Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five

Hugo awards The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct magazine ''

Jim Baen's Universe ''Jim Baen's Universe'' (''JBU'') was a bimonthly online fantasy and science fiction magazine created by Jim Baen (founder and long-time publisher of Baen Books). It was recognized by the SFWA as a Qualifying Short Fiction Venue. ''JBU'' beg ...

,'' and the creator and editor of ''Galaxy's Edge'' magazine.

Biography

Resnick was born in Chicago on March 5, 1942. He was a 1959 graduate of Highland Park High School in

Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park is a suburban city located in the southeastern part of Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located o ...

. He sold his first piece of writing in 1957, while still in high school. He attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

from 1959 to 1961 and met his future wife, Carol L. Cain, there. The couple began dating in mid-December 1960 and were engaged by the end of the month. They were married in 1961. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Resnick wrote over 200 erotic adult novels under various pseudonyms and edited three men's magazines and seven

tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format. Etymology The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs We ...

s. For over a decade he wrote a weekly column about

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

and a monthly column about purebred

collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Man ...

s, which he and his wife bred and showed. His wife was an uncredited collaborator on much of his science fiction and a co-author on two movie scripts they sold, based on his novels ''

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

'' and ''The Widowmaker''. Archived. His daughter Laura Resnick is a science fiction and

fantasy author This is a list of fantasy authors, authors known for writing works of fantasy, fantasy literature, or related genres of magic realism, horror fiction, science fantasy. Many of the authors are known for work outside the fantasy genres. A ...

. Resnick lived in Cincinnati from 1976 until his death following a battle with cancer on January 9, 2020.

Work and themes

Two notable motifs are evident in much of Resnick's science fiction work—his love of

fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

. The other main subject of his work is Africa, especially Kenya's Kikuyu people, their history, traditions and culture and

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

and its aftermath. He visited Kenya often and drew on his experiences there. Some of his science fiction stories are

allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

of Kenyan history and politics; other stories are actually set in Africa or have African characters. Resnick's style is known for its humor. He enjoyed collaborating with other writers, especially on short stories. Through 2014 he had collaborated with 52 different writers on short fiction, three on screenplays, and three on novels. Late in life, he began writing and selling a series of mystery novels as well, featuring detective Eli Paxton. He had also sold screenplays based on his novels to Miramax, Capella, and Jupiter 9, and often had multiple properties under option to Hollywood studios. His work has been translated into: French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Latin, Swedish, Romanian, Finnish, Portuguese, Slovakian, Chinese, Catalan, Danish, Croatian, and Greek. Resnick's papers are in the Special Collections Library of the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

in Tampa.

Editing

Resnick worked as an editor for ''National Insider'' from 1966 to 1969, and also as editor-in-chief of National Features Syndicate from 1967 to 1968. He was a publisher and editor for Oligarch Press from 1969 onwards. From 1988 on Resnick edited over 40 fiction anthologies. He was an editorial consultant for

BenBella Books BenBella Books is an independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas. BenBella was founded by Glenn Yeffeth in 2001. It specializes in nonfiction books on popular culture, business, health, and nutrition, along with books on science, politics, ...

from 2004 to 2006 and executive editor of ''

'' from 2007 through 2010. From 2011 he was the series' editor for

The Stellar Guild Phoenix Pick is the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Arc Manor Publishers based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. Phoenix Pick publishes many classic and semi-classic works of science fiction and fantasy. These include '' Dark Univ ...

series published by

Phoenix Pick Phoenix Pick is the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Arc Manor Publishers based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. Phoenix Pick publishes many classic and semi-classic works of science fiction and fantasy. These include '' Dark Univ ...

. The series pairs lesser-known science fiction and

s with best-selling veterans of the genre. Beginning in 2013, he was the editor of the bi-monthly magazine ''Galaxy's Edge'', published by Arc Manor, which reprints work by major names in the field along with new stories by new and lesser-known writers.

Fandom

Resnick and his wife were participants in

science fiction fandom Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

from 1962. As of 2012 Resnick had been the guest of honor at some 42 science fiction conventions and

toastmaster Toastmaster is a general term, prevalent in the United States in the mid-20th century, referring to a person in charge of the proceedings of a public speaking event. The toastmaster is typically charged with organization of the event, arrangin ...

at a dozen others. Resnick's wife created costumes in which she and Resnick appeared at five

Worldcon Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, durin ...

masquerades in the 1970s, winning four out of five contests.

