Gwyneth Jones (born 14 February 1952) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

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 ...

writer and critic, and a young adult/children's writer under the pen name Ann Halam.

Biography and writing career

Jones was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. Education at a convent school was followed by an undergraduate degree in European

history of ideas Intellectual history (also the history of ideas) is the study of the history of human thought and of intellectuals, people who conceptualize, discuss, write about, and concern themselves with ideas. The investigative premise of intellectual histor ...

at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. She has written for younger readers since 1980 under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Ann Halam and, under that name, has published more than twenty novels. In 1984 ''Divine Endurance'', a science fiction novel for adults, was published under her own name and in which she created the term

gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Name A gynoid ...

. She continues to write using these two names for the respective audiences. Jones' works are mostly science fiction and near future

high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...

with strong themes of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. She is the winner of two

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

s, BSFA short story award, Children of the Night Award from the

Dracula Society The Dracula Society is a London-based literature and travel group with an interest in supernatural and macabre works of fiction, as exemplified by Bram Stoker's ''Dracula''. The Society The society was founded in October 1973 by two actors, Berna ...

, the

Arthur C. Clarke Award The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...

, the

Philip K. Dick Award The Philip K. Dick Award is an American science fiction award given annually at Norwescon and sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and (since 2005) the Philip K. Dick Trust. Named after science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, ...

and co-winner of the

James Tiptree Jr. Award The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science f ...

. She is generally well-reviewed critically and, as a feminist science fiction writer, is often compared to

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

, though the two authors are very much distinct in both content and style of work. Gwyneth Jones lives in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, England, with her husband and son.

Bibliography

Novels

Fiction collections

*''Identifying the Object''. Austin: Swan Press, 1993 (paper). No ISBN *''Seven Tales and a Fable''. Cambridge: Edgewood Press, 1995 (paper). *''Grazing the Long Acre''. Hornsea: PS Publishing, 2009. *''The Buonarotti Quartet''. Seattle: Aqueduct Press, 2009 (paper). *''The Universe of Things''. Seattle: Aqueduct Press, 2011 (trade paper).

Short stories

* "Red Sonja and Lessingham in Dreamland" (1996) in '' Off Limits: Tales of Alien Sex'' (anthology) and (2007) in '' Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology'' (anthology) * "Saving Tiamaat" (2007) in '' The New Space Opera'' (anthology) * "The Ki-anna" (2010) in ''

Engineering Infinity ''Engineering Infinity'' is a science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. It was nominated for a Locus Award for Best Anthology in 2012. Contents The anthology includes 15 stories: * "Beyond the Gernsback Continuum ..." by Jonathan Stra ...

'' (anthology) *"A Planet Called Desire" (2015) in ''

Old Venus ''Old Venus'' is a "retro Venus science fiction"-themed anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, that was published on March 3, 2015. All of the stories are set on the planet Venus as styled in the pre-space probe pulp magazin ...

'' (anthology)

Non-fiction

*''Deconstructing the Starships: Science, Fiction and Reality''. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1999. *''Imagination / Space''. Seattle, WA: Aqueduct Press, 2009 (paper). * ''Joanna Russ''. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2019.

As Ann Halam

* ''Ally, Ally, Aster''. London: Allen & Unwin, 1981. * ''The Alder Tree''. London: Allen & Unwin, 1981. * ''King Death's Garden''. London: Orchard Books, 1986. * The Inland trilogy ** ''The Daymaker''. London: Orchard Books, 1987. ** ''Transformations''. London: Orchard Books, 1988. ** ''The Skybreaker''. London: Orchard Books, 1990. * ''Dinosaur Junction''. London: Orchard Books, 1992. * ''The Haunting of Jessica Raven''. London: Orion, 1994. * ''The Fear Man''. London: Orion, 1995. * ''The Powerhouse''. London: Orion, 1997. * ''Crying in the Dark''. London: Dolphin, 1998 (paper). * ''The N.I.M.R.O.D. Conspiracy''. London: Dolphin, 1999 (paper). * ''Don't Open Your Eyes''. London: Dolphin, 1999 (paper). * ''The Shadow on the Stairs''. Edinburgh: Barrington Stoke, 2000 (paper). * '' Dr. Franklin's Island''. London: Orion/Dolphin, 2001. * ''Taylor Five''. London: Dolphin, 2002 (paper). * ''Finders Keepers''. Edinburgh: Barrington Stoke, 2004 (paper). * ''Siberia''. London: Orion, 2005. (shortlist,

Booktrust Teenage Prize The Booktrust Teenage Prize was an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize was administered by Book Trust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded in ...

) * ''Snakehead''. London: Orion, 2007.

References

External links

Gwyneth's personal blogsince 2009
*
1997 interview
at

Spike Magazine ''Spike Magazine'' is an internet cultural journal which began in 1995, founded by its editor Chris Mitchell in Brighton, England. Updated monthly, its motto is "picking the brains of popular culture", though it has an intellectual inclination. D ...

Interview
Independent Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Gwyneth English fantasy writers English science fiction writers English children's writers Science fiction critics British speculative fiction critics British speculative fiction editors Writers from Manchester Alumni of the University of Sussex Women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers 1952 births Living people British women short story writers English women novelists English women non-fiction writers