Nationality American Ethnicity Jewish | Name Harry Turtledove Role Novelist | |
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Pen name Dan Chernenko, Eric G. Iverson, Mark Gordian, H.N. Turteltaub Occupation Novelist, short story author, essayist, historian Notable works Southern Victory series, Worldwar series, Crosstime Traffic, The Guns of the South, and The Two Georges Awards Hugo Award for Best Novella, Sidewise Award for Best Long-Form Alternate History, Prometheus Award for Best Novel Short stories Joe Steele, The Road Not Taken, Vilcabamba Books Homeward Bound, Days of Infamy series, In the Balance, The Guns of the South, How Few Remain Similar People S M Stirling, L Sprague de Camp, Judith Tarr, Vernor Vinge, Susan Shwartz | ||
Harry turtledove interview creating alternate history
Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American novelist, best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction.
Contents
- Harry turtledove interview creating alternate history
- Mcpherson college lecture dr harry turtledove audio
- Early life
- Career
- References
Mcpherson college lecture dr harry turtledove audio
Early life
Turtledove was born in Los Angeles, California on June 14, 1949, and grew up in Gardena, California. His paternal grandparents, who were Romanian Jews, had first emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, before moving to the U.S. and California. He was educated in local public schools in early life.
After dropping out during his freshman year at Caltech, Turtledove attended UCLA, completing his undergraduate degree and receiving a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977. His dissertation was titled The Immediate Successors of Justinian: A Study of the Persian Problem and of Continuity and Change in Internal Secular Affairs in the Later Roman Empire During the Reigns of Justin II and Tiberius II Constantine (AD 565–582).
Career
In 1979, Turtledove published his first two novels, Wereblood and Werenight, under the pseudonym "Eric G. Iverson." Turtledove later explained that his editor at Belmont Tower did not think people would believe the author's real name was "Turtledove" and came up with something more Nordic. He continued to use the "Iverson" name until 1985. Another early pseudonym was "Mark Gordian."
That year he published Herbig-Haro and And So to Bed under his real name. Turtledove has recently begun publishing historical novels under the pseudonym "H.N. Turteltaub" (Turteltaube means turtle dove in German). He published three books as Dan Chernenko (the Scepter of Mercy series).
He has written several works in collaboration, including The Two Georges with Richard Dreyfuss, "Death in Vesunna" with his first wife, Betty Turtledove (pen-name, Elaine O'Byrne); Household Gods with Judith Tarr; and others with Susan Shwartz, S.M. Stirling, and Kevin R. Sandes.
Turtledove won the Homer Award for Short Story in 1990 for "Designated Hitter," the John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction in 1993 for The Guns of the South, and the Hugo Award for Novella in 1994 for "Down in the Bottomlands." Must and Shall was nominated for the 1996 Hugo Award and Nebula Award for Best Novelette; it received an honorable mention for the 1995 Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The Two Georges also received an honorable mention for the 1995 Sidewise Award for Alternate History.
His Worldwar series received a Sidewise Award for Alternate History Honorable Mention in 1996. In 1998, his novel, How Few Remain, won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. He won his second Sidewise Award in 2003 for his novel Ruled Britannia.
On August 1, 1998, Turtledove was named honorary Kentucky Colonel while Guest of Honor at Rivercon XXIII in Louisville, Kentucky. His The Gladiator was the co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award.
Turtledove served as the toastmaster for Chicon 2000, the 58th World Science Fiction Convention.
He is married to mystery and science fiction writer Laura Frankos. His brother-in-law is fantasy author Steven Frankos.
Publisher's Weekly dubbed Turtledove "The Master of Alternate History". Within that genre, he is known for creating original alternate history scenarios, such as survival of the Byzantine Empire or an alien invasion in the middle of the Second World War. In addition, he has been credited with giving original treatment to alternate themes previously dealt with by many others, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War or the victory of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. He bases his alternate history in scenes of military combat and warfare.