Marion Zimmer Bradley Biography
Marion Zimmer Bradley was a popular fantasy and science fiction author, considered something of a pioneer in her field. Her books featured strong, independent female protagonists in a genre dominated by male “heroes”.
Born in Marion Zimmer in Albany, NY June 3rd 1930, she married Robert Alden Bradley in 1949 and received a BA in 1964 from Hardin Simmons University of Abilene, Texas before doing graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley from 1965 to 1967
A science fiction and fantasy fan in her teens, Marion Zimmer Bradely made her first sale as the result of an amateur fiction contest in Fantastic/Amazing Stories in 1949. In 1952 she sold her first professional short story to Vortex Science Fiction.
She is perhaps best known for her Darkover series of books starting with Sword of Aldones. The most recent Darkover novels were ghostwritten by an unnamed author [Adrienne Martine-Barnes], with little or no input from Marion Zimmer Bradley.
As well as her novels Marion Zimmer Bradley edited a number of magazines most prominently Fantasy Magazine which she herself started in 1988. She also edited an annual anthology called Sword and Sorceress for DAW Books.
Another popular series of books was Mists of Avalon, The Forest House and Lady of Avalon which focus on the women in the Arthurian Legends.
She died on September 25th 1999 four days after a major heart attack. She is survived by her brother Leslie Zimmer, her sons, David Bradley and Patrick Breen and her daughter Moira Stern as well as her grandchildren.
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
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