Jeff VanderMeer
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Scott VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American
writer, editor and publisher.
He is best known for his contributions to the New Weird
and his stories about the city of Ambergris, in books like City of Saints and Madmen
.
, but spent much of his childhood in the Fiji Islands
, where his parents worked for the Peace Corps
. This experience, and the resulting trip back to the United States through Asia, Africa, and Europe, deeply influenced him.
In 2003, VanderMeer married Ann Kennedy, then editor for the small Buzzcity Press and magazine the Silver Web. Ann VanderMeer
is currently the editor of Weird Tales
magazine, and a respected anthologist and publisher in her own right. The VanderMeers live in Tallahassee, Florida
.
He is the author of the best-selling City of Saints and Madmen
, set in his signature creation, the imaginary city of Ambergris, in addition to several other novels from Bantam
, Tor
, and Pan Macmillan. He has won two World Fantasy Awards, an NEA-funded Florida Individual Writers’ Fellowship, and, most recently, the Le Cafard cosmique award in France and the Tähtifantasia Award in Finland, both for City of Saints. He has also been a finalist for the Hugo Award
, Bram Stoker Award
, IHG Award, Philip K. Dick Award, and many others. Novels such as Veniss Underground
and Shriek: An Afterword
have made the year’s best lists of Amazon.com, The Austin Chronicle, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Publishers Weekly
, among others. His work, both books and short stories, has been translated into over twenty languages. The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases
may be his most famous anthology, and is considered a cult classic, still in print along with his Leviathan original fiction series.
VanderMeer is the founding editor and publisher of the Ministry of Whimsy Press, up until recently on hiatus. It is currently an imprint of Wyrm Publishing. One of the Ministry's publications, The Troika
by Stepan Chapman
, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1997.
VanderMeer's reviews and essays have appeared in The Washington Post
Book World, Publishers Weekly
, and many others. He is a regular columnist for the Amazon book-culture blog, and has served as a judge for the Eisner Awards, among others, and has been a guest speaker at such diverse events as the Brisbane Writers Festival, Finncon
in Helsinki, and the American Library Association
annual conference. His multi-media presentations and lectures on a variety of topics have been given all over the world, and he makes frequent public appearances, including teaching at the Clarion Workshop
and Trinity Prep School.
Recently, VanderMeer began to experiment in other media, resulting in a movie based on his novel Shriek that featured an original soundtrack by rock band The Church
and a Play Station Europe animation of his story “A New Face in Hell” by animator Joel Veitch
. Currently, VanderMeer is writing a Predator
tie-in novel for Dark Horse Comics
called Predator: South China Seas, and writing the introduction to Ben Templesmith
’s second Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse
graphic novel from IDW Publishing
. Forthcoming projects in 2008 include seven anthologies (from The New Weird to a charity anthology for literacy, Last Drink Bird Head), a short film based on his story The Situation (out as a book from PS Publishing
in the spring), and several novellas, including “Borne,” a sequel to The Situation.
VanderMeer's latest Ambergris
novel, a noir
thriller called Finch
, was nominated for the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novel
., For this book, VanderMeer approached rock band Murder By Death
about recording a soundtrack for release with a limited edition of the book. The band obliged with the October 2009 release of Finch
.
Has been published in award-winning Postscripts
.
for the novella The Transformation of Martin Lake. He also shared a 2003 award for co-editing the Leviathan 3 anthology. His novel Finch was nominated for a 2009 World Fantasy Award and for the 2009 Nebula Award for best novel.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
writer, editor and publisher.
He is best known for his contributions to the New Weird
New Weird
The New Weird is a literary genre that began in the 1990s and developed in a series of novels and stories published from 2001 to 2005. The writers involved are mostly novelists who are considered to be parts of the horror and/or speculative fiction genres but who often cross genre boundaries...
and his stories about the city of Ambergris, in books like City of Saints and Madmen
City of Saints and Madmen
City of Saints and Madmen: The Book of Ambergris is the title of a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Jeff VanderMeer, set in the fictional metropolis of Ambergris...
