Peter S. Beagle
Encyclopedia
Peter Soyer Beagle is an American
fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. His most notable works include the novels The Last Unicorn
, A Fine and Private Place
and Tamsin
, and the award-winning story "Two Hearts
".
for a poem he submitted as a high school senior. He went on to graduate from the university with a degree in creative writing.
Beagle wrote his first novel, A Fine and Private Place, when he was only 19 years old. Today he is best known as the author of The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place and I See By My Outfit.
Beagle wrote the teleplay for episode 71 of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
, titled "Sarek."
Beagle also wrote the screenplay for the 1978 Ralph Bakshi
-animated version of The Lord of the Rings
and an introduction to the American edition of The Lord of the Rings
in the early 1970s.
Beagle's work as a screenwriter interrupted his early career direction as a novelist, magazine nonfiction author, and short-story writer. But in the mid-'90s he returned to prose fiction of all lengths, and has produced new works at a steady pace since.
In addition to his own body of work, Beagle is heir to the literary estates of science fiction author Edgar Pangborn
, Edgar's sister and sometime collaborator Mary, and their mother Georgia Wood Pangborn. Since 2003 he has been working to bring the best of these three authors' fiction back into print.
In 2005 Beagle published a coda to The Last Unicorn, a novelette entitled "Two Hearts
," and began work on a full-novel sequel. In 2006, "Two Hearts" won the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novelette
and in 2007 it won the Nebula Award
in the same category. The story was also nominated as a short fiction finalist for the World Fantasy Award
. In 2006, Beagle won the Inkpot Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Science Fiction and Fantasy. In 2007, Beagle won the inaugural WSFA Small Press Award
for "El Regalo," published in The Line Between (Tachyon Publications
).
IDW Publishing
released a six-issue comic book
adaptation of The Last Unicorn beginning in April 2010. The collected hardcover edition was released in January 2011, premiering at #2 on the New York Times Hardcover Graphic Novel bestseller list. It will be followed by an adaptation of A Fine and Private Place
.
Beagle's 2009 collection of short fiction, We Never Talk About My Brother, was nominated for a World Fantasy Award
.
was made into an animated film
in 1982, based on a screenplay written by Beagle himself. In 1979 Beagle had a contract with ITC Entertainment
which entitled Beagle to 5% of the net profits in the animated property, and 5% of the gross revenues from any film-related merchandising. Since 1999 this film has been controlled by a British company, Granada Media International (a subsidiary of ITV plc
). From 2003 through 2011 Beagle was involved in a financial dispute with Granada over nonpayment of contractually due profit and merchandising shares. On July 29, 2011, Beagle announced at his Otakon
appearance that he and ITV had reached an agreement that was beneficial to all parties, and should please fans of The Last Unicorn
because it will make new merchandise and business development possible. On October 14, 2011, at his New York Comic Con appearance, he announced the first results of the deal, including limited edition art prints of original concept paintings from the film, an 80-city digital screening tour with Peter doing audience Q&A, and a complete renovation of the original film for worldwide release in movie theaters as a 30th Anniversary event.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. His most notable works include the novels The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
, A Fine and Private Place
A Fine and Private Place
A Fine and Private Place is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle, the first of his major fantasies. It was first published in hardcover by Viking Press on May 23, 1960, followed by a trade paperback from Delta the same year. Frederick Muller Ltd. published the first United Kingdom hardcover...
and Tamsin
Tamsin (novel)
Tamsin is a 1999 fantasy novel by Peter S. Beagle. It won a Mythopoeic Award in 2000 for adult literature.-Plot summary:Jenny Gluckstein moves with her mother to a 300-year-old farm in Dorset, England, to live with her new stepfather and stepbrothers, Julian and Tony...
, and the award-winning story "Two Hearts
Two Hearts (story)
"Two Hearts" is a novelette written by Peter S. Beagle in 2004 as a coda to The Last Unicorn , despite his decades-long reluctance to continue the original story...
".
Career
Beagle won early recognition from The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, winning a scholarship to University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
for a poem he submitted as a high school senior. He went on to graduate from the university with a degree in creative writing.
Beagle wrote his first novel, A Fine and Private Place, when he was only 19 years old. Today he is best known as the author of The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place and I See By My Outfit.
Beagle wrote the teleplay for episode 71 of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, titled "Sarek."
Beagle also wrote the screenplay for the 1978 Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
-animated version of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
and an introduction to the American edition of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
in the early 1970s.
Beagle's work as a screenwriter interrupted his early career direction as a novelist, magazine nonfiction author, and short-story writer. But in the mid-'90s he returned to prose fiction of all lengths, and has produced new works at a steady pace since.
In addition to his own body of work, Beagle is heir to the literary estates of science fiction author Edgar Pangborn
Edgar Pangborn
Edgar Pangborn was an American mystery, historical, and science fiction author.-Life:Edgar Pangborn was born in New York City on February 25, 1909, to Harry Levi Pangborn, an attorney and dictionary editor, and Georgia Wood Pangborn, a noted writer of supernatural fiction...
