Michael Moorcock
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Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
writer, best-known for
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 ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving 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 literature and d ...
, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worked as an editor and is also a successful musician. He is best known for his novels about the character
Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...
, a seminal influence on the field of fantasy since the 1960s and '70s. As editor of the British science fiction magazine ''
New Worlds New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...
'', from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States, leading to the advent of
cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and c ...
. His publication of ''
Bug Jack Barron ''Bug Jack Barron'' is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Norman Spinrad, first serialized in the '' New Worlds'' magazine under the editorship of Michael Moorcock. It was nominated for the 1970 Hugo Award. The novel is notable for ...
'' (1969) by
Norman Spinrad Norman Richard Spinrad (born September 15, 1940) is an American science fiction author, essayist, and critic. His fiction has won the Prix Apollo and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and multiple Nebula Awards. Pe ...
as a serial novel was notorious; in Parliament, some British MPs condemned the Arts Council of Great Britain for funding the magazine. He is also a recording musician, contributing to the bands
Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
,
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...
, Robert Calvert, Spirits Burning, and his own project, Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix. In 2008, ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' named Moorcock in its list of "The 50 greatest
British writers British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
since 1945"."The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945"
. 5 January 2008. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''. Retrieved April 22, 2020.


Biography

Michael Moorcock was born in London in December 1939, and the landscape of London, particularly the area of
Notting Hill Gate Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name. Location At Ossington Street/Ke ...
and
Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given ...
, is an important influence in some of his fiction (such as the Cornelius novels). Moorcock has mentioned ''The Mastermind of Mars'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs, ''
The Apple Cart ''The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza'' is a 1928 play by George Bernard Shaw. It is a satirical comedy about several political philosophies which are expounded by the characters, often in lengthy monologues. The plot follows the fictional ...
'' by
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
and ''The Constable of St. Nicholas'' by
Edwin Lester Arnold Edwin Lester Linden Arnold (14 May 1857 – 1 March 1935) was an English author. Most of his works were issued under his working name of Edwin Lester Arnold. Life and literary career Arnold was born in Swanscombe, Kent, as son of Sir Edwin Arnol ...
as the first three non-juvenile books that he read before beginning primary school. The first book he bought was a secondhand copy of ''
The Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...
''. Moorcock is the former husband of the writer
Hilary Bailey Hilary Bailey (19 September 1936 – 19 January 2017) was a British writer, critic and editor. Life Bailey attended Newnham College, Cambridge, where she was a founder-member of the Cambridge University Women's Union. She was born in Brom ...
by whom he had three children: Sophie b.1963, Katherine b.1964, and Max b. 1972. He is also the former husband of Jill Riches, who later married Robert Calvert. She illustrated some of Moorcock's books, including covers, among them the dustjacket for the first edition of ''
Gloriana ''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...
'' (
Allison and Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in May ...
, 1978). In 1983, Linda Steele became Moorcock's third wife. He was an early member of the
Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America The Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America or SAGA was an informal group of American fantasy authors active from the 1960s through the 1980s, noted for their contributions to the "Sword and Sorcery" kind of heroic fantasy, itself a subgenre of ...
(SAGA), a loose-knit group of eight
heroic fantasy Heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy in which events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is nonexistent. The setting may be entirely fictitious in nature or based upon Earth with some additions. Unlike dark fiction ...
authors founded in the 1960s and led by
Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
, selected by fantasy credentials alone. Moorcock is the subject of four book-length works, a monograph and an interview, by
Colin Greenland Colin Greenland (born 17 May 1954 in Dover, Kent, England) is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best-known novel is ''Take Back Plenty'' (1990), winner of both majo ...
. In 1983, Greenland published '' The Entropy Exhibition: Michael Moorcock and the British 'New Wave' in Science Fiction''. He followed this with ''Michael Moorcock: Death is No Obstacle'', a book-length interview about technique, in 1992. ''Michael Moorcock: Law of Chaos'' by Jeff Gardiner and ''Michael Moorcock: Fiction, Fantasy and the World's Pain'' by Mark Scroggins were published more recently. In the 1990s, Moorcock moved to
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
in the United States. His wife Linda is American. He spends half of the year in Texas, the other half in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.


Political views

Moorcock's works are noted for their political nature and content. In one interview, he states, "I am an anarchist and a pragmatist. My moral/philosophical position is that of an anarchist." In describing how his writing relates to his political philosophy, Moorcock says, "My books frequently deal with aristocratic heroes, gods and so forth. All of them end on a note which often states quite directly that one should serve neither gods nor masters but become one's own master." Besides using fiction to explore his politics, Moorcock also engages in
political activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...
. In order to "marginalize stuff that works to objectify women and suggests women enjoy being beaten", he has encouraged
W H Smith WHSmith (also written WH Smith, and known colloquially as Smith's and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son) is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and ...
s to move
John Norman 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, I ...
's '' Gor'' series novels to the top shelf.


Writer


Fiction

Moorcock began writing while he was still at school, contributing to a magazine he entitled ''Outlaw's Own'' from 1950 on. In 1957, at the age of 17, Moorcock became editor of ''Tarzan Adventures'' (a national juvenile weekly featuring text and Tarzan comic strip), which had published at least a dozen of his own "Sojan the Swordsman" stories during that year and the next. At age 18 (in 1958), he wrote the allegorical fantasy novel ''The Golden Barge''. This remained unpublished until 1980, when it was issued by Savoy Books with an introduction by
M. John Harrison Michael John Harrison (born 26 July 1945), known for publication purposes primarily as M. John Harrison, is an English author and literary critic.Kelley, George. "Harrison, M(ichael) John" in Jay P. Pederson (.ed) ''St. James guide to sci ...
. At 19, Moorcock worked on ''
The Sexton Blake Library ''The Sexton Blake Library'' was a story paper of the first two-thirds of the 20th century, published by Amalgamated Press. It featured the adventures of private detective Sexton Blake, his boy assistant Tinker and their dog Pedro. Overview By t ...
'' (serial
pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...
featuring
Sexton Blake Sexton Blake is a fictional character, a detective who has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893. Sexton Blake adventures were featured in a wide variety of British and international publications ...
, the poor man's Sherlock Holmes). Under Moorcock's leadership, ''New Worlds'' became central to "New Wave" science fiction. This movement, not of its own naming, promoted individual vision, literary style and an existential view of technological change, in contrast to generic "
hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...
", which extrapolated on technological change itself. Some "New Wave" stories were not recognisable as traditional science fiction, and ''New Worlds'' remained controversial for as long as Moorcock edited it. Moorcock claimed that he wanted to publish experimental/literary fiction using techniques and subject matter from generic SF but, initially at least, to marry "popular" and "literary" fiction at what he considered their natural overlap. After 1967, this policy became evident and allied to the British " pop art" movement exemplified by
Eduardo Paolozzi Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (, ; 7 March 1924 – 22 April 2005) was a Scottish artist, known for his sculpture and graphic works. He is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of pop art. Early years Eduardo Paolozzi was born on 7 March ...
, Richard Hamilton and others. Paolozzi became "Aviation Editor". During that time, he occasionally wrote as "James Colvin", a "house
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
" originally created for him by John Carnell also used by other ''New Worlds'' critics. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in ''New Worlds'' #197 (January 1970), written by Charles Platt as "William Barclay". Moorcock makes much use of the initials "JC"; these are also the initials of
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, the subject of his 1967 Nebula Award-winning novella '' Behold the Man'', which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as a pseudonym, particularly in his "Second Ether" fiction. Moorcock talks about much of his writing in ''Death Is No Obstacle'' with Colin Greenland, which is a book-length transcription of interviews with Moorcock about the techniques in his writing. Moorcock has also published pastiches of writers for whom he felt affection as a boy, including Edgar Rice Burroughs,
Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for '' The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Go ...
, and Robert E. Howard. All his fantasy adventures have elements of satire and parody, while respecting what he considers the essentials of the form. Although his heroic fantasies have been his most consistently reprinted books in the United States, he achieved prominence in the UK as a literary author, with the ''Guardian'' Fiction Prize in 1977 for ''
The Condition of Muzak ''The Condition of Muzak'' is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock, published by Allison & Busby in 1977. It is the final novel of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series. It was first published in its revised ...
'', and with '' Mother London'' later shortlisted for the
Whitbread Prize The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
. Novels and series such as the '' Cornelius Quartet'', '' Mother London'', '' King of the City'', the ''
Pyat Quartet The ''Pyat Quartet'', also known as ''Between the Wars'', is a tetralogy of historical fiction novels by English author Michael Moorcock comprising ''Byzantium Endures'', ''The Laughter of Carthage'', ''Jerusalem Commands'' and ''The Vengeance o ...
'' and the short story collection '' London Bone'' have established him in the eyes of critics such as
Iain Sinclair Iain Sinclair FRSL (born 11 June 1943) is a writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, recently within the influences of psychogeography. Biography Education Sinclair was born in Cardiff in 1943. From 1956 to 1961, he was educate ...
,
Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...
and
Allan Massie Allan Johnstone Massie (born 16 October 1938) is a Scottish journalist, columnist, sports writer and novelist. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has lived in the Scottish Borders for the last 25 years, and now lives in Se ...
in publications including ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' and the '' London Review of Books'' as a major contemporary literary novelist. In 2008 Moorcock was named by a critics' panel in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' as one of the fifty best British novelists since 1945. Virtually all of his stories are part of his overarching "
Eternal Champion The Eternal Champion is a fictional character created by British author Michael Moorcock and is a recurrent feature in many of his speculative fiction works. General overview Many of Moorcock's novels and short stories take place in a shared M ...
" theme or ''oeuvre'', with characters (including Elric) moving from one storyline and fictional universe to another, all of them interconnected (though often only in dreams or
visions Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
). Most of Moorcock's earlier work consisted of short stories and relatively brief novels: he has mentioned that "I could write 15,000 words a day and gave myself three days a volume. That's how, for instance, the Hawkmoon books were written." Over the period of the ''New Worlds'' editorship and his publishing of the original fantasy novels Moorcock has maintained an interest in the craft of writing and a continuing interest in the semi-journalistic craft of "pulp" authorship. This is reflected in his development of interlocking cycles which hark back to the origins of fantasy in myth and medieval cycles (see "Wizardry and Wild Romance – Moorcock" and "Death Is No Obstacle – Colin Greenland" for more commentary). This also provides an implicit link with the episodic origins of literature in newspaper/magazine serials from Trollope and Dickens onwards. None of this should be surprising given Moorcock's background in magazine publishing. Since the 1980s, Moorcock has written longer, more literary "mainstream" novels, such as '' Mother London'' and '' Byzantium Endures,'' but he continued to revisit characters from his earlier works, such as Elric. With the publication of the third and last book in his Elric Moonbeam Roads sequence, he announced that he was "retiring" from writing heroic fantasy fiction, though he continued to write Elric's adventures as graphic novels with his long-time collaborators
Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' '' Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...
and the late
James Cawthorn James Cawthorn (sometimes spelt Cawthorne) was born in Sheffield on 4 November 1719 and died in Tonbridge on 15 April 1761. A school master in holy orders, he was a minor English poet and imitator of Alexander Pope. Life James Cawthorn was the ...
(1929–2008) and in 2021 announced that he had written a 'straight' Elric novel, within the first canon, for the 60th anniversary of his hero's appearance. He and Simonson produced the graphic novel, ''Elric: the Making of a Sorcerer'', published by DC Comics in 2007. In 2006, he completed his highly praised ''Colonel Pyat'' sequence, dealing with the Nazi Holocaust. This began in 1981 with ''Byzantium Endures'', continued through ''
The Laughter of Carthage ''The Laughter of Carthage'' is a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Moorcock published by Secker & Warburg in 1984. It is the second in the ''Pyat Quartet'' tetralogy, preceded by ''Byzantium Endures'' and followed by ''Jerusal ...
'' (1984) and ''
Jerusalem Commands ''Jerusalem Commands'' is a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Moorcock published by Jonathan Cape in 1992. It is the third in the ''Pyat Quartet'' tetralogy, preceded by '' The Laughter of Carthage'' and followed by '' The Vengea ...
'' (1992), and culminated with ''
The Vengeance of Rome ''The Vengeance of Rome'' a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Moorcock published by Jonathan Cape in 2006. It is the fourth and final in the ''Pyat Quartet'' tetralogy, preceded by ''Jerusalem Commands''. Plot summary In the nove ...
'' (2006). His most recent sequence, '' KABOUL'', with illustrations by Miles Hyman, was published in French by Denoel. Among other works by Moorcock are ''
The Dancers at the End of Time ''The Dancers at the End of Time'' is a series of science fiction novels and short stories written by Michael Moorcock, the setting of which is the End of Time, an era "where entropy is king and the universe has begun collapsing upon itself". T ...
'', comedies set on Earth millions of years in the future, '' Gloriana, or The Unfulfill'd Queen,'' which he describes as an argument with Spenser's ''
The Faerie Queen ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...
'', set in an alternative Earth history and the "Second Ether" sequence beginning with "BLOOD", mixing absurdism, reminiscence and family memoir against the background of his multiverse. Moorcock is prone to revising his existing work, with the result that different editions of a given book may contain significant variations. The changes range from simple retitlings (the Elric story ''The Flame Bringers'' became ''The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams'' in the 1990s
Victor Gollancz Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter of left-wing causes. His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism, but he defined himself as a Chris ...
/White Wolf omnibus editions) to character name changes (such as detective "Minos Aquilinas" becoming first "Minos von Bek" and later "Sam Begg" in three different versions of the short story "The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius"), major textual alterations (for example, the addition of several new chapters to ''The Steel Tsar'' in the omnibus editions), and even complete restructurings (as with the 1966 novella ''Behold the Man'' being expanded to novel-length and into a novel rather than an SF story recreated from the original version that appeared in ''New Worlds'' for republication as a book in 1969 by
Allison and Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in May ...
). A new, final revision of almost Moorcock's entire oeuvre, with the exception of his literary novels ''Mother London'', ''King of the City'' and the Pyat quartet, is issued by Gollancz and many of his titles are reprinted in the United States by Simon and Schuster and Titan and in France by Gallimard. Many novels and comics based on his work are being reprinted by Titan Books under the general title The Michael Moorcock Library, while in France a new adaptation of the Elric and Hawkmoon series has been translated into many languages, including English.


Elric of Melniboné and the Eternal Champion

Moorcock's best-selling works have been the "
Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...
" stories. In these, Elric is a deliberate reversal of clichés found in fantasy adventure novels inspired by the works of
J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
. Central to many of his seminal fantasy novels, including his Elric books, is the concept of an "
Eternal Champion The Eternal Champion is a fictional character created by British author Michael Moorcock and is a recurrent feature in many of his speculative fiction works. General overview Many of Moorcock's novels and short stories take place in a shared M ...
", who has multiple identities across alternate universes. This
cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
is called the " Multiverse" within his novels. The Multiverse deals with primal polarities such as... (Miltonic) Law and Chaos, and order and entropy. Elric's success has overshadowed Moorcock's other works, though he has worked the Elric stories' themes into his other works (the "Hawkmoon" and "Corum" novels, for example). His Eternal Champion sequence has been collected in two different editions of omnibus volumes totaling 16 books (the U.S. edition was 15 volumes, while the British edition was 14 volumes, but due to various rights issues, the U.S. edition contained two volumes that were not included in the British edition, and the British edition likewise contained one volume that was not included in the U.S. edition) containing several books per volume, by Victor Gollancz in the UK and by
White Wolf Publishing White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant
in the US. Several attempts to make an Elric film were made. Moorcock refused to resign the options, usually when they seemed to drift too far off course. In February 2019, BBC Studios announced they had secured the rights to the Runestaff series of fantasy novels, which feature Hawkmoon as their hero.


Jerry Cornelius

Another of Moorcock's creations is
Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous ...
, a hip urban adventurer of ambiguous gender; the same characters featured in each of several Cornelius books. These books were satirical of modern times, including the Vietnam War, and continued to feature another variation of the multiverse theme. The first Jerry Cornelius book, ''
The Final Programme ''The Final Programme'' is a novel by British science fiction and fantasy writer Michael Moorcock. Written in 1965 as the underground culture was beginning to emerge, it was not published for several years. Moorcock has stated that publishers a ...
'' (1968), was made into a
feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
in 1973. Its story line is identical to two of the Elric stories: ''The Dreaming City'' and ''The Dead Gods' Book''. Since 1998, Moorcock has returned to Cornelius in a series of new stories: ''The Spencer Inheritance'', ''The Camus Connection'', ''Cheering for the Rockets'', and ''Firing the Cathedral'', which was concerned with 9/11. All four novellas were included in the 2003 edition of ''
The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius ''The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius'' is a collection of short stories by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series. The book was originally published by Allison & Busb ...
''. Moorcock's most recent Cornelius stories, "Modem Times", appeared in ''The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume 2'', published in 2008, this was expanded in 2011 as "Modem Times 2.0". Additionally, a version of Cornelius also appeared in Moorcock's 2010 '' Doctor Who'' novel ''
The Coming of the Terraphiles ''The Coming of the Terraphiles'' is a ''Doctor Who'' novel written by Michael Moorcock, featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. It was the first special release of a ''Doctor Who'' novel by BBC Books in a lengthier hardback format to that o ...
''. ''Pegging the President'' (PS. 2018), ''The Fracking Factory'' (on FB, 2018) are two recent novellas and further stories are forthcoming.


Views on fiction writing

Moorcock is a fervent supporter of
Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...
's works. Moorcock is dismissive of
J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
's works. He met both Tolkien and
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
in his teens and claims to have liked them personally even though he does not admire them on artistic grounds. Moorcock criticised works such as ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
'' for their "
Merry England "Merry England", or in more jocular, archaic spelling "Merrie England", refers to a utopian conception of English society and culture based on an idyllic pastoral way of life that was allegedly prevalent in Early Modern Britain at some time ...
" point of view, equating Tolkien's novel to ''
Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character was the book ''Win ...
'' in his essay ''
Epic Pooh "Epic Pooh" is a 1978 essay by the British science fiction writer Michael Moorcock, which reviews the field of epic fantasy, with a particular focus on epic fantasy written for children. In it Moorcock critiques J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of th ...
''. Even so, James Cawthorn and Moorcock included ''The Lord of the Rings'' in ''Fantasy: The 100 Best Books'' (Carroll & Graf, 1988), and their review is not dismissive. Moorcock has also criticized writers for their
political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
agendas. He included
Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...
and H. P. Lovecraft among this group in a 1978 essay, "Starship Stormtroopers" (''Anarchist Review''). There he criticised the production of "authoritarian" fiction by certain canonical writers and Lovecraft for having antisemitic,
misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...
, and racist viewpoints woven into his short stories.


Sharing fictional universes with others

Moorcock has allowed other writers to create stories in his fictional Jerry Cornelius universe.
Brian Aldiss Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist, and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for o ...
,
Hilary Bailey Hilary Bailey (19 September 1936 – 19 January 2017) was a British writer, critic and editor. Life Bailey attended Newnham College, Cambridge, where she was a founder-member of the Cambridge University Women's Union. She was born in Brom ...
,
M. John Harrison Michael John Harrison (born 26 July 1945), known for publication purposes primarily as M. John Harrison, is an English author and literary critic.Kelley, George. "Harrison, M(ichael) John" in Jay P. Pederson (.ed) ''St. James guide to sci ...
,
Norman Spinrad Norman Richard Spinrad (born September 15, 1940) is an American science fiction author, essayist, and critic. His fiction has won the Prix Apollo and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and multiple Nebula Awards. Pe ...
,
James Sallis James Sallis (born December 21, 1944) is an American crime writer who wrote a series of novels featuring the detective character Lew Griffin set in New Orleans, and the 2005 novel '' Drive'', which was adapted into a 2011 film of the same nam ...
, and
Steve Aylett Steve Aylett (born 1967 in Bromley, United Kingdom) is an English author of satirical science fiction, fantasy, and slipstream. According to the critic Bill Ectric, "much of Aylett’s work combines the bawdy, action-oriented style of Voltaire wit ...
have written such stories. In an interview published in ''
The Internet Review of Science Fiction ''The Internet Review of Science Fiction'' was an American webzine devoted to science fiction criticism. It featured critical articles as well as reviews of short fiction and novels. History The magazine was published from 2004 to 2010 and publi ...
,'' Moorcock explains the reason for sharing his character: Two short stories by
Keith Roberts Keith John Kingston Roberts (20 September 1935 – 5 October 2000) was an English science fiction author. He began publishing with two stories in the September 1964 issue of '' Science Fantasy'' magazine, "Anita" (the first of a series of st ...
, "Coranda" and "The Wreck of the Kissing Bitch", are set in the frozen Matto Grosso plateau of Moorcock's 1969 novel, '' The Ice Schooner''. Elric of Melnibone and Moonglum appear in
Karl Edward Wagner Karl Edward Wagner (12 December 1945 – 14 October 1994) was an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and originally trained as a psychiatrist. He ...
's story "The Gothic Touch", where they meet with Kane, who borrows Elric for his ability to deal with demons. He is a friend and fan of
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
writer
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
and allowed Moore the use of his own character, Michael Kane of Old Mars, mentioned in Moore's ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II'' is a comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, published under the America's Best Comics imprint of DC Comics in the United States and under Vertigo in t ...
''. The two appeared on stage at the Vanbrugh Theatre in London in January 2006 where they discussed Moorcock's work. The Green City from ''Warriors of Mars'' was also referenced in
Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are '' Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, '' The Mote in God's E ...
's ''
Rainbow Mars ''Rainbow Mars'' is a 1999 science fiction short story collection by American writer Larry Niven. It contains six stories of Hanville Svetz, five previously published and the longest, "Rainbow Mars", written for the collection. The setting of th ...
''. Moorcock's character
Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous ...
appeared in Moore's '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century''. Cornelius also appeared in French artist Mœbius' comic series '' Le Garage Hermétique''. In 1995–96, Moorcock wrote a script for a computer game/film/novel by
Origin Systems Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott and his brother Robert Garriott, Robert. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres ...
. When Electronic Arts bought Origins, the game was cancelled, but Moorcock's 40,000-word treatment was fleshed out by
Storm Constantine Storm Constantine (12 October 1956 – 14 January 2021) was a British science fiction and fantasy author, primarily known for her Wraeththu series,Encyclopedia of Science Fictio"Constantine, Storm" Retrieved 2010-01-21. which began as one trilog ...
, resulting in the novel ''Silverheart''. The story is set in Karadur-Shriltasi, a city at the heart of the Multiverse. A second novel, ''Dragonskin'', was in preparation, with Constantine as the main writer, but she died in January 2021, after a long illness. Moorcock abandoned a memoir about his friends Mervyn Peake and
Maeve Gilmore Maeve Patricia Mary Theresa Gilmore (14 June 19173 August 1983) was a British painter, sculptor and writer, and the wife of author Mervyn Peake. Early life Gilmore was born in 1917 and brought up in Brixton, south London, where her father, ...
because he felt it was too personal. He wrote prose and verse for ''The Sunday Books'' first publication in French to accompany a set of unpublished Peake drawings. His book ''The Metatemporal Detective'' was published in 2007. His most recent book published first in French is ''Kaboul'', in 2018. In November 2009, Moorcock announced that he would be writing a '' Doctor Who'' novel for
BBC Books BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasti ...
in 2010, one of the few occasions when he has written stories set in other people's "shared universes". The novel ''
The Coming of the Terraphiles ''The Coming of the Terraphiles'' is a ''Doctor Who'' novel written by Michael Moorcock, featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. It was the first special release of a ''Doctor Who'' novel by BBC Books in a lengthier hardback format to that o ...
'' was released in October 2010. The story merges Doctor Who with many of Moorcock's characters from the multiverse, notably Captain Cornelius and his pirates. In 2016 Moorcock published the first novel in what he terms a literary experiment blending memoir and fantasy, ''The Whispering Swarm''. In 2018, he announced his completion of the second volume ''The Woods of Arcady''. In 2020, he said he was completing the final Elric novel ''The Citadel of Lost Dragons'' ready for Elric's 60th anniversary in 2021. Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius novella ''Pegging the President'' was launched in 2018 at Shakespeare and Co, Paris, where he discussed his work with
Hari Kunzru Hari Mohan Nath Kunzru (born 1969) is a British novelist and journalist. He is the author of the novels '' The Impressionist'', '' Transmission'', ''My Revolutions'', '' Gods Without Men'', ''White Tears''David Robinson"Interview: Hari Kunzru, ...
and reaffirmed his commitment to literary experiment.


Audiobooks

The first of an
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
series of unabridged Elric novels, with new work read by Moorcock, began appearing from AudioRealms; however
Audio Realms
is no longer in business. The second audiobook in the series – ''The Sailor on the Seas of Fate'' – was published in 2007. There have been audio-books of ''Corum'' and others, several of which were unofficial and ''A Winter Admiral'' and ''Furniture'' are audio versions of short stories. Since then ''The Whispering Swarm'' and the ''Corum'' books became available via Audible and all the Elric books were scheduled to appear in audio form to coincide with Simon and Schuster's new illustrated set in 2022.


Music


Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix

Moorcock has his own music project, which records under the name Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix. ''The Deep Fix'' was the title story of an obscure collection of short stories by James Colvin (a pen name of Moorcock) and was the name of the
Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous ...
band. Moorcock's story had dealt with releasing the unconscious and although referencing William Burroughs had no specific illicit drug meaning. This allegedly lost the band considerable airplay and gave Moorcock what he called 'a great reputation in the drug community' but made venues and stations wary of booking and playing them. The first album ''
New Worlds Fair ''New Worlds Fair'' is a 1975 concept album by UK rock group Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix. Moorcock was an established science fiction author who has contributed lyrics and occasionally performed with Hawkwind. In 1974 he was offered a recor ...
'' was released in 1975. The album included
Snowy White Terence Charles "Snowy" White (born 3 March 1948, Barnstaple, Devon) is an English guitarist, known for having played with Thin Lizzy (permanent member from 1980 to 1982) and with Pink Floyd (as a backing guitarist; he was first invited to tour ...
,
Peter Pavli 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 ...
of The Third Ear Band, regulars Steve Gilmore and Graham Charnock. Moorcock himself on guitars, mandolin and banjo, and a number of Hawkwind regulars in the credits. A second version of the ''New Worlds'' album was issued in 2004 under the album name ''Roller Coaster Holiday''. A non-album rock single, including Lemmy on bass and Moorcock playing his own Rickenbacker 330/12, "Starcruiser" coupled with "Dodgem Dude", was belatedly issued in 1980 on ''Flicknife''. Although announced to appear at Dingwalls, the performance was cancelled when schedules clashed. The Deep Fix gave a rare live performance at the Roundhouse, London on 18 June 1978 at '' Nik Turner's Bohemian Love-In'', headlined by Turner's band Sphynx and also featuring Tanz Der Youth with Brian James (ex- The Damned),
Lightning Raiders Lightning Raiders were an English pub rock band, with Johnny Hodge being the most prominent member of the group. During their lifetime, they released two singles, an EP, and recorded an album that was not released until 2013. Career The Ligh ...
, Steve Took's Horns, Roger Ruskin and others. In 1982, as a trio with Peter Pavli and Drachen Theaker, some Deep Fix recordings were issued on ''
Hawkwind, Friends and Relations The Hawkwind, Friends and Relations series of albums was released in the early 1980s containing live and studio performances by Hawkwind and related bands. It was released through the independent record company Flicknife Records, ...
'' and a limited-edition 7" single of "Brothel in Rosenstrasse" backed with "Time Centre", which featured '' Langdon Jones'' on piano. In 2008, ''The Entropy Tango & Gloriana Demo Sessions'' by Michael Moorcock & The Deep Fix was released. These were sessions for planned albums based on two of Moorcock's novels, '' Gloriana, or The Unfulfill'd Queen'' and ''
The Entropy Tango Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphou ...
'', which were never completed. Pavli, Moorcock and Falcone are currently in the process of making the intended versions of those songs based on the group's TEAC recordings of the 80s. They are influenced heavily by modern classical music which they look to for inspiration. Moorcock's considerable range is demanded. Moorcock and Pavli have long been advocates for Mahler, Schoenberg, Ives and other 20th century composers. Working with Martin Stone, Moorcock began recording a new Deep Fix album in Paris, titled ''Live at the Terminal Cafe''. Following Stone's death in 2016, Moorcock made plans to complete the album with producer
Don Falcone Don Falcone (born November 5, 1958) is an American producer and multi-instrumentalist, and the guiding light behind the Spirits Burning space-rock collective. In Spirits Burning and other offshoot bands and projects, his primary collaborations ...
. In 2019, Moorcock announced the completion of the album, and it was released 11 October 2019, on
Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, D ...
.


With Hawkwind

Moorcock collaborated with the British rock band
Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
on many occasions: the Hawkwind track " The Black Corridor", for example, included verbatim quotes from Moorcock's novel of the same name, and he worked with the band on their album ''
Warrior on the Edge of Time ''Warrior on the Edge of Time'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Hawkwind. Many of the lyrics are by Michael Moorcock, and the album is loosely based on the concept of Moorcock's novel '' The Eternal Champion''. It was the band ...
, ''for which he earned a gold disc. Moorcock also wrote the lyrics to "
Sonic Attack ''Sonic Attack'' is the eleventh studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1981. It spent five weeks on the UK albums chart peaking at #19. After the departure of drummer Ginger Baker and keyboardist Keith Hale follow ...
", a Sci-Fi satire of the public information broadcast, that was part of Hawkwind's ''Space Ritual'' set. Hawkwind's album ''
The Chronicle of the Black Sword ''The Chronicle of the Black Sword'' is the fourteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1985. It spent two weeks on the UK albums chart peaking at #65. The album is based upon the adventures of Elric of Melnib ...
'' was largely based on the Elric novels. Moorcock appeared on stage with the band on many occasions, including the Black Sword tour. His contributions were removed from the original release of the ''
Live Chronicles ''Live Chronicles'' is a 1986 album by Hawkwind recorded of a live performance of their ''The Chronicle of the Black Sword'' concept album based on the Michael Moorcock character Elric of Melniboné. Overview The original album release lacked ...
'' album, recorded on this tour, for legal reasons, but have subsequently appeared on some double-CD versions. He can also be seen performing on the DVD version of ''Chronicle of the Black Sword''.


With Robert Calvert

Moorcock also collaborated with former Hawkwind frontman and resident poet, Robert Calvert (who gave the chilling declamation of "Sonic Attack"), on Calvert's albums '' Lucky Leif and the Longships'' and '' Hype'', playing guitar and banjo and singing background vocals with his wife Linda.


With Blue Öyster Cult

Moorcock wrote the lyrics to three album tracks by the American band
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...
: " Black Blade", referring to the sword Stormbringer in the Elric books, "
Veteran of the Psychic Wars "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" is a song by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult. It was written by Eric Bloom and British author Michael Moorcock (creator of Elric of Melniboné). The song first appeared on the 1981 album '' Fire of Unk ...
", showing us Elric's emotions at a critical point of his story (this song may also refer to the "Warriors at the Edge of Time", which figure heavily in Moorcock's novels about John Daker; at one point his novel ''The Dragon in the Sword'' they call themselves the "veterans of a thousand psychic wars"), and " The Great Sun Jester", about his friend, the poet Bill Butler, who died of a drug overdose. Moorcock has performed live with BÖC (in 1987 at the Atlanta, GA Dragon Con Convention).


With Spirits Burning

Moorcock contributed vocals and harmonica to the Spirits Burning albums ''An Alien Heat'' and ''The Hollow Lands''. Most of the lyrics were taken from or based on text in novels from Moorcock's ''
The Dancers At The End Of Time ''The Dancers at the End of Time'' is a series of science fiction novels and short stories written by Michael Moorcock, the setting of which is the End of Time, an era "where entropy is king and the universe has begun collapsing upon itself". T ...
'' trilogy. The albums were produced by Spirits Burning leader
Don Falcone Don Falcone (born November 5, 1958) is an American producer and multi-instrumentalist, and the guiding light behind the Spirits Burning space-rock collective. In Spirits Burning and other offshoot bands and projects, his primary collaborations ...
, and included contributions from
Albert Bouchard Albert Thomas Bouchard (; born May 24, 1947) is an American musician. He is a founding member and the original drummer of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult and current drummer of The Dictators. He is the brother of former Blue Öyster Cult ...
and other members of
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...
, as well as former members of Hawkwind. Moorcock plays harmonica on three songs on the 2021 Spirits Burning album ''Evolution Ritual''. Moorcock also appeared on five tracks on the Spirits Burning CD ''Alien Injection'', released in 2008. He is credited with singing lead vocals and playing glockenspiel, guitar and mandolin. The performances used on the CD were from ''The Entropy Tango & Gloriana Demo Sessions''.


Other appearances

Moorcock's last public appearance as a music performer was with Nik Turner and Flame Tree in Austin, Texas, March 2019. Moorcock is currently writing songs for Alan Davey and other old-time collaborators.


Awards and honours

Michael Moorcock has received great recognition for his career contributions as well as for particular works. The
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organized ...
inducted Moorcock in 2002 He also received life achievement awards at the
World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...
in 2000 (
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 ...
), at the Utopiales International Festival in 2004 (Prix Utopia), from the
Horror Writers Association The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers. Overview HWA was formed in 1985 with t ...
in 2005 (
Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
), and from the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...
in 2008 (named its 25th Grand Master). He is a Parisian member of the London College of Pataphysicians. * 1993:
British Fantasy Society The British Fantasy Society (BFS) was founded in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. ...
Special Committee Award for contribution to the genre * 2000:
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 ...
* 2004: Prix Utopiales "Grandmaster" Lifetime Achievement Award * 2004:
Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement The Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement annually recognizes one to three living artists for "superior achievement in an entire career" which has "substantially influenced the horror genre". It is conferred by the Horror Writers Association, ...
in the horror genre * 2008:
Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to no more than one living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was inaugurated in 1975 when Rob ...
, literary fantasy and science fiction He was "Co-Guest of Honor" at the 1976
World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...
in New York City and one Guest of Honor at the 1997 55th World Science Fiction Convention in
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
. ;Awards for particular works * 1967: Nebula Award (Novella): '' Behold the Man'' * 1972: August Derleth Fantasy Award: ''The Knight of the Swords'' * 1973: August Derleth Fantasy Award: ''The King of the Swords'' * 1974: British Fantasy Award (Best Short Story): ''The Jade Man's Eyes'' * 1975: August Derleth Fantasy Award: ''The Sword and the Stallion'' * 1976: August Derleth Fantasy Award: ''The Hollow Lands'' * 1977: Guardian Fiction Award: ''
The Condition of Muzak ''The Condition of Muzak'' is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock, published by Allison & Busby in 1977. It is the final novel of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series. It was first published in its revised ...
'' * 1979:
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel 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 ...
: ''Gloriana'' * 1979:
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 ...
(Best Novel): ''Gloriana''


