John Crowley (born December 1, 1942) is an American author of

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 ...

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 ...

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

, and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

. Crowley studied at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and has a second career as a documentary film writer. Crowley is best known as the author of ''

Little, Big ''Little, Big: or, The Fairies' Parliament'' is a contemporary fantasy novel by John Crowley, published in 1981. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1982. Plot Turn-of-the-century American architect John Drinkwater begins to suspect that within ...

'' (1981), a work which received

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 ...

for Best Novel and has been called "a neglected masterpiece" by Harold Bloom, and his ''Ægypt'' series of novels which revolve around the same themes of Hermeticism, memory, families and religion. Some of his nonfiction writing has appeared bimonthly in ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'' in the form of his "Easy Chair" column, which ended in 2016.

Biography

John Crowley was born in Presque Isle, Maine, in 1942; his father was then an officer in the US Army Air Corps. He grew up in Vermont, northeastern Kentucky and (for the longest stretch) Indiana, where he went to high school and college. He moved to New York City after college to make movies, and did find work in documentary films, an occupation he still pursues. He published his first novel (''The Deep'') in 1975, and his twelfth (''Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr'') in 2017. Since 1993 he has taught creative writing at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. In 1992 he received the Award in Literature from the

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

. His first published novels were science fiction: '' The Deep'' (1975) and ''

Beasts Beast most often refers to: * Non-human animal * Monster Beast or Beasts may also refer to: Bible * Beast (Revelation), two beasts described in the Book of Revelation Computing and gaming * Beast (card game), English name of historical Frenc ...

'' (1976). ''

Engine Summer ''Engine Summer'' is a novel by American writer John Crowley, published in 1979 by Doubleday. It was nominated for the 1980 National Book Award for hardcover science fiction, as well as both the British Fantasy and John W. Campbell Awards the s ...

'' (1979) was nominated for the 1980

American Book Award The American Book Award is an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "the ...

in a one-year category Science Fiction;"1980" (hardcover Science Fiction)
''60 Years of Honoring Great American Books'' (anniversary blog), August 13, 2009. National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-14. it appears in David Pringle's '' Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels''. In 1981 came ''

'', covered in Pringle's sequel, '' Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels''. In 1987 Crowley embarked on an ambitious four-volume novel, ''

Ægypt ''Ægypt '' is a fantasy tetralogy written by American author John Crowley. The series describes the life and work of Pierce Moffett, a history professor who prepares a manuscript for publication even as it prepares him for some as-yet unknown d ...

'', comprising '' The Solitudes'' (originally published as ''

''), ''

Love & Sleep ''Love & Sleep'' is a 1994 fantasy novel by John Crowley. It is the second novel in Crowley's Ægypt Sequence and a sequel to Crowley's 1987 novel '' The Solitudes''. In it, the protagonist Pierce Moffett continues his book project begun in ''Th ...

'', ''

Dæmonomania ''Daemonomania'' is a 2000 fantasy novel by John Crowley. It is Crowley's seventh novel, and as the third novel in Crowley's Ægypt Sequence, a sequel to Crowley's 1994 novel ''Love & Sleep''. The novel follows protagonist Pierce Moffett as h ...

,'' and '' Endless Things'', published in May 2007. This series and ''Little, Big'' were cited when Crowley received the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Literature. He is also the recipient of an Ingram Merrill Foundation grant.

James Merrill James Ingram Merrill (March 3, 1926 – February 6, 1995) was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977 for ''Divine Comedies.'' His poetry falls into two distinct bodies of work: the polished and formalist lyri ...

, the organization's founder, greatly loved ''Little, Big'', and was blurbed praising Crowley on the first edition of ''

''. His recent novels are ''The Translator'', recipient of the Premio Flaiano (Italy); ''Lord Byron’s Novel: The Evening Land'', which contains an entire imaginary novel by the poet; and the aforementioned ''

Four Freedoms The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Monday, January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech (technically the 1941 State of the Union address), he proposed four fundamental freed ...

