John Frederick Lange Jr. (born June 3, 1931) is an American writer who, as John Norman, has authored the '' Gor'' series of science fantasy novels. Norman is also a philosophy professor.

Early life and education

Lange was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois, to John Frederick Lange and Almyra D. Lange (née Taylor). He began his academic career in the early 1950s, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

in 1953, and his Master of Arts degree from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

in 1957.

Personal life

Lange married Bernice L. Green on January 14, 1956 while he was still a student at USC. The couple have three children: John, David, and Jennifer.

Academic career

Lange earned his PhD in 1963 from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. His dissertation was named: "In defence of ethical naturalism: an examination of certain aspects of naturalistic fallacy, with particular attention to the logic of an open question argument". Lange summed it up in an interview by saying "if one cannot make sense of morality within some sort of satisfying, natural context, then one is likely to end up with no morality, which is less than societally reassuring, or is likely to end up with a competitive plethora of moralities in which ninety-nine percent of the world's population is convinced that the other ninety-nine percent is unclean, stupid, uninformed, vicious, depraved, in need of coercive correction, and such. That too, seems less than reassuring." He was a professor at Queens College of the City University of New York before retirement.

Writing career

Norman's fiction attained popularity in the 1970s and early 1980s with an estimated 6 to 12 million copies sold. John Norman's Gorean Saga is a long-running series of adventure science fantasy novels, starting in December 1966 with ''Tarnsman of Gor''. The series was put on hold after its twenty-fifth installment, ''Magicians of Gor'', in 1988, when

DAW Daw or DAW may refer to: People and language * Daw (given name) * Daw (surname) * Daw, an honorific used in Burmese name#Honorifics, Burmese names * Dâw people, an indigenous people of Brazil * Dâw language, a language of Brazil * Davaoeño lang ...

refused to publish its successor, ''Witness of Gor''. After several unsuccessful attempts to find a trade publishing outlet, the series was brought back into print in 2001 with the publication of ''Witness of Gor''. Norman has also produced a separate science fiction series, the ''Telnarian Histories'', plus three other fiction works, five non-fiction works, and a collection of thirty short stories. Norman has said that the three major influences on his work are

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, Freud, and

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his car ...

Themes

According to Norman, his Gor books are

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 uni ...

or adventure fantasy works which are also "intellectual, philosophical, and psychological novels". His fiction depicts fantastic worlds where male-dominated bondage relationships are natural and widely practiced and respected culturally, whereas characteristics of modern society are criticized and philosophical themes are explored, especially from a

an view. Although the bondage in his '' Imaginative Sex'' guide is directed to sexual practices, the bondage and slavery presented on "Gor" follows along the lines of societal or legal slavery; a common way of life as reflected in ancient Rome and other societies. While the philosophy presented is unquestionably that of male dominance, male characters are themselves occasionally enslaved by powerful females. In an interview with ''

Polygraff ''Polygraff'' was a quarterly anthology of short stories in science fiction, fantasy, horror, pulp, cyberpunk, and other genres of speculative fiction. It was available in print since 2009. As of July 2010, ''Polygraff'' had completed its first ...

'' magazine, Norman stated that he believes that it is obvious that all societies are based on dominance and hierarchy. His non-fiction works cover philosophy,

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

and

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

Gorean subculture

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

based on his ''Gor'' novels, known as the

Gorean subculture Gorean subculture is a fandom based on the philosophy espoused in John Norman's long-running sword and planet novel series '' Chronicles of Counter-Earth''. Background Gorean subculture developed independently of Norman's involvement, particul ...

, has developed without Lange's direct involvement. Scholars have discussed the way that Gorean subculture groups on media such as

IMVU IMVU (, stylized as imvu) is an online virtual world and social networking site. IMVU was founded in 2004 and was originally backed by venture investors Menlo Ventures, AllegisCyber Capital, Bridgescale Partners, and Best Buy Capital.

, ''

Second Life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...

'', and

Internet Relay Chat Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called '' channels'', but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat an ...

have influenced the development of online role-playing and even the MMORPG genre.

Works

Fiction

''Gor'' series

# ''Tarnsman of Gor'' (1966) # ''Outlaw of Gor'' (1967) # ''Priest-Kings of Gor'' (1968) # ''Nomads of Gor'' (1969) # ''Assassin of Gor'' (1970) # ''Raiders of Gor'' (1971) # ''Captive of Gor'' (1972) # ''Hunters of Gor'' (1974) # ''Marauders of Gor'' (1975) # ''Tribesmen of Gor'' (1976) # ''Slave Girl of Gor'' (1977) # ''Beasts of Gor'' (1978) # ''Explorers of Gor'' (1979) # ''Fighting Slave of Gor'' (1980) # ''Rogue of Gor'' (1981) # ''Guardsman of Gor'' (1981) # ''Savages of Gor'' (1982) # ''Blood Brothers of Gor'' (1982) # ''Kajira of Gor'' (1983) # ''Players of Gor'' (1984) # ''Mercenaries of Gor'' (1985) # ''Dancer of Gor'' (1985) # ''Renegades of Gor'' (1986) # ''Vagabonds of Gor'' (1987) # ''Magicians of Gor'' (1988) # ''Witness of Gor'' (2001) # ''Prize of Gor'' (2008) # ''Kur of Gor'' (2009) # ''Swordsmen of Gor'' (2010) # ''Mariners of Gor'' (2011) # ''Conspirators of Gor'' (2012) # ''Smugglers of Gor'' (Oct. 2012) # ''Rebels of Gor'' (Oct. 2013) # ''Plunder of Gor'' (August 2016) # ''Quarry of Gor'' (June 2019) # ''Avengers of Gor'' (May 25, 2021), Open Road Distribution, # ''Warriors of Gor'' (Aug 30, 2022), Open Road Distribution,

''
Telnarian Histories The ''Telnarian Histories'' are a series of five space opera novels by American writer John Norman; the first three were published between 1991 and 1993. The setting of the novels is a galactic realm closely parallel to the later history of t ...
'' series

# ''The Chieftain'' (1991) # ''The Captain'' (1992) # ''The King'' (1993) # ''The Usurper'' (2015) # ''The Emperor'' (May 2019)

Other novels

* '' Ghost Dance'' (1970) * '' Time Slave'' (1975) * ''The Totems of Abydos'' (2012)

Short-story collections

* ''Norman Invasions'' (2009)

Nonfiction

* ''Values and Imperatives: Studies in Ethics''. (1969) s_John_Lange,_ed.;_written_by_C._I._Lewis.html" ;"title="C._I._Lewis.html" ;"title="s John Lange, ed.; written by C. I. Lewis">s John Lange, ed.; written by C. I. Lewis">C._I._Lewis.html" ;"title="s John Lange, ed.; written by C. I. Lewis">s John Lange, ed.; written by C. I. Lewis * ''The Cognitivity Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Claims of Philosophy'' (1970) s John Lange * '' Imaginative Sex'' (1974) * '' The Philosophy of Historiography'' (2010) s John Lange * '' Philosophy and the Challenge of the Future '' (2012) s John Lange

References

External links

John Norman's Chronicles of Gor

* ttp://www.rdrop.com/users/wyvern/john.norman.html Older (1998) sketch of John Norman's life * * *
Norman, John
at

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

The Complete John Norman
a bibliography *
March 2011 interview by Charlie Jane Anders with Norman on io9
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, John 1931 births Living people Writers from Chicago Writers from New York City 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American science fiction writers American libertarians University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni University of Southern California alumni Princeton University alumni BDSM writers American erotica writers American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Novelists from Illinois Gor 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers