Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. His novel
Ender's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
(1985) and its sequel
Speaker for the DeadSpeaker for the Dead is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card and an indirect sequel to the novel Ender's Game. This book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in Ender's Game...
(1986) both won
HugoThe 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...
and
Nebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
s, making Card the only author to win both science fiction's top U.S. prizes in consecutive years. He is also known as an advocate for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which he has been a lifelong practicing member, and as a political commentator on many issues, including opposition to the legalization of
same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
.
Early life
Card is the son of Willard and Peggy Card, third of six children and the older brother of composer and arranger
Arlen CardArlen Card is an American composer and arranger. He is a Latter-day Saint and is the younger brother of Orson Scott Card. He was, among other interests, actively involved in both basketball and the saxophone during his youth. After serving two years as a missionary for the LDS Church in Chile, he...
. Card was born in
Richland, WashingtonRichland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
, and grew up in
Santa Clara, CaliforniaSanta Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
as well as
Mesa, ArizonaAccording to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
and
Orem, UtahOrem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
. He served as a
missionaryThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and graduated from
Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and the
University of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
; he also spent a year in a Ph.D. program at the
University of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. Card lives in
Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, an environment that has played a significant role in
Ender's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
and many of his other works.
Career
Card began his writing career primarily as a poet, studying with Clinton F. Larson at Brigham Young University. During his studies as a theater major, he began "doctoring" scripts, adapting fiction for readers theatre production, and finally writing his own one-act and full-length plays, several of which were produced by faculty directors at BYU. He also explored fiction writing, beginning with stories that eventually evolved into
The Worthing SagaThe Worthing Saga is a science fiction book by American writer Orson Scott Card, set in the Worthing series. It is made up of the novel The Worthing Chronicle and nine related stories...
.
After returning to
Provo, UtahProvo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
from his
LDS missionThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Brazil, Card started the Utah Valley Repertory Theatre Company, which for two summers produced plays at "the Castle," a
Depression-eraThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
outdoor amphitheater behind the state mental hospital in Provo; his company's were the first plays ever produced there. Meanwhile, he took part-time employment as a proofreader at BYU Press, then made the jump to full time employment as a copy editor. In 1976, in the midst of a paid acting gig in the Church's musical celebrating
America's BicentennialThe United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
, he secured employment as an assistant editor at the Church's official magazine,
Ensign, and moved to Salt Lake City. It was while working at
Ensign that Card published his first piece of fiction. His short story "
Gert Fram"Gert Fram" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. This short story was the first piece of fiction Card ever published...
" appeared in the July 1977 fine arts issue of that magazine under the pseudonym Byron Walley.
Science fiction
He first wrote the short story "
Ender's Game"Ender's Game" is a story by Orson Scott Card. It first appeared in the August 1977 issue of Analog magazine and was later expanded into the novel Ender's Game...
" while working at the BYU press, and submitted it to several publications. The idea for the later novel of the same title came from the short story about a school where boys can fight in space. It was eventually purchased by
Ben BovaBenjamin William Bova is an American science-fiction author and editor. He is the recipient of six Hugo Awards for Best Professional Editor for his work at Analog Science Fiction in the 1970's.-Personal life:...
at
Analog Science Fiction and FactAnalog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
and published in the August 1977 issue. Meanwhile, he started writing half-hour audioplays on
the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThe history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is typically divided into three broad time periods: the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, Jr...
, the
New TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, and other subjects for Living Scriptures in Ogden, Utah; on the basis of that continuing contract, some freelance editing work, and a novel contract for
Hot SleepHot Sleep: The Worthing Chronicle is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card set in the Worthing series. Although it is currently out of print, Card's novel The Worthing Chronicle covers some of the same ground.-Plot summary:...
and
A Planet Called TreasonA Planet Called Treason is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. It was originally published by St Martin's Press and Dell Publishing Co. After being heavily revised, the book was republished under the title Treason by St...
, he left
Ensign and began supporting his family as a freelancer.
He completed his master's degree in English at the University of Utah in 1981 and began a doctoral program at the University of Notre Dame, but the recession of the early 1980s caused the flow of new book contracts to temporarily dry up. He returned to full-time employment as the book editor for
Compute!Compute! was an American computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994, though it can trace its origin to 1978 in Len Lindsay's PET Gazette, one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET computer. In its 1980s heyday Compute! covered all major platforms, and several single-platform...
magazine in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1983. In October of that year, a new contract for the Alvin Maker "trilogy" (now up to 6 books) allowed him to return to freelancing.
