Steven Paulsen (born 1955) is an Australian writer of science fiction,

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 ...

and horror fiction whose work has been published in books, magazines, journals and newspapers around the world. He is the author of the best selling children's book, ''The Stray Cat'', which has seen publication in several foreign language editions. His short story collection, ''Shadows on the Wall: Weird Tales of Science Fiction, Fantasy and the Supernatural''), won the 2018 Australian Shadows Award for Best Collected Work, and his short stories have appeared in anthologies such as ''

Dreaming Down-Under ''Dreaming Down-Under'' is a 1998 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb. Background ''Dreaming Down-Under'' was first published in Australia in November 1998 by Voyager Books in trade paperback format. In 1999 and ...

'', '' Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror'', ''Strange Fruit'', ''Fantastic Worlds'', ''The Cthulhu Cycle: Thirteen Tentacles of Terror'', and ''Cthulhu Deep Down Under: Volume 3''. Paulsen has also written extensively about Australian

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

in various publications including Bloodsongs,

Eidolon (Australian magazine) Eidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine ''Eidolon'' which ran from 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Boo ...

, Sirius, Interzone,

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work concerning fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael Scott R ...

, Fantasy Annual, The St James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers, and The Melbourne University Press Encyclopedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the 1990s he conceived and edited The Australian SF Writer's News, a writer's resource magazine for Australian Speculative Fiction writers, which was later incorporated into

Aurealis ''Aurealis'' is an Australian speculative fiction magazine published by Chimaera Publications, and is Australia's longest running small-press science-fiction and fantasy magazine. The magazine is based in Melbourne. History and profile ''Aureali ...

magazine. He has conducted interviews with a variety of Australian

Speculative Fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

writers, and was a judge for 2000

Aurealis Awards The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 b ...

. He returned to writing in 2010 after a ten-year hiatus.

Bibliography

Books

;English Language Editions *''The Stray Cat'' (illustrated by

Shaun Tan Shaun Tan (born 1973) is an Australian artist, writer and film maker. He won an Academy Award for '' The Lost Thing'', a 2011 animated film adaptation of a 2000 picture book he wrote and illustrated. Other books he has written and illustrated inc ...

Lothian Books Hachette () is a French publisher. Founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as Brédif, the company later became L. Hachette et Compagnie, Librairie Hachette, Hachette SA and Hachette Livre in France. After acquiring an Australian publisher, Hachette ...

, 1996. *''The Stray Cat'' (illustrated by

Franklin Watts Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including '' The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acad ...

(UK), 1996. *''Shadows on the Wall'' (Weird Tales of Science Fiction, Fantasy and the Supernatural), IFWG Publishing Australia, 2018. ;Foreign Language Editions *''Misteri Kucing Tersesat'' (illustrated by

), PT Elex Media Komputindo (Indonesia), 1997. *''Le Chat Errant'', Hachette Jeunesse (France), 1998. *''Die Streunende Katz'' (illustrated by

), G&G Kinder – und Jugendbuch (Germany), 1999. Hardcover *''After Dark'' (illustrated by

), Publisher: Bookhouse Co., Ltd (Korea), 2002.

Short stories (selected)

*"Art Critic" – The Cygnus Chronicler, ed. Neville J. Angove, June 1982 *"Logic Loop" – Aphelion Magazine #5, ed. Peter McNamara, Summer 1986/87 *"Errand Run" – Aphelion Magazine #5, ed. Peter McNamara, Summer 1986/87 *"The Place" – Terror Australis No. 1, ed.

Leigh Blackmore Leigh (David) Blackmore (born 1959) is an Australian horror writer, critic, editor, occultist, musician and proponent of post-left anarchy. He was the Australian representative for the Horror Writers of America (1994–95) and served as the se ...

, Chris G.C. Sequeira and

Bryce J. Stevens Bryce John Stevens (born 1957) is a horror writer, illustrator and editor. He grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand and moved to Sydney in the mid-1980s. From childhood he was fascinated with the supernatural and terrifying consequences of even ...

