Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960, Portchester, Hampshire) is an English Jewish author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many graphic novels. As of 2005, he lives in or near Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is married to Mary T. McGrath, an American, and has two daughters, Holly and Maddy, and a son, Michael.

Biography

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As a child and a teenager, Gaiman grew up reading the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. He later became a fan of science fiction, reading the works of authors as diverse as Samuel R. Delany, Roger Zelazny, Harlan Ellison and especially Gene Wolfe. Gaiman also read and enjoyed the works of Thorne Smith, to whose zany supernatural wit he attributes partial inspiration for Anansi Boys.

Although Jewish, he was educated at several Church of England schools. There, he studied both standard school topics as well as religion classes. At the same time, he trained to become Bar Mitzvah with an Orthodox Jewish cantor. This training gave him a wide background in both Jewish and Christian theology/apocrypha, which he incorporates heavily into his works, perhaps most notably in The Sandman.

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L.A. Times - Books & Talks

Author Nina Revoyr goes Hollywood
Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Her third novel, "The Age of Dreaming,' YOU don't hear folks touting the virtues of Compton too often. But where some might view the city as an incubator of crime and poverty, Nina Revoyr sees a land of comity and cultural richness.
Denise Hamilton enters Raymond Chandler territory
Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Her upcoming 'The Last Embrace' is set in 1949. DENISE HAMILTON writes bestselling crime novels featuring reporter Eve Diamond ("Prisoner of Memory," "Savage Garden"), although her next book (due July 1) takes her back in time. Hamilton also is the editor of the anthology "Los Angeles Noir."
Literary fiction gets kinky
Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Sex in literary fiction is going far beyond the missionary position. Witness Melanie Abrams' 'Playing.' It's hard not to judge Melanie Abrams' recently published debut novel by its cover.

NYT > Books

Bring Us Apart
Fri, 09 May 2008 20:17:23 -0000
Rick Perlstein’s sprawling, rollicking book argues that Richard Nixon is the explanation for everything — or at least for the rise of the right and the decline of almost everything else.
Difficult Truths
Fri, 09 May 2008 17:57:43 -0000
Honor Moore presents her father’s life and work, including his secrets.
All the Difference
Fri, 09 May 2008 17:56:39 -0000
A biographical novel reconstructs Robert Frost’s life.

Fiction & Poetry

One Can Miss Mountains
Todd Boss Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 -0000
and pine. One can dismiss a whisper’s revelations and go on as before as if everything were perfectly fine. One does. One loses wonder among stores of things. One can even miss the basso boom of the ocean’s rumpus room and its rhythm. A man can leave this earth and . . .
Homeland
Adonis Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 -0000
To faces shrunk under a mask of sadness I bow down. To the paths where I forgot my tears, for a father who died green, like a cloud, a sail still unfurled in his face, I bow down. To a child who has been sold so he might pray and . . .
Chair (A Dream)
Adonis Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 -0000
Long ago I screamed at the city: Husk of the world, I’m holding you in my hand. Long ago I muttered at the ship, my song in a rose-red blaze: all or nothing. As for you, my grandchildren, I’m tired, tired of myself, tired of the seas. Bring me . . .

London Review of Books

Where do we go from here? · R.W. Johnson on Zimbabwe
The sequence of events that produced the current deadlock in Zimbabwe began on 11 March last year when Morgan Tsvangirai and a number of other members of the Movement for Democratic Change were arrested, tortured and beaten. Robert Mugabe had banned all MDC meetings and rallies in the hope of suppressing the MDC completely before this year's elections.
Free-Marketeering · Stephen Holmes on Naomi Klein
The anti-globalisation movement suffered a dizzying setback on 9/11. Symbolic gatecrashing into the well-guarded meeting places of the super-rich suddenly seemed a much more sinister activity than before. Busting up branches of Starbucks and other Seattle-style antics became anathema in an atmosphere of injured and vindictive patriotism. But Naomi Klein, the combative theorist and publicist of anti-globalisation, was not about to accept such guilt by association.
Art Is a Cupboard! · Tony Wood on Daniil Kharms
An old woman leans out of her window and, 'because of her excessive curiosity', leans too far: she falls to the ground and shatters to pieces. A second old woman leans out of her window to see what has happened to the first - and also leans too far, tumbling to the same fate. More women follow suit (a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth), a chain that ends only because the narrator of this story, 'sick of watching them', breaks off to go to the market.