Ender's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
and its sequel
Speaker for the DeadSpeaker for the Dead is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card and an indirect sequel to the novel Ender's Game. This book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in Ender's Game...
were both awarded the
Hugo AwardThe 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...
and the
Nebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
, making Card the only author (as of 2011) to win both of science fiction's top prizes in consecutive years. Card continued the series with
XenocideXenocide is the third novel in the Ender's Game series of books by Orson Scott Card. It was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus Awards for Best Novel in 1992...
,
Children of the MindChildren of the Mind is the fourth book of Orson Scott Card's popular Ender's Game series of science fiction novels that focus on the character Ender Wiggin...
,
Ender's ShadowEnder's Shadow is a parallel science fiction novel by the American author Orson Scott Card, taking place at the same time as the novel Ender's Game and depicting the same events from the point of view of Bean, a supporting character in the original novel. It was originally to be titled Urchin, but...
,
Shadow of the HegemonShadow of the Hegemon is the second novel in the Ender's Shadow series by Orson Scott Card. It is also the sixth novel in the Ender's Game series. It is told mostly from the point of view of Bean, a largely peripheral character in the original novel Ender's Game...
,
Shadow PuppetsShadow Puppets , by Orson Scott Card is the sequel to Shadow of the Hegemon and the third book in the Ender's Shadow series . It was originally to be called Shadow of Death.-Plot summary:...
, "First Meetings in the Enderverse",
Shadow of the GiantShadow of the Giant is the fourth novel in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow series.-Plot summary:A belief is spreading in conquered China that the government has lost the Mandate of Heaven. Han Tzu meets up with Mazer Rackham, who passes him a blow dart pen, calling it the "Mandate of Heaven"...
, the 2007 release of
A War of GiftsA War of Gifts: An Ender Story is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. This book is set in Card's Ender's Game series and takes place during Ender Wiggin's time at Battle School as described in Card's novels Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.-Plot summary:A War of Gifts begins in North...
, and the 2008 release of
Ender in Exile, a book that takes place after
Ender's Game and before
Speaker for the Dead. Card has also announced his plan to write
Shadows AliveShadows Alive is a planned science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card in the Ender's Game series. It will link the Ender's Shadow books back to the Ender Saga....
, a book that connects the "Shadow" series and "Speaker" series together. In 2008 Card announced that
Ender's Game would be made into a movie, but that he did not have a director lined up. (
Wolfgang PetersenWolfgang Petersen is a German film director and screenwriter. His films include The NeverEnding Story, Enemy Mine, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy, and Poseidon...
had previously been scheduled to direct the movie but has since moved on to other projects.) It was to be produced by Chartoff Productions, and Card was writing the screenplay himself.
Other works include the alternate histories
The Tales of Alvin MakerThe Tales of Alvin Maker is a series of novels by Orson Scott Card that revolve around the experiences of a young man, Alvin Miller, who discovers he has incredible powers for creating and shaping things around him...
,
Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher ColumbusPastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus is the first science fiction novel in the Pastwatch series by Orson Scott Card. The book's focus is the life and activities of explorer, Christopher Columbus...
,
The Homecoming SagaThe Homecoming Saga is a science fiction series by Orson Scott Card. The series is patterned on the Book of Mormon. Some of the names also come from the Book of Mormon....
, and
Hidden EmpireHidden Empire is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the second book in The Empire duet.-Plot summary:The war of words between right and left collapsed into a shooting war, and raged between the high-technology weapons on each side, devastating cities and overrunning the...
, a story about a near-future
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
in the United States, based on the
Xbox Live ArcadeXbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
video game
Shadow ComplexShadow Complex is a platform-adventure video game developed by Chair Entertainment in association with Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox Live Arcade, and is powered by Unreal Engine 3...