.
Biography
He was born in Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaBellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, but spent much of his childhood in the Fiji Islands
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, where his parents worked for the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
. This experience, and the resulting trip back to the United States through Asia, Africa, and Europe, deeply influenced him.
In 2003, VanderMeer married Ann Kennedy, then editor for the small Buzzcity Press and magazine the Silver Web. Ann VanderMeer
Ann VanderMeer
Ann VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
is currently the editor of Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
magazine, and a respected anthologist and publisher in her own right. The VanderMeers live in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
.
He is the author of the best-selling City of Saints and Madmen
City of Saints and Madmen
City of Saints and Madmen: The Book of Ambergris is the title of a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Jeff VanderMeer, set in the fictional metropolis of Ambergris...
, set in his signature creation, the imaginary city of Ambergris, in addition to several other novels from Bantam
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
, Tor
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, and Pan Macmillan. He has won two World Fantasy Awards, an NEA-funded Florida Individual Writers’ Fellowship, and, most recently, the Le Cafard cosmique award in France and the Tähtifantasia Award in Finland, both for City of Saints. He has also been a finalist for the Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, Bram Stoker Award
Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
, IHG Award, Philip K. Dick Award, and many others. Novels such as Veniss Underground
Veniss Underground
Veniss Underground is a 2003 science fiction novel by Jeff VanderMeer, following the adult lives of three different protagonists across a short period of time in the decadent, surreal city of Veniss, which is situated above a vast underground labyrinth of hovels and mines ruled over by the amoral...
and Shriek: An Afterword
Shriek: An Afterword
Shriek: An Afterword is a 2006 novel by Jeff VanderMeer. Shriek is set in the fictional city of Ambergris, a recurring setting in VanderMeer's work...
have made the year’s best lists of Amazon.com, The Austin Chronicle, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, among others. His work, both books and short stories, has been translated into over twenty languages. The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases
The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases
The Thackery T Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases is an anthology of fantasy medical conditions edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Mark Roberts, and published by Night Shade Books....
may be his most famous anthology, and is considered a cult classic, still in print along with his Leviathan original fiction series.
VanderMeer is the founding editor and publisher of the Ministry of Whimsy Press, up until recently on hiatus. It is currently an imprint of Wyrm Publishing. One of the Ministry's publications, The Troika
The Troika
The Troika is a 1997 science fiction novel by Stepan Chapman. Written in surrealist style, the novel features a highly complex plot mixing fantasy and science fiction. It received the Philip K. Dick Award for 1997.-Plot summary:...
by Stepan Chapman
Stepan Chapman
Stepan Chapman is a writer of speculative fiction and fabulation. He might be best known for the Philip K. Dick Award winning novel The Troika....
, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1997.
VanderMeer's reviews and essays have appeared in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
Book World, Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, and many others. He is a regular columnist for the Amazon book-culture blog, and has served as a judge for the Eisner Awards, among others, and has been a guest speaker at such diverse events as the Brisbane Writers Festival, Finncon
Finncon
Finncon is the largest science fiction convention in Finland and, with up to 15,000 participants, one of the largest SF conventions in Europe. Finncon is unique among SF conventions because it has no participation/membership fee, and is funded primarily on various cultural grants as well as income...
in Helsinki, and the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
annual conference. His multi-media presentations and lectures on a variety of topics have been given all over the world, and he makes frequent public appearances, including teaching at the Clarion Workshop
Clarion Workshop
Clarion is a six-week workshop for new and aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Knight and Wilhelm's Milford Writers' Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, USA, it was founded in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson at Clarion State College in...
and Trinity Prep School.
Recently, VanderMeer began to experiment in other media, resulting in a movie based on his novel Shriek that featured an original soundtrack by rock band The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
and a Play Station Europe animation of his story “A New Face in Hell” by animator Joel Veitch
Joel Veitch
Joel Veitch is a British web animator, singer-songwriter, and member of the humour website B3ta. Veitch is owner of the web site RatherGood where he showcases many of his animations. Joel has also created the Mr...