Guardian Unlimited Books

Review: The Collected Short Stories by Lorrie Moore
Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Adam Mars-jones revisits Lorrie Moore's The Collected Short Stories and finds her humour a problem
Review: Alfred and Emily by Doris Lessing
Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000
In Alfred and Emily, a vital reimagining of the lot of her parents, Doris Lessing finally makes her peace, says Tim Adams
Review: Growing up in England by Anthony Fletcher
Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Anthony Fletcher's Growing up in England fails to question why boys and girls were pushed to extremes for so long, says Hilary Spurling

NPR Topics: Books

Narnia Adapted for the Screen in 'Prince Caspian'
Sun, 11 May 2008 17:49:00 -0400
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is the latest film adaptation of C.S. Lewis' fantasy series. Director Andrew Adamson talks with host Andrea Seabrook about the challenges of translating the beloved Narnia series onto the screen.
Saving Endangered Species One Mouthful at a Time
Sun, 11 May 2008 17:45:00 -0400
Conservation scientist Gary Nabhan says the best way to recover some of America's at-risk species is to eat them. He documents lost and threatened foods in his new book, Renewing America's Food Traditions.
The Woman Behind 'The Great Man'
Sat, 10 May 2008 15:55:00 -0400
Kate Christensen won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel, The Great Man, a story about three charismatic older women left behind when a larger-than-life artist dies. Christensen is only the fifth woman to receive the award.

Slashdot: Book Reviews

Terrorist Recognition Handbook
samzenpus Wed, 07 May 2008 18:36:00 -0000
Ben Rothke writes "There are two types of writers about terrorism, experts such as Daniel Pipes and Steven Emerson who write from a distance and others that write graphic tales of first-hand from the trenches war stories. Terrorist Recognition Handbook: A Practitioner's Manual for Predicting and Identifying Terrorist Activities, is unique in that author Malcolm Nance is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence community and writes from a first hand-perspective, but with the organization and methodology of writers such as Pipes and Emerson. Those combined traits make the book extraordinarily valuable and perhaps the definitive text on terrorist recognition." Read below for the rest of Ben's reviewRead more of this story at Slashdot.
Second Person
samzenpus Mon, 05 May 2008 18:15:00 -0000
Aeonite writes "As we all learned in English class, there are three points of view one can employ when writing: first person ("I learned"), second person ("You learned"), and third person ("He learned"). You are about to read a review of Second Person: Role-Playing and Story in Games and Playable Media, a book that addresses the use of second-person narration in games and related media. You are also likely to be eaten by a Grue." Read below for the rest of Michael's review.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Building Powerful and Robust Websites With Drupal 6
samzenpus Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:05:00 -0000
Michael J. Ross writes "For creating Web sites, developers are increasingly making use of content management systems (CMSs), any of which can provide the framework for a new site. But just as there are many similarities among all the leading CMSs, there are some significant differences, such as how easy they are to install, administer, and build upon, for creating new sites. If developer loyalty is any measure of the present and future success of a CMS, then Drupal should be considered a standout among other CMSs. For instance, its online documentation alone is often cited as a distinguishing advantage. But most developers would prefer learning Drupal from a book, such as Building Powerful and Robust Websites With Drupal 6, by David Mercer." Keep reading below for the rest of Michael's review.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Christian Science Monitor | Books

Memoirs: whose truth – and does it matter?
Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Two years after the James Frey scandal, a still-roiled genre thrives.
The frisky art of Cynthia Ozick
Tue, 06 May 2008 01:00:00 -0500
In four lively tales, Ozick takes a playful route to serious points.
Book buzz
Tue, 06 May 2008 01:00:00 -0500
What reviewers are saying this week.

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