George RR Martin biography

Born on the 20th September 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey, George Raymond Richard Martin began writing at a very early age; creating scary monster stories and selling them to the other children that lived in the neighbouring area. His father, Raymond Collins Martin was a longshoreman. His mother was called Margaret Brady Martin. He has 2 sisters, Darleen and Janet. He attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. Martin received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University, Illinois in 1970 and a Master of Science from the same university in 1971. He had his first book published in 1971; the book was called The Hero and Martin was 21 years of age.

Martin’s works are often dark, brooding and imbued with a strong sense of melancholy. Reviewers of his books suggest that his writings are not for those in search of joy or of an uplifting experience. One of Martin’s strongest points is his attention to detail when creating his characters. This dedication leads to the reader becoming attached to, and caring deeply about the outcome of the characters. The characters are complex and multi-faceted, all with involved pasts and entangled ambitions.

In 1996, Martin began work on “A Song of Ice and Fire”, a series of books inspired by the War of the Roses (a series of civil wars fought between the House of York (white rose) and the House of Lancaster (red rose) for the English throne in the 15th century). The first book published from this series was “The Game of Thrones”, and the fourth book; “A Feast of Crows” became The New York Times No.1 bestseller. Readers and critics alike acclaim the series.

In 1986 Martin went to Hollywood and signed as a story editor on CBS Television’s The Twilight Zone. In 1987 he became an executive story writer on CBS Television’s Beauty and the Beast – going on to become co-supervising producer in 1989. Between 1992 and 1993 he was the executive producer on Doorways, a pilot written for Columbia Pictures Television.

George RR Martin is a member of the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) and the HWA (Horror Writers of America) and the Writers Guild of America. George Martin married his wife Gale in 1975. They divorced 4 years later. In 1986, he became a story editor on the famous American TV show The Twilight Zone.

He currently resides in Santa Fe in New Mexico. George RR Martin official website

George RR Martin books

A Song of Ice and Fire

• A Game of Thrones
• A Clash of Kings
• A Storm of Swords
• A Feast for Crows
• A Dance with Dragons
• The Winds of Winter (forthcoming)
• A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)

George RR Martin interviews

George R.R. Martin interviewed by Andrew Brooks on SFFWorld.com in 2007

George R.R. Martin interview on SFFWorld.com >>

A conversation with George R.R. Martin on The SF Site - http://www.sfsite.com/01a/gm95.htm

George RR Martin asked about his lifestyle of a writer, relationships with his characters, the writing process and the inspirations of a writer. George RR Martin interview >>

George RR Martin critical acclaim

"Fantasy literature has never shied away from grandeur, but the sheer mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy authors away shaking their heads ... Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venemous they could eat the Borgias" Guardian

"Colossal, taggering ... Martin captures all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome in his imaginary world ... The writing is always powerful." SFX

Latest news: George RR Martin

Fantasy news round-up, August 24, 2010
James Cameron warned del Toro not to direct the Hobbit James Cameron has revealed that he advised Guillermo del Toro not to direct The Hobbit because of Peter Jackson's strong links to the franchise. Del Toro spent several years in New Zealand working on the fantasy prequels, only to drop out ea [...]

First look at the brand new Game of Thrones teaser trailer
HBO has released the first teaser trailer showcasing its new fantasy series, A Game of Thrones based on the books of George RR Martin, which will premiere in 2011. Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, [...]

Unique Dothraki language created for Game of Thrones series
David J. Peterson, an expert on languages, has been chosen to create the Dothraki language for HBO’s upcoming fantasy series Game of Thrones. Executive producers David Benioff and DB Weiss needed a language for the Dothraki, George RR Martin’s race of nomadic warriors, so they turned to the Languag [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 14, 2010
Harry Potter to be re-cloaked JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is to be given a fresh set of covers. Publisher Bloomsbury has taken the decision to give the books a facelift in a bid to attract new buyers and boost sales. The publisher has seen profits fall by 35 per cent in the past year in the [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 11, 2010
Game of Thrones re-cast sees Ehle replaced by Fairley Michelle Fairley is set to replace Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark in the HBO production of Game of Thrones. Ehle played Catelyn in the pilot episode but the Irish-born Fairley will step into her shoes for the remaining nine episodes. The fant [...]

Warriors: including new novellas from George RR Martin, Robin Hobb and Peter S Beagle
The world’s most talented science fiction and fantasy writers have grouped together to pen a collection of stories, all with warriors as the central theme. Fantasy fans will be eager to get their hands on a copy of Warriors, particularly as it features a George RR Martin novella set in the world of [...]

Ryan Colucci to produce screen adaptation of George RR Martin's The Skin Trade
Mike The Pike Productions, Inc. and Oscar Award contender Ryan Colucci, have entered into a partnership agreement securing Colucci as a Co-Producer on the screen adaptation of George RR Martin's The Skin Trade. The werewolf novella, recently optioned by Mike the Pike Productions, is described as som [...]

Work on A Dance with Dragons progressing well, says George RR Martin
There is some good news for A Song of Ice and Fire fans impatiently awaiting the release of the fifth instalment in the series, A Dance with Dragons, and that is that George RR Martin, the series’ unfairly put-up-upon author is 1,261 pages into writing it. The Guardian’s Alison Flood reported that [...]

My Most Anticipated Books of 2010
With the beginning of a new year come resolutions, gym memberships, budgets and more. But, honestly, none of that really matters in the face of some of the books that are coming this year. So here’s a small taste of what is coming in 2010 from some of fantasy’s best, and why I’m looking forward to t [...]

Northern Irish fantasy fans get to meet George RR Martin
At a signing at Eason’s in Belfast city yesterday fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were able to meet its American author, George RR Martin, on whose novels the series is based. Game Of Thrones, the HBO adaptation, is being filmed at locations across Northern Ireland including the Paint Hall in t [...]