. April 1988 *"Old Wood" – Terror Australis No. 2, ed.

, Chris G.C. Sequeira and

. July 1990 *"Two Tomorrow" –

No. 3 – Spring 1990 *"Stray Cat" – EOD Magazine No. 7. ed. Chris Masters, September 1992 *"Greater Garbo" – Australian & New Zealand PC User, October 1992 *"In the Light of the Lamp" – Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror (Hodder & Stoughton) ed.

, 1993 *"Old Wood (reprint) " – Strange Fruit (Penguin Books) – July 1995 *"Two Tomorrow (reprint)" – Beyond (UK) – June 1995 *"In the Light of the Lamp" – The Cthulhu Cycle: Thirteen Tentacles of Terror (Chaosium (USA) ed.

Robert M. Price Robert McNair Price (born July 7, 1954) is an American New Testament scholar. His most notable stance is arguing in favor of the Christ myth theorythe claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on bi ...

, 1996 *"The Sorcerer's Looking Glass" – Fantastic Worlds (HarperCollins), ed. Paul Collins, February 1997 *"Ma Rung" – Dreaming Down-Under (HarperCollins), ed.

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-edit ...

and

Janeen Webb Janeen Webb (''née'' Pemberton) is an Australian writer, critic and editor, working mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Biography The daughter of a Second World War Australian Army commando and salesman, Webb was brought up in ...

, 1998 *"Severing Ties" (with Maurice Xanthos) – Short and Twisted (Celapene Press) ed. Kathryn Duncan, 2009

Essays (selected)

*"The State of the Australian Horror Fiction Magazine" – Bloodsongs No. 1, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1993 *"The Quest for Australian Fantasy (with Sean McMullen) " – Aurealis No. 13, 1994 *"The Search for Early Australian Horror" – Bloodsongs No. 2, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1994 *"The Hunt for Australian Horror (with Sean McMullen)" – Aurealis No. 14, 1994 (reprinted in "The Aurealis Mega Oz SF Anthology", edited by Stephen Higgins and Dirk Strasser (Chimaera Publications), 1999) *"The Art of HAK)" – Bloodsongs No. 3, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1994 *"The State of the Aust. Horror Fiction Magazine (reprint) – SF Fan Resource Book, 1995 *"Pulp Fiction in Oz)" – Bloodsongs No. 4, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1995 *"Kid's Stuff) " – Bloodsongs No. 5, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1995 *"The Hunt for Australian HorrorFiction(with McMullen & Congreve)The ScreamFactory#16, 1995 *"Australian Children's TV (with Sean McMullen) ) " – Sirius No. 10, 1995 *"A Touch of Darkness – Gary Crew)" – Bloodsongs No. 6, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1995 *"Cowboys and Atmosfear)" – Bloodsongs No. 7, ed. Chris Masters and Steve Proposch, 1996 *"Australian Fantasy (with

Sean McMullen Sean Christopher McMullen (born 21 December 1948 in Sale, Victoria) is an Australian science fiction and fantasy author. Biography McMullen is one of Australia's leading science-fiction and fantasy authors and has written over 70 stories and 1 ...

)" –

, ed.

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...

and John Grant, 1997 *Author entries (with Sean McMullen) for

Conrad Aiken Conrad Potter Aiken (August 5, 1889 – August 17, 1973) was an American writer and poet, honored with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, and was United States Poet Laureate from 1950 to 1952. His published works include poetry, short st ...

, Gary Crew,

Terry Dowling Terence William (Terry) Dowling (born 21 March 1947), is an Australian writer and journalist. He writes primarily speculative fiction though he considers himself an "imagier" – one who imagines, a term which liberates his writing from the cons ...

, G. M. Hague,

Robert Hood Robert Hood (born 1965 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He is a founding member of the group Underground Resistance as a 'Minister of Information' with Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills. He is often conside ...

