Suzy McKee Charnas
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Suzy McKee Charnas (October 22, 1939 – January 2, 2023) was an American
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
and
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
writer, writing primarily in the genres of
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 ...
. She won several awards for her fiction, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and the
James Tiptree Jr. Award The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science f ...
. A selection of her short fiction was collected in '' Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms'' in 2004. '' The Holdfast Chronicles'', a four-volume story written over the course of almost thirty years (the first installment, '' Walk to the End of the World'' was published in 1974, and the last installment, '' The Conqueror's Child'' was published in 1999) was considered to be her major accomplishment in writing. The series addressed the topics of feminist dystopia, separatist societies, war, and reintegration. Another of her major works, '' The Vampire Tapestry'', has been adapted (by Charnas herself) into a play called " Vampire Dreams".


Life

Suzy McKee Charnas was born in Manhattan to two professional artists, Maxine (Szanton) and Robinson McKee. Her father was an illustrator for Wonder Books, a company that made picture books for children, and her mother was a textile designer. Her parents divorced in her childhood. Charnas helped her mother raise one younger sister, who is six years younger than she was. Despite being from a low-income family, Charnas was able to pursue a prestigious education. She attended an arts high school in New York City and, influenced by her parents, even considered pursuing a career in the visual arts. She received her undergraduate degree from
Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, where she majored in economics and history.Gordon 447 She continued her education at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...
, where she earned a master's degree in education. She taught in Nigeria as a part of the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
.


Influences and themes

Charnas' work focuses on the sociological and the anthropological—rather than exclusively the technological—dimensions of science fiction. Her background in history and economics, as well as her experiences in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, have had a profound impact on her work. She had keenly explored the genres of Western, adventure, and science fiction in the books she had read earlier in her life, yet she realized that these books lacked strong female characters. She considered
Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...
's ''
The Left Hand of Darkness ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is a science fiction novel by U.S. writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 1969, it became immensely popular, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction. The novel is set in the fiction ...
'' to have been a major inspiration for the initiation of her writing career, as it was one of the first feminist novels she had encountered. Despite this, she did not intend to write feminist literature. Her work did not take a feminist slant until after the first draft of " Walk to the End of the World", which she had originally intended to be political satire.


Controversy

When Charnas tried to publish '' Motherlines'', the second installment of the Holdfast Chronicles, she was met with some resistance. According to Charnas in an interview with SnackReads, the company that had published ''Walk to the End of the World'', Ballantine Books, rejected ''Motherlines'' because it was deemed inappropriate for what they considered to be their target science fiction audience: young boys. This was because the book contains no male characters, and there are some controversial sexual relationships. Charnas tried to get the work published several times. It was generally rejected not for the quality of the story, but rather its controversial, even radical, themes. One editor even said that he could accept the work- and even that it would be very successful- if all the female characters were changed to men, Charnas alleged. Charnas rejected this offer. The book was finally accepted after one year (which was a long time for science fiction in this era) by editor David G. Hartwell, who went on to publish several of Charnas' other works.


Personal life and death

Charnas lived in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
. She died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 83.


Bibliography


Novels

* '' The Vampire Tapestry'' (1980) * '' Dorothea Dreams'' (1986) * '' The Kingdom of Kevin Malone'' (1993) Winner of the 1994 Aslan Award for the best Children's Literature * '' The Ruby Tear'' (1997)


Series

* The Holdfast Chronicles (Winner of the 2003 Gaylactic Spectrum Hall of Fame Award) ** '' Walk to the End of the World'' (1974) Winner of a 1996 Retrospective James Tiptree Jr. Award ** '' Motherlines'' (1978) Winner of a 1996 Retrospective James Tiptree Jr. Award ** ''
The Furies The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes ...
'' (1994) ** '' The Conqueror's Child'' (1999) Winner of the 1999
James Tiptree Jr. Award The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science f ...
* Sorcery Hall ** '' The Bronze King'' (1985) (Illustrated by
Anne Yvonne Gilbert Anne Yvonne Gilbert (born 1950/1951) is a British artist and book illustrator. Her cover design of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 1983 single "Relax" has been described as "one of the most famous record sleeves of all time". While much of her caree ...
in 1988) ** ''
The Silver Glove ''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 ...
'' (1988) (Illustrated by
Anne Yvonne Gilbert Anne Yvonne Gilbert (born 1950/1951) is a British artist and book illustrator. Her cover design of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 1983 single "Relax" has been described as "one of the most famous record sleeves of all time". While much of her caree ...
) ** '' The Golden Thread'' (1989) (Illustrated by
Anne Yvonne Gilbert Anne Yvonne Gilbert (born 1950/1951) is a British artist and book illustrator. Her cover design of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 1983 single "Relax" has been described as "one of the most famous record sleeves of all time". While much of her caree ...
)


Collections

* ''Moonstone and Tiger-Eye'' (1992) * ''Music of the Night'' (2001) '' ebook'' * ''Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms'' (2004,
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 ...
)


Non-fiction

* ''Strange Seas'' (2001) ''ebook'' * ''My Father's Ghost'' (2002)


Notable short stories

* "Unicorn Tapestry" (1980) Winner of the 1980 Nebula Award for the best novellaClute and Nicholls 1995, p. 208. * "Scorched Supper on New Niger" (1980) * "Listening to Brahms" (1988) * " Boobs" (1989) Winner of the 1990 Hugo Award for the best short story * "Beauty and the Opera or the Phantom Beast" (1996) * "Peregrines" (2004)


Play

* "Vampire Dreams" (2001) Broadway Play Publishing Inc.


Citations


General and cited sources

* Clute, John and Peter Nicholls. ''
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...
''. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1993 (2nd edition 1995). . * Gordon, Joan, and Suzy McKee Charnas. “Closed Systems Kill: An Interview with Suzy McKee Charnas.” Science Fiction Studies 26, no. 3 (November 1, 1999): 447–468. * Ildney, Cavacanti. "The Writing of Utopia and the Feminist Critical Dystopia: Suzy McKee Charnas’s Holdfast Series". In ''Dark Horizons: Science Fiction and the Dystopian Imagination''. New York: Routledge, 2003. * Mohr, Dunja M. ''Worlds Apart: Dualism and Transgression in Contemporary Female Dystopias''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2005. Extensive chapter on Holdfast series, exclusive interview on the Holdfast series. * Suzy McKee Charnas Interview, Part 1, from SnackReads, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOCUjVOp0us. * Suzy McKee Charnas Interview, Part 2, from SnackReads, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uay-bULF-tg.


External links

*
Interview
at SFFWorld * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Charnas, Suzy McKee 1939 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers American fantasy writers American feminist writers American science fiction writers American women novelists American women short story writers Barnard College alumni Hugo Award-winning writers Jewish American writers Nebula Award winners Novelists from New York (state) Women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers from New York City