An Evening of Lively Argument

with Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, and Peter David

7:00 pm in MIT's Main Kresge Auditorium

Saturday, October 6, 2001

About Neil Gaiman

Most recently, Gaiman's new novel AMERICAN GODS has been a radical success. Harlan Ellison calls it, "serially inventive, surprising, purely remarkable. And oh, it is well-written." AMERICAN GODS continues Gaiman's style and popularity, and has gained a mass following, both of in-print readership and at its website-cum-journal, www.americangods.com.

Norman Mailer said of SANDMAN "Along with all else, SANDMAN is a comic strip for intellectuals, and I say it's about time". Ten trade paperback and hardback SANDMAN collections have appeared to date, PRELUDES AND NOCTURNES, THE DOLL'S HOUSE, DREAM COUNTRY, SEASON OF MISTS, A GAME OF YOU, FABLES AND REFLECTIONS, BRIEF LIVES, WORLD'S END, THE KINDLY ONES, and the final book THE WAKE. SANDMAN sells over a million copies a year; the collections have sold over three quarters of a million copies in trade paperback and hardback. Warner Brothers have optioned SANDMAN for a movie, and a first draft script (by Elliot and Rossio, who wrote Disney's Aladdin) was delivered in August of 1996. Since then, eight drafts of the script has been reviewed and summarily tossed, and the director (Roger Avery, of Killing Zoe, and cowriter of Pulp Fiction) has been fired. Neil will not be a consultant, nor a writer/director of the SANDMAN film.

Gaiman's three-part series DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING was released by DC in February 1993, and was the single best-selling title for 'mature readers' ever, with the first issue alone selling over 300,000 copies. The three parts of the story were collected in late 1993 to widespread acclaim. Warner Brothers have optioned DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING as a movie, and have approached Gaiman to write the script of the film. Gaiman says the only way he will write the screenplay of THE HIGH COST OF LIVING is if he gets to direct it.The second trilogy of Death, DEATH: THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE, has recently been released in hardcover. Neil hopes to write the write and dircet the DEATH film, which hangs in the tailwind of the SANDMAN film.

Neil's SIGNAL TO NOISE (illustrated by Dave McKean), a graphic novella about a dying film director, was serialized in THE FACE (June 1989 - Jan 1990), reprinted by Gollancz in July 1992, is the winner of an Eisner Award for best graphic album, and is currently being adapted into a radio play by BBC Radio 3 and as a CD-ROM, also by the BBC. His other collaborations with Dave McKean include VIOLENT CASES (1987) and BLACK ORCHID (1988), both published by Titan Books. VIOLENT CASES, a meditation on the memory, evil and kids' birthday parties, won the 1988 Eagle Award as best graphic novel, and Gaiman won the Eagle Award as best writer of American comics in the same year, a rare accolade for a British writer.

The first collection of Gaiman's SF series MIRACLEMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE, appeared in 1992 from Eclipse (USA) and Harper Collins (UK). ANGELS AND VISITATIONS (DreamHaven 1993), a hardcover small press collection of his short fiction, prose and journalism, issued to celebrate ten years as a professional writer, sold out its first print run of 10,000 immediately, and has already gone back to the press three times. One of the stories from the collection, 'Troll Bridge', and the collection itself, were nominated for World Fantasy Awards in 1994, and the book was awarded the 1994 International Horror Critics' Guild Award. Neil's stories have appeared for the last four years running in the annual YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR COLLECTION, and two of his stories have been picked for the 1996 collection.

Other recent comic work includes MR. PUNCH, published by DC Comics and Gollancz (November 1994), a strange story of temptation and puppets featuring art by Dave McKean, and THE LAST TEMPTATION, an adaptation by Neil of the story he created and around which Alice Cooper wrote his album of the same name.

Neil was also co-originator, co-plotter and co-editor of THE UTTERLY COMIC COMIC RELIEF COMIC, which raised £45, 000 for the Comic Relief charity in 1991.

Neil Gaiman was co-author with Terry Pratchett of GOOD OMENS, a funny novel about how the world is going to end and we're all going to die, which spent 17 consecutive weeks on the SUNDAY TIMES bestseller lists, and which has gone on to sell over a quarter of a million copies in the UK alone. Other books include the cult hit GHASTLY BEYOND BELIEF (1985) and DON'T PANIC (1987), and, as editor, a book of poetry, NOW WE ARE SICK. His essays have appeared in HORROR: 100 BEST BOOKS and 100 GREAT DETECTIVES.

Neil also completed a six part fantastical TV series for the BBC, called NEVERWHERE (based on his new novel, NEVERWHERE, from Avon Books) set in a strange world beneath London, which was broadcasted in Autumn 1996. Soon after, he released his first book for children, THE DAY I SWAPPED MY DAD FOR TWO GOLDFISH, which was chosen as one of Newsweek's Best Children's Books for 1997.

Neil's work has appeared in translation in Italy, Spain, Holland, Norway, Germany, France, Brazil, Sweden, Finland and some other countries he can't think of off-hand. His journalism has appeared in TIME OUT, THE SUNDAY TIMES, PUNCH and THE OBSERVER among others.

Tori Amos sings about Neil on her albums LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, UNDER THE PINK and BOYS FOR PELE. More recently Neil has written songs for Minneapolis band The Flash Girls.

In 1992 he swept the Canadian 'Ricky' awards given out by the viewers of Canadian TV show 'Prisoners of Gravity', winning, amongst other awards, 'Favourite Guest'. He was awarded the Kemi (Finland) Award as Best International Writer 1994), the Austrian Prix Vienne as Best Writer (1993), the Spanish Haxtur Award for best writer (1993, 1994, 1995) and many Brazilian awards for best foreign comic writer.

More recently, Neil released NEVERWHERE as bestselling novel, and is currently working on turning it into a film for Jim Henson studios. Neil has commented that he may indeed write a follow up NEVERWHERE novel.

In 1998 Neil released another collection of short stories, SMOKE AND MIRRORS.

In 1999 Gaiman released another novel, STARDUST, which revolves around the life of Tristan Thorn, as he travels through the realm of Farie, searching for a fallen star to bring back to his heart's desire.

Neil Gaiman was born on the 10th of November 1960, is married with three children, and currently divides his time between the USA and the UK.

For additional information, please call LSC's Hotline at 617-253-3791 or e-mail lsc@mit.edu.