. Currently, VanderMeer is writing a Predator
Predator (novel series)
The Predator novels are an extension of the Predator franchise, the most recent are published by Dark Horse Comics under their DH Press imprint...
tie-in novel for Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
called Predator: South China Seas, and writing the introduction to Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith is an Australian comic book artist best known for his work in the American comic book industry, most notably the Image Comics series Fell, with writer Warren Ellis, which is credited with pioneering a new format for commercial comics, and IDW's 30 Days of Night with writer Steve...
’s second Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse is the second solo comic book series by creator Ben Templesmith. Unlike the bleak post-apocalyptic world of Templesmith's previous work, Singularity, Wormwood is a lighter series which combines humor and horror. It was first published as short episodic serials within...
graphic novel from IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
. Forthcoming projects in 2008 include seven anthologies (from The New Weird to a charity anthology for literacy, Last Drink Bird Head), a short film based on his story The Situation (out as a book from PS Publishing
PS Publishing
PS Publishing is a Hornsea based publisher founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther. They specialise in novella length fiction from the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. It has quickly become established as one of Britain's premier small presses...
in the spring), and several novellas, including “Borne,” a sequel to The Situation.
VanderMeer's latest Ambergris
Ambergris
Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....
novel, a noir
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
thriller called Finch
Finch (novel)
Finch is Jeff VanderMeer's third novel set in the Ambergris universe. Written in the noir style of detective novels, it stands alone, while referencing characters and events from the earlier City of Saints and Madmen and Shriek: An Afterword....
, was nominated for the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novel
Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.- Winners and other nominees :...
., For this book, VanderMeer approached rock band Murder By Death
Murder by Death (band)
Murder by Death is an American five-piece indie rock band from Bloomington, Indiana. Their name is derived from the 1976 Robert Moore film of the same name.- Early years :...
about recording a soundtrack for release with a limited edition of the book. The band obliged with the October 2009 release of Finch
Finch (Murder By Death album)
Finch is the fifth full-length album release by American five-piece indie rock band Murder by Death. Although the band's fourth album, 2008's Red of Tooth and Claw, was released on the Vagrant label, Finchs October 7, 2009 release was on Tent Show Records, Murder by Death's record label in the...
.
Has been published in award-winning Postscripts
Postscripts
Postscripts is a quarterly Britishmagazine of science fiction, fantasy, horror and crime fiction, first published in June 2004.Each issue is published in two editions: a regular newsstand-type edition and a signed, numbered, 150-copy hardcover edition. Beginning with Postscripts #14, it is a...
.
Novels
- Dradin, In Love (1996, collected in all editions of City of Saints and Madmen)
- The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of Ambergris, by Duncan Shriek (1999, collected in all editions of City of Saints and Madmen)
- Veniss UndergroundVeniss UndergroundVeniss Underground is a 2003 science fiction novel by Jeff VanderMeer, following the adult lives of three different protagonists across a short period of time in the decadent, surreal city of Veniss, which is situated above a vast underground labyrinth of hovels and mines ruled over by the amoral...
(2003) - Shriek: An AfterwordShriek: An AfterwordShriek: An Afterword is a 2006 novel by Jeff VanderMeer. Shriek is set in the fictional city of Ambergris, a recurring setting in VanderMeer's work...
(2006) - PredatorPredator (novel series)The Predator novels are an extension of the Predator franchise, the most recent are published by Dark Horse Comics under their DH Press imprint...
: South China Seas (2008) - FinchFinch (novel)Finch is Jeff VanderMeer's third novel set in the Ambergris universe. Written in the noir style of detective novels, it stands alone, while referencing characters and events from the earlier City of Saints and Madmen and Shriek: An Afterword....