'', about workers at an Oklahoma defense plant during World War II. A novella, ''The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines'', appeared in 2002. A museum-quality 25th anniversary edition of ''Little, Big'', featuring the art of

Peter Milton Peter Winslow Milton (born 1930) is a colorblind American artist who was diagnosed with deuteranopia after hearing a comment about the pink in his landscapes. Milton's black and white etchings and engravings often display photorealistic detail wi ...

and a critical introduction by Harold Bloom, is now complete. Crowley's short fiction is collected in three volumes: ''Novelty'' (containing the World Fantasy Award-winning novella ''

Great Work of Time "Great Work of Time" is a science fiction novella by American writer John Crowley, originally published in Crowley's 1989 book collection ''Novelty''. A story involving time travel, it concerns a secret society whose aim is to avert World War ...

''), ''Antiquities'', and ''Novelties & Souvenirs'', an omnibus volume containing nearly all his short fiction through its publication in 2004. A collection of essays and reviews entitled ''In Other Words'' was published in early 2007. Most of the ideas he has for books occur about ten years before he actually starts working on the books. In 1989 Crowley and his wife Laurie Block founded Straight Ahead Pictures to produce media (film, video, radio and internet) on American history and culture. Crowley has written scripts for short films and documentaries, many historical documentaries for public television; his work has received numerous awards and has been shown at the New York Film Festival, the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, and many others. His scripts include ''The World of Tomorrow'' (on the 1939

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

), ''No Place to Hide'' (on the bomb shelter obsession), ''The Hindenburg'' (for HBO), and ''FIT: Episodes in the History of the Body'' (American fitness practices and beliefs over the decades; with Laurie Block)."John Crowley: Senior Lecturer in English, Creative Writing"
(faculty profile). Yale University: English. Retrieved 2012-03-14. Crowley's correspondence with literary critic Harold Bloom, and their mutual appreciation, led in 1993 to Crowley taking up a post at

, where he teaches courses in Utopian fiction, fiction writing, and screenplay writing. Bloom claimed on Contentville.com that ''Little, Big'' ranks among the five best novels by a living writer, and included ''Little, Big'', ''Ægypt'' (''The Solitudes''), and ''Love & Sleep'' in his canon of literature (in the appendix to ''The Western Canon'', 1994). In his Preface to ''Snake's-Hands'', Bloom identifies Crowley as his "favorite contemporary writer", and the ''Ægypt'' series as his "favorite romance...after ''Little, Big''". Crowley has also taught at the Clarion West Writers' Workshop held annually in Seattle, Washington.

Awards

* 1982: ''

'' received the

World Fantasy Award for Best Novel In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

and the

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. Established by the Mythopoeic Society in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awar ...

"John Crowley"
. Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards: Index of Literary Nominees. '' Locus''. Retrieved 2012-03-14. * 1990: ''

'' received the

World Fantasy Award for Best Novella In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

* 1992:

Award in Literature * 1997: ''Gone'' received the

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

for Best Short Story * 1999: "La Grande oeuvre du temps", the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

edition of "Great Work of Time" (translated by Monique LeBailly), won the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire, Nouvelle étrangère (Grand Prize for translated story) * 2003: ''The Translator'' received the Italian ''Premio Flaiano'' * 2006:

World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

* 2007: Bulgakov Award of Portal SF Assembly (Kyiv, Ukraine) * 2018: "Spring Break" received the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

* 2018: ''Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr'' received the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award * 2021: ''Kra, Dar Duchesne dans les ruines de l’Ymr'', the French language edition of ''Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr'', received the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Foreign Novel

Bibliography

Novels

* '' The Deep'', Doubleday (1975), illustrated by John Cayea, and

Anne Yvonne Gilbert Anne Yvonne Gilbert (born 1950/1951) is a British artist and book illustrator. Her cover design of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 1983 single "Relax" has been described as "one of the most famous record sleeves of all time". While much of her caree ...

in 1984 * ''

'', Doubleday (1976), illustrated by John Cayea, and

in 1983 * ''

'', Doubleday (1979) —

John W. Campbell Memorial Award The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best science fiction no ...

runner-up,

and

BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

finalist, 1980, illustrated by

Gary Friedman Gary Friedman is the chairman and chief executive officer of home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware, Inc. Early life Gary Friedman was born in San Francisco to a Jewish family. When he was five years of age, his father died and he was r ...

, and

in 1983 * ''

'', Bantam (1981) — 1982

and Mythopoeic Award winner; Locus runner-up;

BSFA The British Science Fiction Association Limited is an organisation founded in 1958 by a group of British academics, science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to promote the writing, criticism, and study of science fiction ...

