History Creator / GeneWolfe

Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an undisputed genius in the fields of American ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}. He is best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward at least once each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward. His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."

''Gene Rodman Wolfe'' (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019), known as ''Gene Wolfe'', was an undisputed genius in the fields of American ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}. He is best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward at least once each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward. His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."

** ''Literature/BookOfTheShortSun'' (four novels)

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example. He has said many times that he didn't understand why people consider ''The Bood of the New Sun'' to be his masterpiece... though he did think it is very good.

* ViewersAreGeniuses

* ScifiGhetto: He's the science-fiction writer most likely to be nominated for a Nobel, according to other writers of the genre. However, because he wrote speculative fiction, he's never really broken into the mainstream.
* SplitPersonalityTakeover: "The Death of Doctor Island"

* AuthorAppeal: Elliptical puns, unreliable narrators, labyrinths, and wolves.

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example. He has said many times that he didn't understand why people consider New Sun to be his masterpiece... though he did think it is very good.

* NoAdaptationsAllowed: None of his novels have ''ever'' been adapted into any other medium. The only adaptation of any of his work was a short film of ''The Death of Doctor Island", a short story. This is likely due to his novels heavy use of UnreliableNarrator. Many of his novels plot twists and reveals rely on the narrators' lying, ignorance, and/or stupidity, which can't be translated to a visual medium. Also, his works are so complex and unconventional, you'd be hard pressed to find any major studio willing to invest the money on a faithful adaptation of his work.
* OlderAlterEgo: The protagonist of ''The Wizard Knight'' is a young kid who is transformed into a brawny KnightInShiningArmor in a fantasy world but is still as naive as your typical KidHero.
* OldShame: Forbade his first novel, Operation ARES, to be republished since he has matured as a writer. It hasn't been in print since the 70s.
* OutWithABang: "There are Doors" had an alternate Earth where humans have a very different reproductive cycle; after sex women store men's semen in their body for the rest of their life, and can use it to have as many children as they wish. Men die, as their immune system shuts down.

* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: In "How I Lost the Second World War and Helped Turn Back the German Invasion", the 'German Invasion' is an attempt by Volkswagen to corner the British small car market. Three guesses who VW's sales rep is.[[note]]No, it's not Richard Nixon. Two guesses left.[[/note]]
** [[UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill A famous British war correspondent]] is the primary opponent of the German salesman. And, in the final paragraph, we learn that his colleague, our narrator, is an American army officer named "[[UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower Dwight]]". (Which may count as a GeniusBonus for those readers who know him only as "Ike".)

* RunningGag - Typhon [[spoiler:built up as the ultimate evil in both the ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' and ''Literature/BookOfTheLongSun'' before being offhandedly killed.]]
* ScifiGhetto: He's the science-fiction writer most likely to be nominated for a Nobel, according to other writers of the genre. However, because he wrote speculative fiction, he's never really broke into the mainstream.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Wolfe's narratives are completely in thrall to this trope. Regardless of how direly a situation threatens a protagonist, bullets are flying, cavalry is charging and the clock is counting down, there is always time to engage all the situation's participants in a polite and reasoned conversation guided by the protagonist. Regular interaction with the protagonist can pass on this super-power, as occurs with Horn and Maytera Mint.

* GeniusBonus: Wolfe's "Book of Days" hid a story in the introduction - the last line of which is "The people who skip introductions missed it."

* RunningGag - Typhon [[spoiler:built up as the UltimateEvil in both the ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' and ''Literature/BookOfTheLongSun'' before being offhandedly killed.]]

* ContemptibleCover: Some fans dislike the covers on many of his books for looking much more pulp-ish than the content.

* AGodAmI: In "The Last Thrilling Wonder Story", [[spoiler: Wolfe as author wrecks a church (mutilating a statue of Mary and Christ) using an earthquake just to spite the hero, and ''barely'' catches himself from telling the hero flat out that he's the hero's god. By the end, it seems the ''God himself'' may be planning a little revenge on Wolfe]].

* DeathOfTheAuthor: A possible interpretation of "The God And His Man".

* TheVamp: Disiri from ''The Wizard Knight''

* AGodAmI /BlasphemousBoast: In "The Last Thrilling Wonder Story", [[spoiler: Wolfe as author wrecks a church (mutilating a statue of Mary and Christ) using an earthquake just to spite the hero, and ''barely'' catches himself from telling the hero flat out that he's the hero's god. By the end, it seems the ''God himself'' may be planning a little revenge on Wolfe]].

Hallmarks include {{unreliable|Narrator}} [[PointOfView first-person]] {{Narrator}}s, and a facility for wordplay that ranges from the dense and clever (every [[CallARabbitASmeerp smeerp]]-like word in a Wolfe story is an obscure but genuine word with an appropriate real meaning) to the amusingly straightforward: one of his short story collections is called ''The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories'', which includes "The Death of Doctor Island" and "The Doctor of Death Island" in addition to a story which ''actually named'' "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories". Many of his later books and short stories have Catholic themes, as Wolfe himself was a Roman Catholic, although he was willing to show Catholicism twisted to evil or manipulative ends.

* ObscurePopularity: Likely the most-highly regarded science fiction/fantasy writer that the fewest people have actually read. He is [[CreatorWorship ''revered'']] by critics, his fans, and other writers, but only modestly read outside of them. The fact that none of his major works have ever been adapted likely doesn't help, either.
* OldShame: Forbade his first novel, Operation ARES, to be republished since he has matured as a writer. It hasn't been in print since the 70s.

** ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' (a long novel sometimes published in four or two separate volumes) and ''The Urth of the New Sun'' (a {{Sequel}} novel of average size)

* ''{{Literature/BookOfTheNewSun The Book of the New Sun}}'' and ''{{Literature/BookOfTheNewSun The Urth of the New Sun}}''
* ''Literature/BookOfTheLongSun'' sequence
* ''Literature/BookOfTheShortSun'' sequence

* [[/index]][[Literature/AgainDangerousVisions "Mathoms From the Time Closet"]][[index]]
* ''Literature/SoldierOfTheMist'' series
* ''[[Literature/TheSorcerersHouse The Sorcerer's House]]''

* ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun The Book of the New Sun'' and ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun The Urth of the New Sun''
* ''Literature/BookOfTheLongSun'' series
* ''Literature/BookOfTheShortSun'' series

* ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series

Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an undisputed genius in the fields of American ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}. He is best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward at least once each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward. His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."

Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy author and one of the undisputed geniuses in the field. He is best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward at least once each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward. His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."

His other works include ''Peace'', ''Free Live Free'', ''The Fifth Head of Cerberus'', the ''Literature/SoldierOfTheMist'' trilogy, about a dozen other novels, and a multitude of short stories.

Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931-April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy author and one of the undisputed geniuses in the field. He is best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward at least once each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward. His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."

Fun fact: during his engineering career, Wolfe helped create the machine that makes Pringles potato chipes. He said in retrospect he would have "made them thicker."

Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931-April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward multiple times each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward.[[note]]His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."[[/note]]

His other works include ''Peace'', ''Free, Live Free'', ''The Fifth Head of Cerberus'', the ''Literature/SoldierOfTheMist'' series, about a dozen other novels, and very many short stories.

Hallmarks include {{unreliable|Narrator}} [[PointOfView first-person]] {{Narrator}}s, and a facility for wordplay that ranges from the dense and clever (every [[CallARabbitASmeerp smeerp]]-like word in a Wolfe story is an obscure but genuine word with an appropriate real meaning) to the amusingly straightforward (one of his short story collections is called ''The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories'', and includes "The Death of Doctor Island" and "The Doctor of Death Island" in addition to a story which ''actually is named'' "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories"). Most of his later books and short stories tend to have Catholic themes, as Wolfe himself was a Roman Catholic, although he was perfectly willing to show Catholicism twisted to evil or manipulative ends.

Fun Fact: During his engineering career, he helped create the machine that makes Pringles. He said he would have "made them thicker."

* ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series

* AGodAmI /BlasphemousBoast: In "The Last Thrilling Wonder Story", Wolfe as author wrecks a church (mutilating a statue of Mary and Christ) using an earthquake just to spite the hero, and ''barely'' catches himself from telling the hero flat out that he's the hero's god. By the end, it seems the ''God himself'' may be planning a little revenge on Wolfe.
* AlternateHistory: "How I Lost the Second World War and Helped Turn Back the German Invasion"
* AuthorAppeal: Elliptical puns, unreliable narrators, labyrinths, and wolves

Gene Rodman Wolfe (born May 7, 1931) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, best known for his ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series. He has won the UsefulNotes/NebulaAward, Locus Award, and UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward multiple times each. He was the 2013 recipient of the UsefulNotes/DamonKnightMemorialGrandMasterAward.[[note]]His response, in part: "If you keep this up I'll start thinking I'm a good writer."[[/note]]

Hallmarks include {{unreliable|Narrator}} [[PointOfView first-person]] {{Narrator}}s, and a facility for wordplay that ranges from the dense and clever (every [[CallARabbitASmeerp smeerp]]-like word in a Wolfe story is an obscure but genuine word with an appropriate real meaning) to the amusingly straightforward (one of his short story collections is called ''The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories'', and includes "The Death of Doctor Island" and "The Doctor of Death Island" in addition to a story which ''actually is named'' "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories"). Most of his later books and short stories tend to have Catholic themes, as Wolfe himself is a Roman Catholic, although he is perfectly willing to show Catholicism twisted to evil or manipulative ends.

Fun Fact: During his engineering career, he helped create the machine that makes Pringles. He says he would have "made them thicker."

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example. He has said many times that he doesn't understand why people consider New Sun to be his masterpiece... though he does think it is very good.

* ScifiGhetto: He's the science-fiction writer most likely to be nominated for a Nobel, according to other writers of the genre. However, because he writes speculative fiction, he's never really broke into the mainstream.

Hallmarks include [[UnreliableNarrator unreliable]] [[PointOfView first-person]] [[{{Narrator}} narrators]], and a facility for wordplay that ranges from the dense and clever (every [[CallARabbitASmeerp smeerp]]-like word in a Wolfe story is an obscure but genuine word with an appropriate real meaning) to the amusingly straightforward (one of his short story collections is called ''The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories'', and includes "The Death of Doctor Island" and "The Doctor of Death Island" in addition to a story which ''actually is named'' "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories"). Most of his later books and short stories tend to have Catholic themes, as Wolfe himself is a Roman Catholic, although he is perfectly willing to show Catholicism twisted to evil or manipulative ends.

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