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Eleanor Atwood Arnason

エレノア・アトウッド・アーナソン

Eleanor Atwood Arnason

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1942-12-28 （New York City, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Methodist
Residence History
New York City (birthplace) → Chicago (lived during childhood) → Washington, D.C. → London → Paris → St. Paul, Minnesota → Idea House #2 next to the Walker Art Center (1949–1960) → Minneapolis–Saint Paul (residence and writing base)

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer
Active Years
1973-
Affiliations
National Writers Union, Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (political involvement)
Memberships
National Writers Union
Influenced By
Ursula K. Le Guin, H. Harvard Arnason (father; influence via art and museum environment)
Nominations
Hugo Award nomination (2000) — 'Stellar Harvest', Nebula Award nomination (2003) — 'Potter of Bones' (novella), Nebula Award nomination (2003) — 'Knapsack Poems' (short story)

Education

Swarthmore College
College of Arts and Sciences / Art History
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1960–1964
Year of Graduation: 1964
Country: United States
Majored in Art History.
University of Minnesota
Graduate School (attended) / Art History
Period: 1964–1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United States
Attended graduate school; degree completion unclear.

Awards

James Tiptree Jr. Award (Otherwise Award)
1991
Organization: James Tiptree Jr. Award (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
Mythopoeic Award
1992
Work: A Woman of the Iron People
Organization: Mythopoeic Society
Result: 受賞
Gaylactic Spectrum Award
2000
Work: Dapple (short fiction)
Category: Best Short Fiction
Organization: Gaylactic Network
Result: 受賞
HOMer Award
2000
Work: Stellar Harvest (novelette)
Organization: HOMer Award (Science Fiction Award Database)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Woman of the Iron People

1991 Science fiction 525 pages

A science fiction novel that follows a heroine of Chinese descent as she navigates cultural contact and social norms. The book approaches issues of gender, power, and cultural change from an anthropological perspective.

cultural contactgender and sexualityanthropological perspectivesocial justice

Ring of Swords

1993 Science fiction (Hwarhath series) 383 pages

Set in the Hwarhath universe, the novel deals with post-war peacebuilding and cultural reintegration. It foregrounds religious and ethical themes as well as feminist concerns.

peacebuildingreligion and ethicsgendercultural reintegration

The Sword Smith

1978 Fantasy/Science fiction 208 pages

An early novel blending elements of fantasy and science fiction, exploring the relationship between society and the individual.

individual vs. societytradition and change

Stellar Harvest

1999 Science fiction (Lydia Duluth series) 30 pages

A Lydia Duluth series piece focusing on labor, class, and life in interstellar society. This novelette won a HOMer Award in 2000.

labor and classcommunitymigration and survival

Dapple

1999 Short fiction (Hwarhath story) 18 pages

A Hwarhath historical-romance style short story that examines relationships including sexual diversity. It won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award (Best Short Fiction) in 2000.

sexual diversityromanceculture and tradition

Potter of Bones

2002 Novella 40 pages

A novella-length work that was nominated for a Nebula Award in 2003. It deals with bones, memory, and cultural inheritance.

memory and inheritancecultural anthropologyloss and recovery

Knapsack Poems

2002 Short story 12 pages

A short story that uses everyday belongings and memory in an allegorical way. Nominated for a Nebula Award in 2003.

memoryobjects and identity

Bibliography

  • The Sword Smith — 1978
  • To the Resurrection Station — 1986
  • Daughter of the Bear King — 1987
  • A Woman of the Iron People — 1991
  • Ring of Swords — 1993
  • Ordinary People — 2005
  • Mammoths of the Great Plains — 2010
  • Big Mama Stories — 2013
  • Hidden Folk — 2014
  • Short story: 'A Clear Day in the Motor City' — 1973
  • Short story: 'Stellar Harvest' — 1999
  • Short story: 'Dapple' — 1999
  • Novella: 'Potter of Bones' — 2002
  • Short story: 'Knapsack Poems' — 2002

Style & Themes

Literary Style
anthropological perspective in depictionclear presentation of political and social themesfeminist and queer-theoretical perspectives
Recurring Motifs
cultural friction and mediationcharacters who defy social normsexperiments in gender and sexuality inversionclass and labor

Legacy

Eleanor Arnason is known for combining an anthropological perspective with feminist and queer themes in her science fiction. Her treatment of gender and social change has been highly regarded; she has published numerous short stories and several novels, receiving and being nominated for international awards.

Academic Societies

  • National Writers Union
  • Mythopoeic Society (associated)

Archives

  • Library of Congress (author record)
  • Internet Speculative Fiction Database (author page)
  • WorldCat / library catalog records

In Popular Culture

  • Stories and series pieces frequently appear in science fiction anthologies
  • Contributed to anthologies such as Old Venus

Quotes

  • "I wanted to create a society in which homosexual love was normal and heterosexual love was abnormal, sort of as a thought experiment."
    Source: TV Bookshelf (interview/comment by Eleanor Arnason) (2003)
  • "My work often depicts cultural change and conflict, usually from the viewpoint of characters who cannot or will not live by their own societies' rules."
    Source: Wikipedia (author summary) and various interviews (2013)

Trivia

  • Her father was art historian H. Harvard Arnason, who became director of the Walker Art Center in 1951.
  • From 1949 to 1960 she lived with her family in Idea House #2 next to the Walker Art Center.
  • Known for long-running fictional settings such as the Hwarhath stories and the Lydia Duluth series.
  • Shifted focus from novels to short fiction after 1994.
  • Retired from other work in 2009 and writes full-time.