Victor Kelleher Victor Kelleher (born 1939) is an Australian author. Kelleher was born in London and moved to Africa with his parents, at the age of fifteen. He spent the next twenty years travelling and studying in Africa, before moving to New Zealand. Kelle ...

Rick Kennett Rick Kennett'(born 1956) is an Australian writer of science fiction, horror and ghost stories. He is the most prolific and widely published genre author in Australia after Paul Collins (fantasy writer), Paul Collins, Terry Dowling and Greg Egan, w ...

Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer ( yi, יצחק באַשעװיס זינגער; November 11, 1903 – July 24, 1991) was a Polish-born American Jewish writer who wrote and published first in Yiddish and later translated himself into English with the help ...

and

Rosemary Timperley Rosemary Timperley (20 March 1920 – 9 November 1988) was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. She wrote a wide range of fiction, publishing 66 novels in 33 years, and several hundred short stories, but is best remembered for ...

– St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers (St. James Press), ed. David Pringle, 1997 *"A History of Australian Horror (with

Bill Congreve Bill Congreve is an Australian writer, editor and reviewer of speculative fiction. He has also published the work of Australian science fiction and horror writers under his MirrorDanse imprint. Biography Congreve's first work was published in 1 ...

) " – Bonescribes: Year's Best Australian Horror: 1995 (1996) ed.

and Robert Hood, 1996 *"The Quest for Australian Fantasy – Continues (with

) " – Fantasy Annual (USA), 1997 *"Fantastique et horreur made in Australie" (with

)" – Ténèbres No. 3, ed. Daniel Conrad (France), July 1998 *"Golden Age or New Dawn?" – Aussiecon 3 Souvenir Book for the 57th World Science Fiction Convention, ed. Marc Ortlieb, 1999 *"Hakwork: An Appreciation of John Brosnan" – Studies in Australian Weird Fiction Volume 3, ed. Benjamin Szumskyj, 2009

Editor

* '' The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy'' (1998, assistant editor with Paul Collins) * The Australian SF Writers' News – Editor, issues 1–10 (March 1992 – June 1994) * Eidolon – Contributing Editor, issues 19–27 (1995–1998) * The Coode St Review of Science Fiction (with

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

), 1999

Interviews (selected)

Steven Paulsen conducted interviews with a number a leading Australian Speculative Fiction writers during the 1990s. These were notable because Paulsen conducted most of these interviews face-to-face instead of via e-mail, recording the interviews and transcribing the conversations. He also conducted a few interviews in collaboration with

Van Ikin Van Ikin (born 25 November 1951) is an academic and science fiction writer and editor. A professor in English at the University of Western Australia, he retired from teaching in 2015 and is now a senior honorary research fellow. He has acted as ...

. * Stephen R. Donaldson – Dark Horizons (Journal of the British Fantasy Society), Issue 27, Summer 1983 *Martin Middleton – The Australian SF Writers' News No. 2, June 1992 and Sirius No. 1, March 1993 *

– The Australian SF Writers' News No. 3, September 1992 * Paul Voermans – The Australian SF Writers' News No. 4, December 1992 and Interzone No. 76, October 1993 *

– The Australian SF Writers' News No. 5, March 1993 and Sirius No. 2, June 1993 *

– The Australian SF Writers' News No. 6, June 1993 and Sirius No. 4, February 1994 *Sherry-Anne Jacobs – The Australian SF Writers' News No. 9, March 1994 and Sirius No. 5, September 1994 * Sean Williams – The Australian SF Writers' News No. 10, June 1994 * Paul Collins – Sirius No. 7, December 1994 *

Isobelle Carmody Isobelle Jane Carmody (born 16 June 1958) is an Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy, children's literature, and young adult literature. She is recipient of the Aurealis Award for best children's fiction. Biography Isobelle Carmody wa ...