(2009)
Nonfiction
- Why Should I Cut Your Throat? (2004)
- Booklife (2009)
- Monstrous Creatures: Explorations of Fantasy through Essays, Articles & Reviews (2011)
Collections
- The Book of Frog (1989)
- The Book of Lost Places (1996)
- City of Saints and MadmenCity of Saints and MadmenCity of Saints and Madmen: The Book of Ambergris is the title of a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Jeff VanderMeer, set in the fictional metropolis of Ambergris...
: The Book of Ambergris (2001)- City of Saints and Madmen (2002, substantially expanded from the 2001 edition)
- City of Saints and Madmen (2004, expanded from the 2002 edition)
- The Day Dali Died (2003)
- Secret Life (2004)
- Why Should I Cut Your Throat? (nonfiction, 2004)
- VanderMeer 2005 (promotional sampler, 2005)
- Secret Lives (2006)
- The Surgeon's Tale and Other Stories (with Cat RamboCat RamboCat Rambo is a science fiction and fantasy writer and editor who lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has been the co-editor of Fantasy Magazine since 2007. She collaborated with Jeff VanderMeer on The Surgeon's Tale and Other Stories, published in 2007...
, 2007) - The Third Bear (2010, Tachyon PublicationsTachyon PublicationsTachyon 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....
)
Short fiction
- "Mansions of the Moon" (2001) in NemonymousNemonymousNemonymous was a short fiction publication that labeled itself a "megazanthus" . It was published in the United Kingdom and edited by British writer D.F...
1 - "My Report on the Secret Life of Shane Hamill" (2006) in Eidolon IEidolon IEidolon I is a 2006 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan and Jeremy G. Byrne.-Background:Eidolon I was first published in 2006 by Eidolon Books in trade paperback format...
(ed. Jonathan StrahanJonathan StrahanJonathan Strahan is an editor and publisher of science fiction. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986....
, Jeremy G. Byrne)
Other projects
- The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals (with Ann VanderMeerAnn VanderMeerAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
, 2010, Tachyon PublicationsTachyon PublicationsTachyon 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....
)
Anthologies edited
- Leviathan 1 (with Luke O'Grady, 1994)
- Leviathan 2 (with Rose Secrest, 1998)
- Leviathan 3 (with Forrest AguirreForrest AguirreForrest Aguirre is an American fantasy and horror author, and winner of the 2003 World Fantasy Award for his editing work on Leviathan 3, for which he was also a Philip K. Dick Award nominee. He recently edited the anthology Text:UR - The New Book of Masks...
, 2002) - Album Zutique (2003)
- The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited DiseasesThe Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited DiseasesThe Thackery T Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases is an anthology of fantasy medical conditions edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Mark Roberts, and published by Night Shade Books....
(with Mark Roberts, 2003) - Fast Ships and Black Sails, (forthcoming, 2007) - Fantasy pirate stories
- The New Weird (with Ann VanderMeerAnn VanderMeerAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
, 2007) - Best American Fantasy (with Ann VanderMeerAnn VanderMeerAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
, 2007) - Best American Fantasy: v. 2 (with Ann VanderMeerAnn VanderMeerAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
, 2008) - Last Drink Bird Head, (2008)
- SteampunkSteampunk (anthology)Steampunk is an anthology of steampunk fiction edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, and published by Tachyon Publications. It was nominated in 2009 for a World Fantasy Award.-Contributors:* Bill Baker* James P. Blaylock* Molly Brown...
(with Ann VanderMeerAnn VanderMeerAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
, 2008) - Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded (2010)
- The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities (with Ann VanderMeerAnn VanderMeerAnn VanderMeer is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the venerable horror magazine Weird Tales. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press.Her work as Fiction Editor of Weird Tales won a Hugo Award...
, 2011)
Awards
2000 World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
for the novella The Transformation of Martin Lake. He also shared a 2003 award for co-editing the Leviathan 3 anthology. His novel Finch was nominated for a 2009 World Fantasy Award and for the 2009 Nebula Award for best novel.
External links
- Golden Gryphon Press official site - About Secret Life