zimmer Bradley
| Name: | Marion Zimmer Bradley | |
| Also Known As: | MZB | |
| Occupation: | author, editor | |
| Medium: | Novels and short stories | |
| Works: | Too many to list; series include Darkover and the Mists of Avalon | |
| Official Website(s): | http://mzbworks.com/ (Was at http://mzbworks.home.att.net/ from ? - 2010) | |
| Fan Website(s): | ||
| On Fanlore: | Related pages | |
| ||
Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-1999) wrote the Darkover and Mists of Avalon series, which inspired a great deal of fanfiction. Her conflict with a fanfiction author became a legend, supposedly making it impossible for her to publish one of her own novels. This controversy is commonly cited by authors who cite copyright issues and object to fanfiction and by others both inside and outside of fandom.
- Main article see Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy
Writing
MZB wrote or collaborated on at least seven series, 25 additional standalone novels, and countless short stories.
Darkover Series
A fantasy science-fiction alternate universe in which inhabitants of a single planet, Darkover, could use magic for good or evil.
See Darkover for more information on that series.
She edited early zines of this universe, Mezrab and "her earlier fanzine, Astra's Tower."[1] Later on, she edited and gave her name to published anthologies of stories by other authors in the Darkover universe.
Mists of Avalon Series
A fantasy series set in the Arthurian tradition, but with a feminist slant, in the point of view of Morgaine and Guinevere. The first book of that name was quite successful both in and out of the SFF genre. Later novels in the series were co-written with other authors, who have continued the series after MZB's death.
Early Pulp Fiction
Wikipedia lists pseudonyms that she used early in her career -- Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, among others, that she used to write gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and were a rare source of gay lit of the time.[2]
Activities as a Fan
In the 1970s, MZB wrote Star Trek stories for fanzines:
- "The Immovable Object," published in the zine The Other Side of Paradise #2, edited by Amy Falkowitz and Signe Landon in 1977, related the early days of the Enterprise under Captain Kirk.[3]
- "Cross Currents", published in Obsc'zine #4, edited by Lori Chapek-Carleton, was a short Uhuru/Chapel story.
In the Introduction to The Other Side of the Mirror and other Darkover stories MZB stated: "other writers—usually young—have for some reason wanted to write about Darkover, too. I am and always have been a little baffled by this response; I am a great lover of J. R. R. Tolkein, but only once have I yielded to the desire to write a pastiche Middle Earth story; and although a Star Trek fan, I have in general refrained from adding to the voluminous apocryphal lore of the Enterprise."[4] The pastiche Middle Earth story she refers to is probably A Meeting in the Hyades from 1961 in which "Regis Hastur (or a character that later developed into Regis) meets a character from Lord of the Rings somewhere in the Darkovan mountains."[5]
MZB's memory is faulty, though, as in 70's she wrote at least two more Tolkien pastiches, The Jewel of Arwen and The Parting of Arwen, which were published as chapbooks by TK Graphics.
MZB was active in science-fiction and fantasy fandom during the 1960s and 70s, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture." In 1966, she was a founder of, and coined the name for The Society for Creative Anachronism.[6]
Walter Breen, Bradley's husband from 1964 to 1990 (though they separated in 1979), caused science fiction fandom controversy due to his behavior with boys at SF conventions, in particular, the 1964 "Boondoggle" or "Breendoggle". In 1991 he pleaded guilty to child molestation and died in jail in 1994.[7].
References
- ↑ Zimmer, Paul Edwin. "Appreciation", in: Return to Avalon, edited by Jennifer Roberson. New York, NY: Daw Books, 1996. p. 303.
- ↑ MZB's wikipedia page
- ↑ Verba, Joan. Boldly Writing. F T L Pubns, March 26, 2003
- ↑ Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Other Side of the Mirror and other Darkover stories. 1987, p. 9.
- ↑ RE: Arwen. May 13, 2005 post by Peltonen Petri to mzb_newsletter on Yahoo! Groups. Accessed September 30, 2008.
- ↑ MZB's wikipedia page
- ↑ Rare Coins Expert Charged With Child Molestation and Wikipedia page on Walter Breen
Categories: People | Industry | Darkover