– Sirius No. 8, March 1995 * Paul Jennings – Sirius No. 9, July 1995 *

– Eidolon No. 21, April 1996 and Interzone No. 107, May 1996 *

Garth Nix Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the ''Old Kingdom'', '' Seventh Tower'' and '' Keys to the Kingdom'' series. He has frequently been asked if his ...

– Eidolon #22/23, September 1996 * Simon Brown – Eidolon #22/23, February 1997 *

Lucy Sussex Lucy Sussex (born 1957 in New Zealand) is an author working in fantasy and science fiction, children's and teenage writing, non-fiction and true crime. She is also an editor, reviewer, academic and teacher, and currently resides in Melbourne, Aus ...

– Eidolon No. 24, June 1997 * Simon Brown "From Sydney to Troy: An Interview with Simon Brown" – Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative Literature # 41, Volume 15, Number 1, 1998 (interview conducted in collaboration with

) * Gary Crew – Eidolon No. 27, April 1998 *

Richard Harland Richard Harland (born 15 January 1947 in Yorkshire) is an English fantasy and science fiction writer, living in New South Wales, Australia. He was born in 1947 in Huddersfield, United Kingdom and migrated to Australia in 1970. He has been an aca ...

– Eidolon No. 27, April 1998 (interview conducted in collaboration with Van Ikin) *

"Smoking Mirrors, with a Hint of Scrimshaw" Interzone No. 146, August 1999 (interview conducted in collaboration with

)

Awards

Wins

*1990

Eastern Regional Libraries Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation provides library services to the Cities of Knox, Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges in Victoria, Australia. The system has fourteen branch libraries, two community reading rooms and two mobile librar ...

Short Story Competition – Special Local Award for "Talisman” *1995 William Atheling Jr. Award for "The Hunt for Australian Horror Fiction" with

The Scream Factory The Scream Factory is an American publisher of horror American comic book, comics. Most, if not all titles published by The Scream Factory are film-related. Overview Formally announced on April 7, 2008 speculation to The Scream Factory and its ...

No. 16. *1997 William Atheling Jr. Award for "Australian Fantasy" with

. *2018

Australian Shadows Awards The Australian Shadows Awards are annual literary awards established by the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) in 2005 to honour the best published works of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian/New Zealand/Oceania resident ...

for "Best Collected Work" for ''Shadows on the Wall'' (IFWG Publishing Australia).

Nominations

*1996

Ditmar Award The Ditmar Award (formally the Australian SF ("Ditmar") Award; formerly the "Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award") has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention (the "Natcon") to recognise a ...

nomination for Best Australian Short Fiction: The Stray Cat (runner-up) *1998 William Atheling Jr. Award nomination for Contributions to The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy *1998

Aurealis Award The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

– Convenor's Award nomination for Contributions to The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy *2000 William Atheling Jr. Award nomination for The Coode Street Review of Science Fiction with

*2000

for Best Fan Production for The Coode Street Review of Science Fiction with

Contributions

*1996

Origins Award The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 aw ...

for Best Game-Related Fiction won by The Cthulhu Cycle: Thirteen Tentacles of Terror edited by

which contained Paulsen's short story 'In the Light of the Lamp' *1999 William Atheling Jr. Award won by Paul Collins for The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy for which Paulsen was Assistant Editor and primary contributor *1999

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 Anthology won by

, Edited by

and

(HarperCollins Australia/Voyager) which contained Paulsen's short story 'Ma Rung' Retrieved 14 January 2011. *1999

for Best Anthology won by

, Edited by

and

(HarperCollins Australia/Voyager) which contained Paulsen's short story 'Ma Rung'

References

;Specific ;General * Paul Collins (ed). ''The MUP Encyclopedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy''. Melbourne, Vic: Melbourne University press, 1998, pp. 140–41.
Steven Paulsen official website

External links

Steven Paulsen's official websiteAustralian Horror Writers AssociationSteven Paulsen
at the

Internet Speculative Fiction Database The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paulsen, Steven 1955 births Living people Australian fantasy writers Australian science fiction writers Australian male short story writers Australian horror writers Writers from Melbourne