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

, and

Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

nominee, illustrated by

in 1983 * ''The Translator'', William Morrow (2002) * ''Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land'', William Morrow (2005) * ''

'', William Morrow (2009) * '' The Chemical Wedding: by Christian Rosencreutz: A Romance in Eight Days by Johann Valentin Andreae in a New Version'',

Small Beer Press Small Beer Press is a publisher of fantasy and literary fiction, based in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link in 2000 and publishes novels, collections, and anthologies. It also publishes the zine ''Lady Churc ...

(2016) * ''Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr'',

Saga Press Gallery Publishing Group is a general interest publisher and a division of Simon & Schuster which houses the imprints Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Scout Press, Gallery 13, and Saga Press. Jen Bergstrom is the Senior Vice President and Publisher. ...

(2017) — Mythopoeic Award winner; World Fantasy Award nominee * '' Flint and Mirror'': ''A Novel of History and Magic'',

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

(2022)

The
Ægypt ''Ægypt '' is a fantasy tetralogy written by American author John Crowley. The series describes the life and work of Pierce Moffett, a history professor who prepares a manuscript for publication even as it prepares him for some as-yet unknown d ...
Cycle

* ''

'', Bantam (1987); revised and republished 2007 under intended original title, ''The Solitudes'' — 1988 World Fantasy Award and

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 ...

nominee * ''

'', Bantam (1994); revised 2008 — 1995 WFA nominee * ''

'', Bantam (2000); revised 2008 * '' Endless Things'',

(2007); revised 2009 — 2008 Locus Award fifth place

=Note

= Crowley's short story "Flint and Mirror" (2018) was presented as "recently discovered among uncatalogued papers of the novelist Fellowes Kraft" (one of the ''Ægypts protagonists). He expanded the story into a 2022 novel of the same name, though the link to ''Ægypt'' was omitted.

Short fiction

* "Antiquities" (1977, in ''Whispers: An Anthology of Fantasy and Horror'') * "Somewhere to Elsewhere" (1978 but printed as 1977, in ''The Little Magazine''; an earlier draft of part of the first chapter and all of the second chapter of ''Little, Big'') * "Where Spirits Gat Them Home" (1978, in '' Shadows'' anthology; later revised as "Her Bounty to the Dead") * "The Single Excursion of Caspar Last" (1979, in '' Gallery'' magazine; later incorporated into "Great Work of Time") * "The Reason for the Visit" (1980, in ''Interfaces'' anthology) * "The Green Child" (1981, in ''Elsewhere'' anthology) * "Novelty" (1983, in '' Interzone'' magazine) * "

Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

" (1985, in '' Omni'' magazine) — 1985 Locus Award third place * "The Nightingale Sings at Night" (1989, in ''Novelty'') * "

" (novella, 1989, in ''Novelty''), Bantam (1991) — 1990 World Fantasy Award and 1999 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire winner * "In Blue" (novella, 1989, in ''Novelty'') * "Missolonghi 1824" (1990, in '' Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'') * "Exogamy" (1993, in ''Omni Best Science Fiction Three'' anthology) * "Gone" (1996, in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & 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 ...

'') — 1997 Locus Award winner * "Lost and Abandoned" (1997, in ''Black Swan, White Raven'' anthology) * "An Earthly Mother Sits and Sings" (2000, published as an original chapbook by Dreamhaven Press, illustrated by

Charles Vess Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau pain ...

; included into ''Flint and Mirror'') * "The War Between the Objects and the Subjects" (2002, in '' J. K. Potter's Embrace the Mutation'' anthology) * "The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines" (novella, 2002, in '' Conjunctions: 39, The New Wave Fabulists'', edited by

Peter Straub Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

Subterranean Press Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...

(2005) * "Little Yeses, Little Nos" (2005, in ''

The Yale Review ''The Yale Review'' is the oldest literary journal in the United States. It is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. It was founded in 1819 as ''The Christian Spectator'' to support Evangelicalism. Over time it began to publish more on hi ...