, Edgar's sister and sometime collaborator Mary, and their mother Georgia Wood Pangborn. Since 2003 he has been working to bring the best of these three authors' fiction back into print.
Two Hearts (story)
"Two Hearts" is a novelette written by Peter S. Beagle in 2004 as a coda to The Last Unicorn , despite his decades-long reluctance to continue the original story...
," and began work on a full-novel sequel. In 2006, "Two Hearts" won the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novelette
Hugo Award for Best Novelette
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society 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 once officially...
and in 2007 it won the Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The 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...
in the same category. The story was also nominated as a short fiction finalist for the World Fantasy Award
World 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...
. In 2006, Beagle won the Inkpot Award
Inkpot Award
The Inkpot Award, bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International, is given to some of the professionals in comic book, comic strip, animation, science fiction, and related pop-culture fields, who are guests of that organization's yearly multigenre fan convention, commonly known as...
for Outstanding Achievement in Science Fiction and Fantasy. In 2007, Beagle won the inaugural WSFA Small Press Award
WSFA Small Press Award
The WSFA Small Press Award was inaugurated by the Washington Science Fiction Association in 2007. The award is open to works of imaginative literature published in English for the first time in the previous calendar year...
for "El Regalo," published in The Line Between (Tachyon Publications
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....
).
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...
released a six-issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
adaptation of The Last Unicorn beginning in April 2010. The collected hardcover edition was released in January 2011, premiering at #2 on the New York Times Hardcover Graphic Novel bestseller list. It will be followed by an adaptation of A Fine and Private Place
A Fine and Private Place
A Fine and Private Place is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle, the first of his major fantasies. It was first published in hardcover by Viking Press on May 23, 1960, followed by a trade paperback from Delta the same year. Frederick Muller Ltd. published the first United Kingdom hardcover...
.
Beagle's 2009 collection of short fiction, We Never Talk About My Brother, was nominated for a World Fantasy Award
World 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...
.
Dispute with Granada media ended
Peter S. Beagle's book The Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
was made into an animated film
The Last Unicorn (film)
The Last Unicorn is a 1982 fantasy film produced by Rankin/Bass for ITC Entertainment and animated by Topcraft. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film's screenplay...
in 1982, based on a screenplay written by Beagle himself. In 1979 Beagle had a contract with ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
which entitled Beagle to 5% of the net profits in the animated property, and 5% of the gross revenues from any film-related merchandising. Since 1999 this film has been controlled by a British company, Granada Media International (a subsidiary of ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
). From 2003 through 2011 Beagle was involved in a financial dispute with Granada over nonpayment of contractually due profit and merchandising shares. On July 29, 2011, Beagle announced at his Otakon
Otakon
Otakon is a fan convention in the United States focusing on East Asian popular culture and its fandom. The name is a portmanteau derived from convention and the Japanese word otaku...
appearance that he and ITV had reached an agreement that was beneficial to all parties, and should please fans of The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
because it will make new merchandise and business development possible. On October 14, 2011, at his New York Comic Con appearance, he announced the first results of the deal, including limited edition art prints of original concept paintings from the film, an 80-city digital screening tour with Peter doing audience Q&A, and a complete renovation of the original film for worldwide release in movie theaters as a 30th Anniversary event.
Books
- A Fine and Private PlaceA Fine and Private PlaceA Fine and Private Place is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle, the first of his major fantasies. It was first published in hardcover by Viking Press on May 23, 1960, followed by a trade paperback from Delta the same year. Frederick Muller Ltd. published the first United Kingdom hardcover...
, 1960 (novel) - I See By My Outfit: Cross-Country by Scooter, an Adventure, 1965 (nonfiction)
- The Last UnicornThe Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
, 1968 (novel) - The California Feeling, 1969 (with photographer Michael Bry, nonfiction)
- Lila the Werewolf, 1974 (chapbook edition of previously-published novelette)
- American Denim, 1975 (nonfiction art book)
- The Lady and Her Tiger, 1976 (with Pat Derby, nonfiction)
- The Fantasy Worlds of Peter S. Beagle, 1978 (omnibus collection including A Fine and Private Place, The Last Unicorn, "Come Lady Death," and "Lila the Werewolf")
- The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1982 (nonfiction art book)
- The Folk of the Air, 1986 (novel, currently being rewritten and expanded for new release)
- The Innkeeper's Song, 1993 (novel)
- In the Presence of the Elephants, 1995 (nonfiction photo book)
- The Unicorn Sonata, 1996 (young adult novel, currently being rewritten and expanded into a 4-book series)
- Giant Bones, 1997 (collection of original stories set in the world of The Innkeeper's Song)
- The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances, 1997 (collection of fiction and nonfiction essays)
- The Magician of Karakosk and Other Stories, 1999 (foreign edition title for Giant Bones collection)
- TamsinTamsin (novel)Tamsin is a 1999 fantasy novel by Peter S. Beagle. It won a Mythopoeic Award in 2000 for adult literature.-Plot summary:Jenny Gluckstein moves with her mother to a 300-year-old farm in Dorset, England, to live with her new stepfather and stepbrothers, Julian and Tony...