. He collaborated with
Star Wars artist
Doug ChiangDoug Chiang is an American film designer and artist. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1962 and grew up in the United States.Chiang studied film at UCLA and industrial design at the College for Creative Studies. During the late 1980s he worked at various production studios including Rhythm and Hues...
on
RobotaRobota is an illustrated book by Doug Chiang and Orson Scott Card about a mysterious fourth planet of the solar system named Orpheus. In a time before the events of the book, an alien race known as the Olm came to Orpheus and warned the people, explaining that their planet will crash into Earth in...
and with
Kathryn H. KiddKathryn H. Kidd was Orson Scott Card's co-author in writing a novel named Lovelock. The novel was to be the first of a proposed trilogy, but the other volumes have not been published...
on
Lovelock.
Other genres
He has since branched out into other areas of fiction with novels such as
Lost Boys,
Treasure BoxTreasure Box is the second horror novel by Orson Scott Card. It takes place in modern day America.-Plot introduction:The plot details a middle-aged man, Quentin Fears , who marries a woman who turns out to be a succubus...
and
EnchantmentEnchantment is an English language fantasy novel written by Orson Scott Card. First published in 1999, the novel is based on the Russian version of Sleeping Beauty and other folk tales...
. Other works include the novelization of the
James CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
film
The AbyssThe Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. The original musical score was composed by Alan Silvestri...
and the comic book
Ultimate Iron ManUltimate Iron Man is the name of two comic book miniseries written by Orson Scott Card and published by Marvel Comics. The stories tell the origins of the Ultimate Marvel version of Iron Man, who appears in Ultimates.-Publication history:...
for Marvel Comics' Ultimate Marvel Universe series. Outside the published fiction world, Card contributed dialog to at least three video games:
Loom,
The Secret of Monkey IslandThe Secret of Monkey Island is a graphic adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by the same company after its name was changed to LucasArts. The game spawned a number of sequels, collectively known as the Monkey Island series...
and
The DigThe Dig is a graphical adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995, and a game based on an idea for an Amazing Stories episode by Steven Spielberg...
in the early 1990s.
In 2000, Card published the first novel in
The Women of Genesis seriesThe Women of Genesis series is a series of books begun in 2000 by Orson Scott Card. The books in this series are centered around the wives of the Biblical Patriarchs of the Book of Genesis...
. This series explores the lives of the principal women mentioned in the first book of the Bible and includes
SarahSarah: Women of Genesis is the first novel in The Women of Genesis series by Orson Scott Card.-Plot introduction:Sarah follows the story of Abraham through the eyes and perspective of Sarah. The Biblical account of the life of Sarah is contained in Genesis 12 - 22 most of which is centered...
(2000),
RebekahRebekah is the second novel in The Women of Genesis series by Orson Scott Card.-Plot introduction:Rebekah follows the story of Isaac through the eyes and perspective of Rebekah. Card expands the story into a novel of over 400 pages so many of the details and characters are fictional...
(2002), and
Rachel and LeahRachel and Leah is the third novel in The Women of Genesis series by Orson Scott Card.- Plot introduction :Rachel and Leah follows the story of Jacob through the eyes of Rachel and Leah. Card expands the story into a novel of over 300 pages, so many of the details and characters are fictional...
(2004).
In the fall of 2005, Card also launched
Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine ShowInterGalactic Medicine Show is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It was founded by multiple award-winning author Orson Scott Card. An anthology also called Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show was published by Tor in August, 2008, featuring selected stories from...
. He edited the first two issues, but found that the demands of teaching, writing, and directing plays for his local church theatre group made it impossible to respond to writers' submissions in a timely manner; former Card student and experienced freelance writer and editor
Edmund R. SchubertEdmund R. Schubert is an American author and editor best known for his work in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, though some of his short stories are mysteries, including one that was a preliminary nominee for an Edgar Award in 2006 for Best Short Story...
took over as editor on June 1, 2006.
The dialog and screenplay (but not the story) for the Xbox video game
Advent RisingAdvent Rising is a third-person, science fiction action-adventure video game. It was developed by GlyphX Games and published by Majesco. The game was released on May 31, 2005 for Xbox and on August 9, 2005 for Microsoft Windows. The story of this game was created by Donald Mustard, and featured a...
was written by Card and Cameron Dayton.
In 2008, Card's novella
Hamlet's Father, a retelling of Shakespeare's
HamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, was published in the anthology
The Ghost Quartet (
Tor BooksTor 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...