Selected works

* ''
The Best of Michael Moorcock ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' (
Tachyon Publications Tachyon Publications is an independent press specializing in science fiction and fantasy books. Founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Jacob Weisman, Tachyon books have tended toward high-end literary works, short story collections, and anthologies ...
, 2009) * The
Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...
series (1961–2022), including: ** '' The Dreaming City'' (1961) ** ''
The Stealer of Souls ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1963) ** ''
Stormbringer Stormbringer is a magic sword featured in a number of fantasy stories by the author Michael Moorcock. It is described as a huge, black sword covered with strange runes, created by the forces of Chaos with its own will. It is wielded by the doo ...
'' (1965, revised 1977) ** ''
Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...
'' (1972) ** '' Elric: The Sailor on the Seas of Fate'' (1976) ** '' The Weird of the White Wolf'' (1977) ** ''
The Vanishing Tower ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1977) ** '' Elric at the End of Time'' (1981) ** ''
The Fortress of the Pearl ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1989) ** '' The Revenge of the Rose'' (1991) ** '' The Citadel of Forgotten Myths'' (2022) * The
Dorian Hawkmoon ''The History of the Runestaff'' is an omnibus collection of four fantasy novels by Michael Moorcock, consisting of '' The Jewel in the Skull'', '' The Mad God's Amulet'', '' The Sword of the Dawn'', and '' The Runestaff''. Charting the adventur ...
series (1967–1975), including: ** '' The Jewel in the Skull'' (1967) ** '' The Mad God's Amulet'' (1968) ** '' The Sword of the Dawn'' (1968) ** '' The Runestaff'' (1969) ** '' Count Brass'' (1973) ** ''
The Champion of Garathorm ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1973) ** '' The Quest for Tanelorn'' (1975) * The
Erekosë Erekosë (also known as John Daker) is a heroic warrior in different fantasy adventure stories by English writer Michael Moorcock. The character repeatedly assumes different forms and identities during adventures across Moorcock's multiverse. He ...
series (1970–1987), including: ** '' The Eternal Champion'' (1970) ** ''
Phoenix in Obsidian ''Phoenix in Obsidian'' (alternate title: ''The Silver Warriors'') is a science fantasy novel by Michael Moorcock. First published in 1970, it is the second book in a series that follows the adventures of the Eternal Champion as he is flung from ...
'', aka ''The Silver Warriors'' (1970) ** '' The Dragon in the Sword'' (1987) * The Corum series (1971–1974), including: ** ''The Knight of the Swords'' (1971) ** ''The Queen of the Swords'' (1971) ** ''The King of the Swords'' (1971) ** ''The Bull and the Spear'' (1973) ** ''The Oak and the Ram'' (1973) ** ''The Sword and the Stallion'' (1974) * '' Behold the Man'' (1969) * '' The Time Dweller'' (1969) *
Sailing to Utopia Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cours ...
, comprising: ** ''Flux'' (1962) ** '' The Ice Schooner'' (1966) ** '' The Black Corridor'' (1969) ** ''
The Distant Suns ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1975) * ''
The Chinese Agent ''The Chinese Agent'' (1970) is a comic novel by Michael Moorcock. It is a revision of ''Somewhere in the Night'', which Moorcock published in 1966 under the pseudonym Bill Barclay. Although Moorcock is best known as the author of fantasy fiction ...
'' (1970) * '' The Russian Intelligence'' (1980) * ''
Michael Moorcock's Multiverse ''Michael Moorcock's Multiverse'' is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series published in 1997 as a part of the short-lived DC Comics imprint Helix. It was later collected as a single edition graphic novel. Written by Michael Moorcoc ...
'' (1999) (graphic novel) * '' The Metatemporal Detective'' (2007) (collection) *
A Nomad of the Time Streams ''A Nomad of the Time Streams'' is a compilation volume of Michael Moorcock's early steampunk trilogy, begun in 1971 with ''The Warlord of the Air'' and continued by its 1974 and 1981 sequels, '' The Land Leviathan'' and ''The Steel Tsar''. T ...
: ** '' The Warlord of the Air'' (1971) ** ''
The Land Leviathan ''The Land Leviathan'' is an alternative history novel by Michael Moorcock, first published in 1974. Originally subtitled "''A New Scientific Romance''", it has been seen as an early steampunk novel, dealing with an alternative British Imperial ...
'' (1974) ** '' The Steel Tsar'' (1981) * ''
The Dancers at the End of Time ''The Dancers at the End of Time'' is a series of science fiction novels and short stories written by Michael Moorcock, the setting of which is the End of Time, an era "where entropy is king and the universe has begun collapsing upon itself". T ...
'' sequence (1972–76): ** '' An Alien Heat'' (1972) ** '' The Hollow Lands'' (1974) ** '' The End of All Songs'' (1976) * '' Legends from the End of Time'' (1976) * ''
Gloriana ''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...
'' (1978) * ''My Experiences in the Third World War'' (1980) * '' Mother London'' (1988) * '' King of the City'' (2000) * The
Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous ...
quartet of novels and shorter fiction: ** ''
The Final Programme ''The Final Programme'' is a novel by British science fiction and fantasy writer Michael Moorcock. Written in 1965 as the underground culture was beginning to emerge, it was not published for several years. Moorcock has stated that publishers a ...
'' (1969) ** '' A Cure for Cancer'' (1971) ** '' The English Assassin'' (1972) ** ''
The Condition of Muzak ''The Condition of Muzak'' is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock, published by Allison & Busby in 1977. It is the final novel of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series. It was first published in its revised ...
'' (1977) ** '' The Cornelius Quartet'' (compilation volume) ** '' The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the 20th Century'' (1976) ** ''
The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius ''The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius'' is a collection of short stories by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series. The book was originally published by Allison & Busb ...
'' (1976) ** ''
The Entropy Tango Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The character is an urban adventurer and an incarnation of the author's Eternal Champion concept. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphou ...
'' (1981) ** ''
The Alchemist's Question ''The Alchemist's Question'' is a novella by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is part of his long running Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The ch ...
'' (1984) ** ''
Firing the Cathedral ''Firing the Cathedral'' is a novella by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The characte ...
'' (novella) (2002) ** ''
Pegging the President Pegging may refer to: * Pegging (sexual practice) * Pegging (cribbage) * Pegging report, a manufacturing record * Tight rolled pants (pegged pants), in fashion * The act of setting a fixed exchange rate between two currencies * The act of demarcat ...
'' (novella) (2018) **
The Fracking Factory
' (novella) (2018 online) ** ''
Modem Times 2.0 A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
'' (novella) (2011) and other stories in various anthologies * The von Bek sequence: ** ''
The War Hound and the World's Pain ''The War Hound and the World's Pain'' is a 1981 fantasy novel by English writer Michael Moorcock, the first of the "von Bek" series of novels. Plot summary The book is set in Europe ravaged by the Thirty Years' War. Its hero Ulrich von Bek is a ...
'' (1981) ** '' The Brothel in Rosenstrasse'' (1982) ** '' The City in the Autumn Stars'' (1986) * The
Pyat Quartet The ''Pyat Quartet'', also known as ''Between the Wars'', is a tetralogy of historical fiction novels by English author Michael Moorcock comprising ''Byzantium Endures'', ''The Laughter of Carthage'', ''Jerusalem Commands'' and ''The Vengeance o ...
: ** '' Byzantium Endures'' (1981) ** ''
The Laughter of Carthage ''The Laughter of Carthage'' is a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Moorcock published by Secker & Warburg in 1984. It is the second in the ''Pyat Quartet'' tetralogy, preceded by ''Byzantium Endures'' and followed by ''Jerusal ...
'' (1984) ** ''
Jerusalem Commands ''Jerusalem Commands'' is a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Moorcock published by Jonathan Cape in 1992. It is the third in the ''Pyat Quartet'' tetralogy, preceded by '' The Laughter of Carthage'' and followed by '' The Vengea ...
'' (1992) ** ''
The Vengeance of Rome ''The Vengeance of Rome'' a historical fiction novel by English author Michael Moorcock published by Jonathan Cape in 2006. It is the fourth and final in the ''Pyat Quartet'' tetralogy, preceded by ''Jerusalem Commands''. Plot summary In the nove ...
'' (2006) * The Second Ether sequence: ** '' Blood: A Southern Fantasy'' (1994) ** '' Fabulous Harbours'' (1995) ** ''
The War Amongst The Angels ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1996) * '' London Bone'' (2001) – short stories * The Elric/Oona Von Bek sequence: ** '' The Dreamthief's Daughter'' (2001) ** '' The Skrayling Tree'' (2003) ** ''
The White Wolf's Son ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (2005) * Doctor Who: ** ''
The Coming of the Terraphiles ''The Coming of the Terraphiles'' is a ''Doctor Who'' novel written by Michael Moorcock, featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. It was the first special release of a ''Doctor Who'' novel by BBC Books in a lengthier hardback format to that o ...
'' (2010) * The Sanctuary of the White Friars **''
The Whispering Swarm ''The Whispering Swarm'' (2015) is a fantasy novel by Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels ...
'' (2015) **'' The Woods of Arcady'' (2023)