Selected awards and honors

In 2012 he was the guest of honor at Chicon 7, the

70th World Science Fiction Convention The 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Chicon 7, was held on 30 August–3 September 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The convention committee was chaired by Dave McCarty and or ...

in Chicago.

Hugo awards

Resnick was nominated for 37 Hugo Awards and won five times. * 1989: " Kirinyaga" for Best Short Story * 1991: " The Manamouki" for Best Novelette * 1995: " Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" for Best Novella * 1998: " The 43 Antarean Dynasties" for Best Short Story * 2005: " Travels with My Cats" for Best Short Story In addition to his wins he was nominated for "For I Have Touched the Sky" (1990), "Winter Solstice" and "One Perfect Morning, With Jackals" (1992), "The Lotus and the Spear" (1993), "Mwalimu in the Squared Circle" (1994), "Barnaby in Exile" and "A Little Knowledge" (1995), "When the Old Gods Die" and "Bibi" (with Susan Shwartz, 1996), "The Land of Nod" (1997), "Hothouse Flowers" and "Hunting the Snark" (2000), "The Elephants on Neptune" and "Redchapel" (2001), "

Old MacDonald Had a Farm "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (sometimes shortened to Old MacDonald) is a traditional children's song and nursery rhyme about a farmer and the various animals he keeps. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise ...

" (2002), "Robots Don't Cry" (2004), "A Princess of Earth" (2005), "Down Memory Lane" (2006), "All the Things You Are" (2007), " Distant Replay" (2008), "Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders" and "Article of Faith" (2009), "The Bride of Frankenstein" (2010), and "The Homecoming" (2012). In 1995 he was the first person to be nominated for four Hugos in a single year. His 37 Hugo nominations through 2015 were an all-time record for a writer at the time. He was also nominated for Best Editor in 1994, 1995, and 2015; for his Chicon 7 Guest of Honor speech in 2007; and for the nonfiction ''Putting It Together: Turning Sow's Ear Drafts Into Silk Purse Stories'' (2001), ''I Have This Nifty Idea...Now What Do I Do With It?'' (2002), and ''The Business of Science Fiction'' (with Barry N. Malzberg) in 2011.

Other awards

Resnick won one Nebula Award from eleven nominations, and numerous other awards from places as diverse as France, Japan, Spain, Croatia, and Poland. His Hugo Award-winning novella "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" also won the S.F. Chronicle Poll Award for the same, the corresponding 1994 Nebula Award for Best Novella and the 1995 HOMer Award for Best Novella. Between 1991 and 2001, he won a further nine HOMer Awards (bringing his total to 10, from 24 nominations). This placed him at the head of HOMer Award winners, ahead of

Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 24 novels published and his short fiction has appeared in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', ''Amazing Stories'', '' On Spec'', ''Nature'', and numerou ...

with nine wins from 12 nominations. His 1998 and 2005 Hugo Award-winning stories—" The 43 Antarean Dynasties" and " Travels with My Cats"—also garnered him Asimov's Reader Poll Awards, of which he won a total of five (from 20 nominations), placing him in second place tied with poet

Bruce Boston Bruce Boston (born 1943) is an American speculative fiction writer and poet. Early years Bruce Boston was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California.Diane SeversonInterview with Bruce Boston''Amazing Stories'' March 15, 2013 (accessed S ...

, behind artist

Bob Eggleton Bob Eggleton (born September 13, 1960) is an American science fiction, fantasy and horror artist. Eggleton is a nine-time Hugo Award–winner for Best Pro Artist in science fiction and fantasy, first winning in 1994. He won the Hugo Award for ...

. He won a total of six S.F. Chronicle Poll Awards, one Locus Award (from 30 nominations, winning in 1996 with "When the Old Gods Die"), a Golden Pagoda Award, two American Dog Writers Awards and an Alexander Award. In 1995, he was awarded the Skylark (or the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction) for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction. In 2017 he was awarded Writers and Illustrators of the Future's Lifetime Achievement Award.