). The work re-interpreted all of the characters' personalities and motivations. After
Subterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=card07&Category_Code=B&Product_Count=36 reprinted the work as a stand-alone novella in 2011, there was an outcry because the work portrayed old King Hamlet (Hamlet's father) as a paedophile, suggesting that pedophilia caused people to become gay, and equate homosexuality and pedophilia.
Reviews and critiques
Card authors "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything," a weekly editorial for the Greensboro
Rhinoceros TimesThe Rhinoceros Times is a free weekly conservative news and opinion newspaper published in Greensboro, North Carolina, founded in 1991. A Charlotte, North Carolina print edition was founded in 2002 and discontinued in 2008.-Background:...
, which features personal reviews of movies, books, restaurants in the greater Greensboro area, and a variety of other topics. The column also later appears on his website, Hatrack River.
Pseudonyms
Over the years Orson Scott Card has used at least seven
pseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s.
The names
Frederick Bliss and
P.Q. Gump were used by Card when he was asked to write an overview of Mormon playwrights "Mormon Shakespears: A Study of Contemporary Mormon Theatre" for Spring 1976 issue of
SunstoneSunstone is a magazine published by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501 nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in The Church...
magazine. According to Card he used these pseudonyms because the article included a brief reference to himself and his play "Stone Tables".
The name
Byron Walley was used by Card on his first published piece of fiction "Gert Fram" which appeared in the July 1977 fine arts issue of
Ensign magazine. According to Card he used this name because he had a non-fiction article, "Family Art", a poem, "Looking West", and a short play, "The Rag Mission", appearing in the same issue. Card also used the name Byron Walley in stories he published in
FriendThe Friend is the monthly English language children's magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is aimed at those of Primary age , approximately ages 3 through 12...
magazine,
New EraNew Era is an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. First published in January 1971 along with the Ensign and the Friend, the New Era's intended audience has always been the youth of the Church...
magazine and in the anthology
Dragons of DarknessDragons of Darkness is an anthology edited by Orson Scott Card. It contains fifteen stories, two of which were written by Card himself. The two stories by Card are "Middle Woman" and "A Plague of Butterflies"...
. Stories by Byron Walley include: "
Gert Fram"Gert Fram" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. This short story was the first piece of fiction Card ever published...
",
Ensign magazine, July 1977; "
Bicicleta"Bicicleta" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this story in the October 1977 issue of Friend magazine under the pseudonym Byron Walley.-Plot summary:...
",
Friend magazine, October 1977; "
The Best Family Home Evening Ever"Best Family Home Evening Ever!!" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this story in the January 1978 issue of Friend magazine under the pseudonym Byron Walley....
",
Friend magazine, January 1978; "
Billy's Box"Billy's Box" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this story in the February 1978 issue of Friend magazine under the pseudonym Byron Walley.-Plot summary:...
",
Friend magazine, February 1978; "
I Think Mom and Dad Are Going Crazy, Jerry"I Think Mom and Dad Are Going Crazy, Jerry" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this story in the May 1979 issue of New Era magazine under the pseudonym Byron Walley.-Plot summary:This story is about a college...
",
New Era magazine, May 1979; and "
Middle Woman"Middle Woman" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collections Cardography and Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this in an anthology he was editing called Dragons of Darkness under the name Byron Walley....
",
Dragons of Darkness, Ace Books, 1982.
The name
Brian Green was also used by Card in the July 1977 fine arts issue of
Ensign magazine. He used this name for his short play "The Rag Mission" because he had three other pieces appearing in the same issue.
The name
Dinah Kirkham was used to write the short story
The Best Day"The Best Day" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this story in his novel Saints under the pen name Dinah Kirkham.-Plot summary:...
, in 1983.
The name
Noam D. Pellume was used by Card for his short story "
Damn Fine Novel"Damn Fine Novel" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. Card originally published this story in the October 1989 issue of The Green Pages under the pseudonym Noam D. Pellume. -Plot summary:...
" which appeared in the October 1989 issue of
The Green Pages.
Card wrote the novel "Zanna's Gift" (2004) under the pen name
Scott Richards, saying, "I was trying to establish a separate identity in the marketplace, but for various reasons the marketing strategy didn't work as we'd hoped."
