So Who Is Neil Gaiman?
So Who Is Neil Gaiman?
Neil Gaiman is an author of books, short stories, comic books, and graphic novels. He is perhaps best known for his comic book series THE SANDMAN, which was published by DC Comics Vertigo line. The Sandman series raised the bar for quality of story and writing for the comic book format and is full of references and allusions to literature, history, mythology, legends, and folk tales. Gaiman has won a host of awards for The Sandman, including the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story for The Sandman #19, the only time a comic book has won this literary prize. I believe that further testimony to the quality of The Sandman series can be seen in the list of people who have written introductions for The Sandman graphic novels, which includes Clive Barker, Harlan Ellison, Gene Wolfe, and Stephen King. Warner Brothers has optioned both THE SANDMAN and DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING (a 3 issue comic book mini-series based on a character from The Sandman series) for movies.
Some of Neil Gaiman's other works include SMOKE AND MIRRORS, a collection of short stories, a book called Neverwhere about a fantastic, other-worldly London, and a book co-authored with Terry Pratchett called Good Omens, a funny book about the end of the world which has been compared to hilarious books of The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Neil has also written other comics besides Sandman, including Miracle Man: The Golden Age.
Gaiman's writings have encompassed more than just fiction. He has worn a journalist's hat and written articles for Time Out, The Sunday Times, Punch, and The Observer, to name some. More recently he wrote a script for an episode of the science fiction television series Bablyon 5, titled Day of the Dead which aired during the show's recently completed fifth and final season. He has also spanned both genres and mediums by writing songs for the Minneappolis based band The Flash Girls. Somewhere along the way Neil also became good friends with singer/songwriter/musician Tori Amos. You can find references to the other in each of their own creative works. Tori wrote the introduction for Gaiman's DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING, and Delirium, one of the characters of Gaiman's SANDMAN series borrows heavily from Tori's personality. Tori mentions Neil in several of her songs.
Gaiman was born
and raised in Britain, and I have read that he now splits his time between
the UK and the United States. He is married and has three children.
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AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Here is a list
of awards that Neil Gaiman has won, or at least been nominated for.
Where possible, I have included the award, the category, the work for which
the award/nomination was made, and the year, but I do not have complete
information in all cases.
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