International awards

"Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" also won awards in Spain (Ignotus Award), France (Prix Ozone Award) and Croatia (Futura Poll), contributing to a total of three Ignotus Awards and two Prix Ozone Awards. He was awarded the Spanish El Melocoton Mecanico Award for "

" and the Xatafi-Cyberdark Award for "For I Have Touched the Sky", in addition to a Tour Eiffel Award in France for ''The Dark Lady''. In Japan, he won the Seiun-sho Award for ''Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia'', and the

Hayakawa Award The is an annual poll conducted by '' Hayakawa's S-F Magazine'' for the best Japanese short story, illustrator, and foreign short story, voted by the readers from their issues in the previous year. The honor has been awarded since 1989. Award wi ...

for "For I Have Touched the Sky". In Poland, " Kirinyaga" won the Nowa Fantastyka Poll Award, while "For I Have Touched the Sky" and "When the Old Gods Die" won ''SFinks'' awards. He won

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

's Ictineus Award in 2012 for Best Translated Story for "Soulmates", a collaboration with Lezli Robyn.

Mike Resnick Memorial Award

The ''Mike Resnick Award for Short Fiction'' was established in 2021 in Resnick’s honor. Contenders must be new, previously unpublished authors. Winners receive a trophy and a cash prize of $250. The first winner was Z.T. Bright for his story, "The Measure of a Mother's Love."

Series bibliography

Resnick wrote more than 70 novels and published over 25 collections. He edited more than 40 anthologies. Fiona Kelleghan compiled ''Mike Resnick: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to His Work'' (Farthest Star, 2000). Adrienne Gormley completed a 679-page second edition, which was published in 2012. This is a list of his series.

Ganymede

# ''The Goddess of Ganymede'' (1968) # ''Pursuit on Ganymede'' (1968)

Far Future History

# ''Birthright'' (1982) # ''Santiago'' (1980) # ''The Dark Lady'' (1987)

Galactic Midway

# ''

Sideshow In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten ...

'' (1982) # '' The Three-legged Hootch Dancer'' (1983) # ''The Wild Alien Tamer'' (1983) # ''The Best Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gunslinger in the Whole Damned Galaxy'' (1983)

Velvet Comet

# ''Eros Ascending'' (1984) # ''Eros At Zenith'' (1984) # ''Eros Descending'' (1985) # ''Eros At Nadir'' (1986)

Lucifer Jones

# ''Adventures'' (1985) # ''Exploits'' (1993) # ''Encounters'' (1994) # ''Hazards'' (2009) # ''Voyages'' (2017)

Fables of Tonight

# ''Stalking the Unicorn'' (1987) # ''Stalking the Vampire'' (2008) # ''Stalking the Dragon'' (2009) # ''Stalking the Zombie'' (2012)

Galactic Comedy

# ''Paradise'' (1989) # ''Purgatory'' (1993) # ''Inferno'' (1993)

Tales of Kirinyaga

# ''Kirinyaga'' (1991) # ''For I Have Touched the Sky'' (1989) # ''Bwana'' (1999)

Oracle

# ''Soothsayer'' (1991) # ''Oracle'' (1992) # ''Prophet'' (1993)

Widowmaker

# ''The Widowmaker'' (1996) # ''The Widowmaker Reborn'' (1997) # ''The Widowmaker Unleashed'' (1998) # ''A Gathering of Widowmakers'' (2005)

Eli Paxton Mystery

# ''Dog in the Manger'' (1997) # ''The Trojan Colt'' (2013) # ''Cat on a Cold Tin Roof'' (2014)

Starship

# ''Mutiny'' (2005) # ''Pirate'' (2006) # ''Mercenary'' (2007) # ''Rebel'' (2008) # ''Flagship'' (2009)

Weird West Tale

# ''The Buntline Special'' (2010) # ''The Doctor and the Kid'' (2011) # ''The Doctor and the Rough Rider'' (2012) # ''The Doctor and the Dinosaurs'' (2013)

Dead Enders

# ''The Fortress in Orion'' (2014) # ''The Prison in Antares'' (2015) # ''The Castle in Cassiopeia'' (2017)

Gods of Sagittarius (with
Eric Flint Eric Flint (February 6, 1947 – July 17, 2022) was an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are Alternate history (fiction), alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures. ...
)

# ''Gods of Sagittarius'' (2017)

Dreamscape Trilogy

# ''The Master of Dreams'' (2019) # ''The Mistress of Illusions'' (2020)

References

External links

*
Bibliography
– cleaner and easier to read than the one at the official site, but the short stories is updated only through 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Resnick, Mike 1942 births 2020 deaths Deaths from cancer in Ohio 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists American male short story writers American online publication editors American science fiction writers Asimov's Science Fiction people Hugo Award-winning writers Nebula Award winners Science fiction editors Science fiction fans Writers from Chicago 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois Writers from Cincinnati Novelists from Ohio