Teaching
In 2005, Card accepted a permanent appointment as "distinguished professor" at
Southern Virginia UniversitySouthern Virginia University is a liberal arts college located in Buena Vista, Virginia that promotes standards and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while not being owned nor operated by the Church...
in
Buena Vista, VirginiaBuena Vista is an independent city located within the confines of Rockbridge County, Virginia. The population was 6,650 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Buena Vista with Rockbridge county for statistical purposes.-Geography:Buena Vista is located at...
, a small
liberal arts collegeA liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
run based on the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Card has cited his frustration with dismal teaching methodology for
creative writingCreative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
in most universities as a reason for accepting this position, along with his desire to teach the techniques of effective fiction writing to writers whose values are more harmonious with his own. Card has worked closely with colleagues to develop new and effective ways to educate aspiring writers and has published two books on the subject. He was eager for the opportunity to apply these techniques in a university environment—his assorted workshops did not allow the follow-through he desired. After being affected by stories of his students' parents in some of their essays, he decided to stop teaching regularly at the university to spend time with his youngest child who still lives at home. However, Card returned to teaching for the spring semester of 2009.
Literary Boot Camp
Since 2001, Card has run an annual, one-week intensive critique workshop for aspiring writers called "Literary Boot Camp." Participants are picked from applicants who submit a sample of their fiction writing. The week-long workshop is paired with a weekend lecture-style workshop open to all comers. Graduates have gone on to win major science fiction and fantasy contests (for instance, the now-defunct Phobos contest and the
Writers of the FutureWriters of the Future is a science fiction and fantasy story contest that was originated by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s. Hubbard...
contest), sell many stories to the SF and fantasy magazines such as
Asimov's Science FictionAsimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
and
Realms of FantasyRealms of Fantasy is a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Damnation Books, which specializes in fantasy, nonfiction, and art. The magazine publishes short stories by some of the genre's most popular and most prominent authors...
, sell books to major publishers (Judson Roberts'
Strongbow Saga trilogy is one of many examples), etc.
Books on writing
Card has written two books on the subject of creative writing. The first of these books was
Characters and Viewpoint published in 1988. The second was
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy published in 1990. Both of the books were published by
Writer's Digest BooksWriter's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
and remain in print. He was also a co-writer for
How to Write a Million (though his contribution is actually a reprint of an earlier work).
Card also gives advice about writing in an interview in
Leading EdgeLeading Edge, formerly The Leading Edge Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, is a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine founded in 1981 and published at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The magazine is known for its high quality fiction and has published stories by authors such...
#23 in 1991.
Writers of the Future
Card also serves as a judge in the
Writers of the FutureWriters of the Future is a science fiction and fantasy story contest that was originated by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s. Hubbard...
contest. Writers of the Future is a
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and
fantasyFantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
story contest for amateur writers originated by
L. Ron HubbardLafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
in the early 1980s and continues to be funded and organized by the Church of Scientology.
Religion
Card's immersion in the
Mormon faithMormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
has been an important facet of his life from early on. His great-great-grandfather was
Brigham YoungBrigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, an important leader in the
Latter Day Saint movementThe Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
, and all of Card's ancestors from at least three generations have been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). His ancestors include several other figures notable in the LDS Church, including the
Cardston-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...
colony founder
Charles Ora CardCharles Ora Card was the founder of the town of Cardston, Alberta, the first Mormon settlement in Canada. He has been referred to as "Canada's Brigham Young"....
. As such, his faith has been a source of inspiration and influence for both his writing and his personal views.
Politics
In 2008, one day before the
2008 presidential election in the United StatesThe United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Card wrote an opinion piece in which he (while being a Democrat) encouraged voters to support the Republican
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, stating that he wished he could have supported Obama.
Homosexuality
Card has publicly declared his disapproval of homosexuality and of marriage rights for gay men and women. In 1990, Card called for laws that ban
homosexual behaviorHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
to "remain on the books... to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society's regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society", although he no longer advocates this, and argues that the 1990 stance must be seen in the context of the times (such laws were still deemed constitutional at the time) and the conservative Mormon audience to whom his essay was addressed. In 2009, Card became a member of the board of directors of the
National Organization for MarriageThe National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit political association established in 2007 to work against legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, specifically to pass California Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in California...