'') * "Conversation Hearts" (2008; published as a chapbook by Subterranean Press) * "And Go Like This" (2011, in ''Naked City'' anthology) * "Tom Mix" (vignette, 2012, online; republished as "In the Tom Mix Museum") * "Glow Little Glowworm" (2012, in ''Conjunctions: 59, Colloquy'') * "The Million Monkeys of M. Borel" (2016, in ''Conjunctions: 67, Other Aliens'') * "This Is Our Town" (2017, in ''Totalitopia'') * "Mount Auburn Street" (2017, in ''The Yale Review'') * "Spring Break" (2017, in ''New Haven Noir'' anthology) — 2018 Edgar Award winner * "Flint and Mirror" (2018, in ''The Book of Magic'' anthology; expanded into a novel of the same name) * "Anosognosia" (2019, in ''And Go Like This'') * "Poker Night at the Elks Club 1938" (2022, in ''Conjunctions: 79, Onword''; 2024, in ''Two Chapters in a Family Chronicle'') * "Percy and Lulu Go to Vermont" (2024, in ''Two Chapters in a Family Chronicle'') * ''The Sixties: A Forged Diary'' (2024, Ninepin Press)

Collections

* ''Novelty'', Bantam (1989); collects "The Nightingale Sings At Night", "

", "In Blue" and the previously published "Novelty". * ''Antiquities: Seven Stories'',

Incunabula In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pro ...

(1993); collects all of his stories to that point which were not included in ''Novelty''. * ''Novelties and Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction'', Perennial (2004); collects all of his short fiction up to that point, with the exception of "The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines". * ''Totalitopia'', PM Press (2017); collects four stories ("This Is Our Town", "Gone", "In the Tom Mix Museum", "And Go Like This"), three essays and the interview. * ''And Go Like This: Stories'', Small Beer Press (2019); collects all of his short fiction from 2002-2019. * ''Two Chapters in a Family Chronicle'', Ninepin Press (2024).

Omnibuses

* ''Beasts/Engine Summer/Little Big'', QPBC (1991) * ''Three Novels'' (1994; later published as ''Otherwise: Three Novels by John Crowley''. It includes ''The Deep'', ''Beasts'', ''Engine Summer'').

Documentary scripts

* ''America Lost and Found'' (1979) * ''Hindenberg: Ship of Doom'' (1980) * ''No Place to Hide'' (1983; 30 min) * ''America and Lewis Hine'' (1984, with Laurie Block and Daniel Allentuck; 60 min) * ''The World of Tomorrow'' (1984; 76 min) * ''Are We Winning Mommy? America and the Cold War'' (1986, with Laurie Block; 87 min) * ''A $10 Horse and a $40 Saddle'' (1987) * ''Fit: Episodes in the History of the Body'' (1991, with Laurie Block; 74 min) * ''Pearl Harbor: Surprise and Remembrance'' (1991) * '' Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II'' (1992; 90 min) * ''Nobody's Girls: Five Women of the West'' (1995; 90 min) * '' Morning Sun'' (2003, written with Carma Hinton and Geremie Barmé; 117 min)

Nonfiction

Essay collections

* ''In Other Words'',

(2007). * ''Reading Backwards: Essays & Reviews, 2005-2018'', Subterranean Press (2019). * ''Two Talks on Writing'', Ninepin Press (2024); includes "Practicing the Arts of Peace" and "The Uses of Allegory". * ''Seventy-Four Dreams'', Ninepin Press (2024).

Articles

Crowley's articles and essay-reviews have appeared in Lapham's Quarterly, the Boston Review, Tin House, and Harper's. *

Audio books

* ''Ægypt'', Blackstone Audiobooks (2007; unabridged reading of ''The Solitudes'' by the author.) * ''Little, Big'', Blackstone Audiobooks (2011; unabridged reading by the author.) * ''Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr'', Brilliance Audio (2017; unabridged reading by the author.)

References

External links

* * * *
John Crowley Collection
at the Harry Ransom Center at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowley, John 1942 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers American fantasy writers American male novelists American male short story writers Chapbook writers Harper's Magazine people Indiana University Bloomington alumni Novelists from Maine People from Presque Isle, Maine American postmodern writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers

Biography

Awards

Bibliography

Novels

The Ægypt ''Ægypt '' is a fantasy tetralogy written by American author John Crowley. The series describes the life and work of Pierce Moffett, a history professor who prepares a manuscript for publication even as it prepares him for some as-yet unknown d ... Cycle

=Note

Short fiction

Collections

Omnibuses

Documentary scripts

Nonfiction

Essay collections

Articles

Audio books

References

Further reading

External links

The
Ægypt ''Ægypt '' is a fantasy tetralogy written by American author John Crowley. The series describes the life and work of Pierce Moffett, a history professor who prepares a manuscript for publication even as it prepares him for some as-yet unknown d ...
Cycle