Michael M. Levy (1950–2017) was an American writer, critic and professor of English and philosophy at the

University of Wisconsin–Stout The University of Wisconsin–Stout (UW–Stout or Stout) is a public university in Menomonie, Wisconsin. A member of the University of Wisconsin System, it enrolls more than 9,600 students. The school was founded in 1891 and named in honor of it ...

. He was known for his scholarly contributions to speculative fiction and children's literature, and for his book reviews in a variety of literary magazines and journals. His work as author includes chapters in the ''Cambridge Companion'' and ''Routledge Companion'' to science fiction. Levy also wrote '' Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction'', the first work on the 500-year history of the genre, in collaboration with

Farah Mendlesohn Farah Jane Mendlesohn (born 27 July 1968) is a British academic historian, writer on speculative fiction, and active member of science fiction fandom. Mendlesohn is best-known for their 2008 book '' Rhetorics of Fantasy'', which classifies fanta ...

. In 2017, the University of Wisconsin–Stout named its children's literature library after Levy. His other honors include a

World Fantasy Award 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 ann ...

, a

Mythopoeic 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 Awa ...

and the Clareson award for contributions to science fiction scholarship.

Life and career

Levy 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 in 1950. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1982, and began his academic career at the University of Wisconsin–Stout in 1980. He was a professor in the department of English and philosophy at the university, and later served as its chair. Over his career, Levy was associated with several science fiction and fantasy organizations: he was editor of the journal ''

Extrapolation In mathematics, extrapolation is a type of estimation, beyond the original observation range, of the value of a variable on the basis of its relationship with another variable. It is similar to interpolation, which produces estimates between know ...

'', and served as president of the

International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA), founded in 1982 is a nonprofit association of scholars, writers, and publishers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in literature, film, and the other arts. Its principal acti ...

and the

Science Fiction Research Association The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), founded in 1970, is the oldest, non-profit professional organization committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding the study of science fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media. ...

. He was also affiliated with the

Children's Literature Association The Children's Literature Association (ChLA) is a non-profit association, based in the United States, of scholars, critics, professors, students, librarians, teachers, and institutions dedicated to studying children's literature.Margaret W. Denman- ...

. In addition to his academic career, Levy was engaged in activities as critic and author. He reviewed books for magazines such as ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and the '' New York Review of Science Fiction'', writing more than a hundred reviews for the latter over his career. As author, he contributed chapters to non-fiction books such as the 2002 ''Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction'' and the 2009 ''Routledge Companion to Science Fiction''. Levy's last book prior to his death was the 2016 '' Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction'', co-written with

. It was the first book on the 500-year history of the children's fantasy genre and was termed a foundational work by critics. Levy died of cancer in 2017. A posthumous publication co-edited with Farah Mendlesohn, ''Aliens in Popular Culture'', appeared in 2019. The book collects over a hundred essays on aliens from science fiction authors and scholars, and includes an chapter by Levy, "Aliens in Video Games".

Recognition

Levy won the 2007 Clareson award for his contributions to science fiction and fantasy scholarship. For his 2016 book ''Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction'', he received the

for Professional Work and the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award. In 2017, the children's literature library of the University of Wisconsin–Stout was named after Levy.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Michael M. 1950 births 2017 deaths American speculative fiction critics Science fiction academics Science fiction critics 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers University of Wisconsin–Stout faculty University of Minnesota alumni