, a group that seeks to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Card has voiced his opinion that
pedophiliaAs a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
and homosexuality are sometimes linked. In a 2004 essay entitled "Homosexual 'Marriage' and Civilization", Card wrote:
Additionally, in Card's novella
Hamlet's Father, which re-imagines the backstory of
Shakespeare'sWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
play
HamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, some claim that Card depicts the main character's problems as being the result of his
fatherThe ghost of Hamlet's father is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, also known as The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In the stage directions he is referred to as "Ghost."...
's activities as a gay pedophile. The novella prompted public outcry and its publishers were inundated with complaints. The trade journal
Publisher's Weekly criticized Card's "flimsy novella" and stated that the main purpose of it was to attempt to link homosexuality to pedophilia. Orson Scott Card has responded to the claims that
Hamlet's Father links homosexuality with pedophilia, Card wrote:
Environment and science
Although he supports government-funded research into
alternative energyAlternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
sources and the phasing out of
fossil fuelFossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
use, Card has also frequently criticized precipitate action on
global warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, and has voiced the suggestion that scientific evidence against global warming is suppressed because global warming has become an academic orthodoxy that discourages opposing evidence.
His short story "Angles" also features scientists fearing to pursue research because it would run counter to scientific dogma. Similarly, he has voiced distrust of
DarwinismDarwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
as dogma in opposition to
Intelligent DesignIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
(which he also distrusts, for entirely different reasons ). While criticizing scientists for claiming that Darwinism explains "completely how
evolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
works," Card also said that "real science does not—and never can—prove or even support" Intelligent Design.
Personal life
Card and his wife Kristine have had five children, each named after one or more authors he and his wife admire. Their children's names are Michael Geoffrey (
Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
), Emily Janice (
Emily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
and
Emily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
), Charles Benjamin (
Charles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
), Zina Margaret (
Margaret MitchellMargaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
) and Erin Louisa (
Louisa May AlcottLouisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
). Charles, who had
cerebral palsyCerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, died shortly after his 17th birthday and their daughter, Erin, died the day she was born. Card and his wife live with their youngest living child, Zina, in
Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
.
The life of their son Charles influenced some of Card's fiction, most notably the
HomecomingThe Homecoming Saga is a science fiction series by Orson Scott Card. The series is patterned on the Book of Mormon. Some of the names also come from the Book of Mormon....
series,
Lost Boys and
Folk of the Fringe. Their daughter, Emily, along with two other writers adapted Card's short stories "
Clap Hands and Sing"Clap Hands and Sing" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. It was later published in his book Posing as People along with a play based on it by Scott Brick.-Plot summary:...
", "
Lifeloop"Lifeloop" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collections Capitol and The Worthing Saga. Card first published it in the October 1978 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact.-Plot summary:...
" and "
A Sepulchre of Songs"A Sepulchre of Songs" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror. It was later published in his book Posing as People along with a play based on it by his daughter, Emily Janice Card....
" for the stage in
Posing as PeoplePosing as People is a collection of three short stories by Orson Scott Card plus three plays by three different playwrights based on those stories.-Contents:*"Clap Hands and Sing" - short story by Orson Scott Card...
.
In 2008, he appeared in the short film
The Delivery, which starred his daughter Emily. He plays an author reading an audiobook in this film, which won First Place in Fantasy at Dragon*Con Film Festival. He wrote an original story, "The Emperor of the Air," specifically for the short film by Gabrielle de Cuir and Stefan Rudnicki.
Card is an avid fan of the science fiction television series
FireflyFirefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
and makes an appearance in the documentary
Done the ImpossibleDone the Impossible is a 2006 documentary fan film of the TV series Firefly. Its main focus is on the fans themselves, and how they came to love the show and, ultimately, played a part in getting the film Serenity made.-History:...
about
Firefly fandom.
Card suffered a "mild stroke" on January 1, 2011, and was briefly hospitalized. He reports expecting to make a full recovery, although his use of his left hand was impaired, requiring "retraining his brain."
Awards
- 1978 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer from the World Science Fiction Convention
- 1981 Songmaster
Songmaster is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. The story of the Songmaster occurs in a future human empire, and follows Ansset, a beautiful young boy whose perfect singing voice has the power of amplifying people's emotions, making him both a potential healer and destroyer...
: Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award, 1981
- 1984 Saints
Saints is a historical fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. It tells the story of the fictional protagonist, Dinah Kirkham, a native of Manchester, England, who immigrates to the United States and becomes one of the plural wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.Saints was...
: Book of the Year by the Association for Mormon LettersThe Association for Mormon Letters is a nonprofit founded in 1976 to promote quality writing "by, for, and about Mormons." The broadness of this definition of Mormon literature has led the AML to focus on a wide variety of work that has sometimes been neglected in the Mormon community...
- 1985 Ender's Game
Ender's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
: Nebula Award, 1985; Hugo Award, 1986; Hamilton-Brackett Award, 1986; SF Chronicle Readers Poll, 1986
- 1986 Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card and an indirect sequel to the novel Ender's Game. This book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in Ender's Game...
; Nebula Award, 1986, Hugo Award, 1987; Locus AwardThe Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
, 1987; SF Chronicle Readers Poll Award 87
- 1987 "Eye for Eye
Eye for Eye is a science fiction novella by Orson Scott Card. It first appeared in the March 1987 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. In 1990 it appeared in Card’s short story collection Maps in a Mirror and also as a Tor double novel, with The Tunesmith by Lloyd Biggle, Jr....
": Hugo Award, 1988; "Japanese Hugo". 1989
- 1987 "Hatrack River": Nebula nominee, 1986, Hugo nominee, 1987, World Fantasy Award winner, 1987
- 1988 Seventh Son
Seventh Son is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the first book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son. Seventh Son won a Locus Award and was nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards in 1988...
: Hugo and WFA nominee, 1988; Mythopoeic SocietyThe Mythopoeic Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of mythopoeia, fantasy and mythic literature. The group focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on works written by J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and C. S. Lewis. These authors were members of The Inklings, an...
Award 1988; Locus Award winner, 1988
- 1989 Red Prophet
Red Prophet is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the second book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son...
: Hugo nominee, 1988; Nebula Nominee, 1989; Locus winner, 1989
- 1991 How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Writer's Digest Books, 90): Hugo Award
- 1995 Alvin Journeyman
Alvin Journeyman is an alternate history/fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is the fourth book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son. Alvin Journeyman won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1996.-Synopsis:Alvin is a Maker,...
: Locus Award winner, 1996
- 2008 YALSA Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Contribution to Young Adult Literature; for Ender's Game
Ender's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
and Ender's ShadowEnder's Shadow is a parallel science fiction novel by the American author Orson Scott Card, taking place at the same time as the novel Ender's Game and depicting the same events from the point of view of Bean, a supporting character in the original novel. It was originally to be titled Urchin, but...
- 2008 Whitney Awards
The Whitney Awards are awards given annually for novels by LDS authors. The Whitney Awards are a semi-independent non-profit organization affiliated with the LDStorymakers, a guild for LDS authors.-Categories:There are currently seven genre categories:...
, Lifetime Achievement Award
Sources
- Dragons of Darkness
Dragons of Darkness is an anthology edited by Orson Scott Card. It contains fifteen stories, two of which were written by Card himself. The two stories by Card are "Middle Woman" and "A Plague of Butterflies"...
, edited by Orson Scott Card, Ace Books, 1981.
- Maps in a Mirror
Maps in a Mirror is a collection of short stories by Orson Scott Card. Like Card's novels, most of the stories have a science fiction or fantasy theme...
, Orson Scott Card, Tor Books, 1990.
Further reading
- Card Catalogue: The Science Fiction and Fantasy of Orson Scott Card, Michael R. Collings
Michael Robert Collings is an author, poet, literary critic, and bibliographer, and a former professor of creative writing and literature at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He was Poet in Residence at Pepperdine's Seaver College from 1997-2000...
, Hypatia Press, 1987, ISBN 0940841010
- In the Image of God: Theme, Characterization and Landscape in the Fiction of Orson Scott Card, Michael R. Collings, Greenwood Press, 1990, ISBN 0-313-26404-X
- The Work of Orson Scott Card: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide, Michael R. Collings and Boden Clarke, 1997
- Storyteller: The Official Guide to the Works of Orson Scott Card, Michael R. Collings, Overlook Connection Press, 2001, ISBN 1-892950-26-X
External links