Albert E. Cowdrey (born December 8, 1933 in
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
- died August 21, 2022) was an American author who wrote nonfictional historical studies and
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
literature. He was educated in
Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
and
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...
universities and worked for twenty-five years as a military historian, mostly in and around
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
As a Chief of the Special History Branch in the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
, he wrote a number of books about the history of the medical branches of the army. He published the science fiction novel ''Crux'' and more than fifty short stories. Much of his short fiction has appeared in
Fantasy and Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
and centered on his love for New Orleans, where he was born and raised. He is the only writer to receive awards from both, the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
and the
World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual science fiction convention, convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art sh ...
.
In 2003 Cowdrey's short story "Queen for a Day" won the World Fantasy Award. His
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
"The Overseer" received a nomination in the 2009
World Fantasy Awards
The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous annu ...
. His novella "The Tribes of Bela" was a finalist for the 2005 Nebula Award.
Bibliography
Short fiction
;Stories
[Short stories unless otherwise noted.]
*The Familiar, (ss) F&SF Mar 1997
*White Magic, (nv) F&SF Mar 1998
*The Great Ancestor, (ss) F&SF Sep 1998
*Revenge, (ss) F&SF May 1999
*Tomorrow, (ss) F&SF Jun 2001
*Queen for a Day, (nv) F&SF Oct/Nov 2001
*Ransom
rux (na) F&SF Mar 2002
*The Posthumous Man, (ss) F&SF Jul 2002
*The Boy’s Got Talent, (nv) F&SF Sep 2002
*Grey Star, (ss) F&SF Jan 2003
*The Dog Movie, (ss) F&SF Apr 2003
*Danny’s Inferno, (ss) F&SF Dec 2003
*Rapper, (ss) F&SF Feb 2004
*Silent Echoes, (nv) F&SF Apr 2004
*A Balance of Terrors, (ss) F&SF Jul 2004
*The Tribes of Bela, (na) F&SF Aug 2004
*The Name of the Sphinx, (nv) F&SF Dec 2004
*The Amulet, (nv) F&SF Mar 2005
*Twilight States, (ss) F&SF Jul 2005
*The Housewarming, (ss) F&SF Sep 2005
*The Revivalist, (na) F&SF Mar 2006
*Imitation of Life, (ss) F&SF May 2006
*Animal Magnetism, (nv) F&SF Jun 2006
*Immortal Forms, (ss) F&SF Aug 2006
*Revelation, (ss) F&SF Oct/Nov 2006
*Murder in the Flying Vatican, (na) F&SF Aug 2007
*Envoy Extraordinary , (ss) F&SF Sep 2007
*The Recreation Room, (nv) F&SF Oct/Nov 2007
*The Overseer, (na) F&SF March 2008
*Thrilling Wonder Stories, (ss) F&SF May 2008
*Poison Victory, (nv) F&SF July 2008
*A Skeptical Spirit, (nv) F&SF Dec 2008
*Seafarer's Blood, (nv) F&SF Jan 2009
*The Visionaries, (ss) F&SF Jan/Feb 2016
*The Legacy, (nv) F&SF July/Aug 2019
*This Land, This South: An Environmental History 1983
References
External links
Bluejack entry- Site with partial bibliography and biographical details.
*
Albert E. Cowdrey obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowdrey, Albert E.
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American short story writers
American fantasy writers
21st-century American historians
American male novelists
American male short story writers
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people
World Fantasy Award-winning writers
Writers from New Orleans
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from Louisiana
American male non-fiction writers
1933 births
Historians from Louisiana