Anthologies edited

As well as a series of ''Best SF Stories from New Wolds'' and ''The Traps of Time'' (Hart-Davis), Moorcock has also edited other volumes, including two bringing together examples of
invasion literature Invasion literature (also the invasion novel) is a literary genre that was popular in the period between 1871 and the First World War (1914–1918). The invasion novel first was recognized as a literary genre in the UK, with the novella '' The ...
: * ''
Before Armageddon ''Before Armageddon: An Anthology of Victorian and Edwardian Imaginative Fiction Published Before 1914'' is a collection of stories, including invasion literature, and one article, all edited by Michael Moorcock. Originally published in hardback b ...
'' (1975) * '' England Invaded'' (1977)


Nonfiction

* ''Letters From Hollywood'' (US: General Distribution Services, 1986, , 240 pp * ''
Wizardry and Wild Romance ''Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy'' is a book by Michael Moorcock published in 1987. Plot summary ''Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy'' is a book in which Moorcock gives his views on fantasy. Reception Dave Lan ...
: a study of epic fantasy'' (UK: Gollancz, 1987, ), 160 pp., ** ''Wizardry and Wild Romance: a study of epic fantasy'', revised and expanded (US:
MonkeyBrain Books MonkeyBrain Books (MonkeyBrain, Inc.) is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international, or out-of-print content, which show "an academic ...
, 2004, ), 206 pp., * ''Fantasy: The 100 Best Books'' (London: Xanadu Publications, 1988, ;
Carroll & Graf Carroll & Graf Publishers was an American publishing company based in New York City, New York, known for publishing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction by both new and established authors, as well as issuing reprints of previously hard-t ...
, 1988, ),
James Cawthorn James Cawthorn (sometimes spelt Cawthorne) was born in Sheffield on 4 November 1719 and died in Tonbridge on 15 April 1761. A school master in holy orders, he was a minor English poet and imitator of Alexander Pope. Life James Cawthorn was the ...
and Moorcock * ''Into the Media Web: Selected short non-fiction, 1956–2006'', edited by John Davey, introduced by Alan Moore, (UK: Savoy Books, 2010, ) 718 pp * ''London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction'', Edited by Michael Moorcock and Allan Kausch, introduced by Iain Sinclair, (US: PM Press, 2012, ), 377pp


See also


Notes


References


Further reading

* Harris-Fain, Darren. ''British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers Since 1960'', Gale Group, 2002, , p. 293. * Kaplan, Carter. "Fractal Fantasies of Transformation: William Blake, Michael Moorcock and the Utilities of Mythographic Shamanism". In ''New Boundaries in Political Science Fiction'' (Hassler, Donald M., & Clyde Wilcox, eds), University of South Carolina Press, 2008, , pp. 35–52. * Magill, Frank Northern. ''Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature'', Volume 1, Salem Press, 1983, , p. 489.


External links


General

* (official) *
Michael Moorcock
at 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 Scot ...

Michael Moorcock
at the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction * *
Fantastic Metropolis
co-edited by Michael Moorcock

at RealityEnds
Fantastic Fiction

Michael Moorcock's Comics Compendium

Michael John Moorcock
at ComicBookDB.com


Nonfiction


"Epic Pooh"
by Michael Moorcock * , by Michael Moorcock * Als

at the Stan Iverson Memorial Archives

Andrea Dworkin Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen solo ...

His tribute delivered at the Andrea Dworkin Commemorative Conference, Oxford University, Fri 7 Apr 2006


by Michael Moorcock. ''e*l* 25'' (Vol. 5, No. 2), April 2005. (
Earl Kemp Earl Kemp (November 24, 1929February 29, 2020) (Born Finis Earl Kemp.) was an American publisher, science fiction editor, critic, and fan who won a Hugo Award for Best Fanzine in 1961 for ''Who Killed Science Fiction'', a collection of questions ...
, ed.)
"A Child's Christmas in the Blitz"
by Michael Moorcock. ''e*l* 35'', December 2007 (
Earl Kemp Earl Kemp (November 24, 1929February 29, 2020) (Born Finis Earl Kemp.) was an American publisher, science fiction editor, critic, and fan who won a Hugo Award for Best Fanzine in 1961 for ''Who Killed Science Fiction'', a collection of questions ...
, ed.)


Interviews


Interview with Michael Moorcock
at Neth Space
"The Bayley-Moorcock Letters, Part I"

"The Bayley-Moorcock Letters, Part II"

''The Internet Review of Science Fiction'' interview
(registration required) * Richard Marshall

''3:AM Magazine'', 2002
"Angry Old Men: Michael Moorcock on J.G. Ballard"
Interview on ''The Ballardian'', 9 July 2007
Dancing At the End of Time: Moorcock on Posthumanity
Humanity+ Humanity most commonly refers to: * Humankind, the total population of humans * Humanity (virtue) Humanity may also refer to: Literature * ''Humanity'' (journal), an academic journal that focuses on human rights * ''Humanity: A Moral History of ...
interview with
Woody Evans Woody Evans is an American librarian and author of short stories and nonfiction works, who is known for critical commentary on technology, technoculture, and transhumanism.Articles published in '' The Journal of Evolution and Technology'', Accele ...
.
Interview with Moorcock from ''Mythmakers & Lawbreakers''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moorcock, Michael 1939 births 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English musicians 21st-century English musicians Anarchist writers English anarchists English fantasy writers English lyricists English science fiction writers Hawkwind members Living people Nebula Award winners Postmodern writers Science fiction editors Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees SFWA Grand Masters World Fantasy Award-winning writers Science fiction critics British speculative fiction critics English male novelists Weird fiction writers Pulp fiction writers Authors of Sexton Blake 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers