Roger Joseph Zelazny (Euclid, May 13, 1937 - Santa Fe, June 14, 1995) was an American writer, science fiction and fantasy author.
Biography[]
Roger Zelazny was born on May 13, 1937 in the United States in the city of Euclid (Ohio), and from an early age he showed his literary vocation by writing humorous stories and poems, some of which were published in school magazines during high school. In 1954, his short story Mr. Fuller's, appeared in Literary Cavalcade magazine. In 1955 he enrolled in the faculty of psychology at the University of Cleveland while continuing to cultivate his passion for writing, so much so that he changed his studies almost immediately, attending the faculty of English and graduating in 1959 in Bachelor of Arts. During this time he continued to publish some of his works in school magazines and twice won the Finley Foster Poetry Prize twice in 1957 and 1959 and once the Holden Essay Award.
In 1960 when he enlisted in the National Guard first as a volunteer and then conscripted until 1963, still managing to graduate in 1962 from Columbia University earning a Master of Arts and also working at the Social Security Administration in Cleveland. Also in 1962 he published two science fiction works, others were published in 1963 he wrote, some under the pseudonym of Harrison Denmark. Also in this year he obtained his first nomination for the Hugo Award for the best short story.
He will win the Hugo award and the Nebula award in '65. In 1969 he quit his job at the Social Security Administration to devote himself entirely to writing.
In 1975 he moved to Santa Fe (New Mexico); in the same year he published in Analog magazine the short story Home is the Hangman, winner of the Hugo prize and the Nebula prize, and the novel (Doorways in the Sand) also nominated for the Hugo prize.
In 1977 the film of the same name was made from his novel Damnation Alley, 1969. In April 1981 he once again won the Hugo prize, which he will again do in 1986 and 1987.
Roger Zelazny died on June 14, 1995 in a Santa Fe hospital of cancer.
Trivia[]
- Roger wanted to write at least two more stories about Croyd Crenson.