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John Varley

ジョン・ヴァーリー

Jon Varī

Aliases: John Herbert Varley

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-08-09 （Austin, Texas, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Austin, Texas → Fort Worth, Texas → Port Arthur, Texas → Michigan State University → San Francisco (Haight-Ashbury) → Portland, Oregon → Eugene, Oregon → New York City → Berkeley, California → Los Angeles → Near Vancouver, Washington

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer
Active Years
1974-2024
Influenced By
Robert A. Heinlein
Nominations
Hugo Award nominee 12 more times, Nebula Award nominee 6 more times, Locus Award nominee various

Education

Michigan State University
English
Period: 1965-1967頃
Country: United States
Entered on National Merit Scholarship. Switched from physics to English, left before 20th birthday.

Awards

Hugo Award
1979
Work: The Persistence of Vision
Category: Novella
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Winner
Hugo Award
1982
Work: The Pusher
Category: Short Story
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Winner
Hugo Award
1985
Work: Press Enter■
Category: Novella
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Winner
Nebula Award
1979
Work: The Persistence of Vision
Category: Novella
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Result: Winner
Nebula Award
1985
Work: Press Enter■
Category: Novella
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Result: Winner
Locus Award
1980
Work: Titan
Category: SF Novel
Result: Winner
Prometheus Award
1999
Work: The Golden Globe
Result: Winner
Endeavour Award
2004
Work: Red Thunder
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Titan

1979 Science fiction

First book of the Gaea Trilogy. Humans exiled from Earth by Invaders explore the massive creature Gaea at Saturn's rings.

AliensSolar System colonizationBiological modification

Steel Beach

1992 Science fiction

Eight Worlds series. Depicts human society on the Moon in the future.

Future societyIdentityLibertarianism

Millennium

1983 Science fiction

Story involving time travel and plane crashes.

Time travelFuture
Adaptations
  • [Film] Millennium / Michael Anderson (1989)

The Persistence of Vision

1978 Science fiction

Novella about life in a community of blind people.

SensesCommunity

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Descriptive writing styleLibertarian political perspectiveAdvocacy of free love
Recurring Motifs
Eight WorldsInvadersWhale and dolphin superiorityBiological modifications

Health

  • Quadruple bypass
    2021
    Unable to write, crowdfunding organized for medical expenses
  • COVID-19
    2021
    Part of series of health issues
  • Bacterial pneumonia
    2021
    Part of series of health issues

Legacy

Winner of 3 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 10 Locus Awards. Key American SF author known for Eight Worlds and Gaea Trilogy. Influenced by Heinlein with unique Solar System SF.

In Popular Culture

  • Stories adapted for Welcome to Paradox TV series

Quotes

  • We had the first meeting on Millennium in 1979. I ended up writing it six times. ... by the time it went in front of the cameras, a lot of the vision was lost.
    Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Monday (1992)

Trivia

  • Serendipitously present at Woodstock 1969 when car ran out of gas.
  • 2021 health crises: quadruple bypass, COVID-19, pneumonia leading to crowdfunding.
  • Strongly influenced by Heinlein, with references to his works and characters.