, 1999 (novel) - A Dance for Emilia, 2000 (hardcover giftbook edition of novella)
- The Line Between, 2006 (story collection)
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Magician: Songs and Early Poems, 2006 (limited edition chapbook collection of song lyrics and poetry)
- The Last Unicorn: The Lost VersionThe Last Unicorn: The Lost VersionThe Last Unicorn: The Lost Version is a version of the original manuscript of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, originally written in 1962...
, 2007 (original novella length draft, from Subterranean PressSubterranean 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...
) - Strange Roads 2008 (3-story chapbook collaboration with Lisa Snellings-Clark for Dreamhaven Books)
- We Never Talk About My Brother, 2009 (short fiction collection for 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....
) - Mirror Kingdoms: The Best of Peter S. Beagle, 2010 (Subterranean Press, edited by 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....
) - Return, 2010 (limited edition novella chapbook from Subterranean Press)
- Sleight of Hand, 2011 (short fiction collection for Tachyon Publications)
As editor
- Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn, 1995 (co-editor, original story anthology, split into two volumes when reprinted in paperback: Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn in 1998 and Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn 2 in 1999)
- The Secret History of Fantasy, 2010 (anthology from 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....
) - The Urban Fantasy Anthology (2011, with Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
)
Audiobooks
- The Last UnicornThe Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
, 1990 (abridged, cassette only, read by Peter) - A Fine and Private Place, 2002 (unabridged CD & cassette, read by Peter)
- Giant Bones, 2002 (unabridged CD & cassette, read by Peter)
- Tamsin, 2002 (unabridged CD & cassette, read by Peter)
- The Last UnicornThe Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
, 2005 (unabridged CD & download, read by Peter, with original music by Jeff Slingluff)
Produced screenplays
- The DoveThe Dove (1974 film)The Dove is a 1974 American biographical film directed by Charles Jarrott. The picture was produced by Gregory Peck, the third and last feature film he would produce....
, 1974 - The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened, 1977
- The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings (1978 film)J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
, 1978 - The Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn (film)The Last Unicorn is a 1982 fantasy film produced by Rankin/Bass for ITC Entertainment and animated by Topcraft. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Peter S. Beagle, who also wrote the film's screenplay...
, 1982 - "SarekSarek (TNG episode)"Sarek" is the title of the 23rd episode from the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Plot:Spock's father, the Vulcan ambassador Sarek, has arrived on board the Enterprise with his second human wife, Perrin. His mission is to lay the foundation for trade relations between the...
" (for Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
), 1990 - A Whale of a Tale (pilot episode for TV series version of The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid (TV series)The Little Mermaid is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation based on the 1989 Disney film of the same name. It features the adventures of Ariel as a mermaid prior to the events of the film. This series is the first Disney television series to be spun...
), 1992 - Camelot, 1996
- A Tale of Egypt, 1996
Upcoming books
- Two Hearts, 2011 (limited chapbook edition of Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novelette sequel to The Last UnicornThe Last UnicornThe Last Unicorn is a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968. It has sold more than five million copies worldwide since its original publication, and has been translated into at least twenty languages....
) - Writing Sarek, 2011 (Star Trek nonfiction with annotated "Sarek" teleplay)
- Sméagol, Déagol, and Beagle: Essays From the Headwaters of My Voice, 2011 (nonfiction essay collection)
- Summerlong, 2011 (magical realist novel set in modern-day Seattle)
- The First Last Unicorn and Other Beginnings, 2011 (story collection with additional essay material)
- Three Faces of The Lady, 2011 (collection centered on "Come Lady Death")
- I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons, 2011 (YA novel)
- Green-Eyed Boy: Three Schmendrick Stories, 2011 (story collection with additional essay)
- Six Unicorns, 2011 (story collection with additional essay)
- Four Years, Five Seasons, 2011 (story collection)
- Sweet Lightning, 2012 (1950s baseball fantasy novel)
External links
- Unofficially Peter S. Beagle
- Conlan Press, Peter's affiliated American publisher for books, audiobooks, and signed editions
- Green Man Review Special Peter S. Beagle issue - All Beagle's works, plus articles, audio, insider info, and poetry
- Peter S. Beagle Spanish fan blog
- SWINDLE Magazine Interview with Peter S. Beagle
- Peter Beagle page at Tachyon Publications
- Peter S. Beagle Wins Scholarship to Attend University of Pittsburgh