Marion Zimmer Bradley Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 - September 25, 1999) was a prolific author of largely feminist fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and was a steadfast encourager of equality (and quality) in writing. In literary circles, she is often referred to by her initials, "MZB," a nickname reinforced by her good friend and editor, Donald A. Wollheim.

Table of contents

1 Biography 2 Literary Career 3 Bibliography 3.1 Novels 3.2 Series 3.3 Novels under pen names 4 External links

Biography

Born in Albany, New York, she was married to Robert Alden Bradley from October 26, 1949 until their divorce on May 19, 1964. She quickly married Walter Breen from June 3, 1964 until their divorce on May 9, 1990. In 1965 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. Afterward, she moved to Berkley, California to pursue graduate studies at University of California Berkeley between 1965 and 1967. Her first child, David Bradley, and brother, Paul Edwin Zimmer are a published science fiction and fantasy authors in their own right.

After suffering declining health for years, Marion Zimmer Bradley died at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley on September 25, 1999 four days after suffering a debilitating heart attack. Her ashes were scattered at Glastonbury Tor, in Somerset, England two months later.

Literary Career

Bradley was the editor of the long-running Sword and Sorceress anthology series, which encouraged submissions of fantasy stories featuring original and non-traditional heroines from young and upcoming authors. Although she encouraged in particular young female authors, she was not averse to including males in her anthologies. Mercedes Lackey was just one of many authors who first appeared in the anthologies. She also maintained a large family of writers at her home in Berkeley, California. MZB was editing the final Sword and Sorceress manuscript up until the week of her death.

MZB created the planet of Darkover as a setting for her own fantasy series, writing a large number of Darkover stories as a solo author and later collaborating with other authors to produce Darkover anthologies, where once again she encouraged story submissions from unpublished authors. The earliest Darkover novels were straight fantasy, but later volumes had a science-fiction overtone as Darkover was discovered to be a lost earth colony and recontact was made.

Probably her most famous single novel is The Mists of Avalon, a retelling of the Camelot legend from Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere's) point of view that grew into a series of books, too.

Writing as Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter and Lee Chapman, MZB also produced several gay and lesbian-themed novels in the 60s. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published and MZB refused to disclose the titles.

In 1966, MZB became a cofounder of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and she is credited with coining the name of that group.

In 2000 she was awarded the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement.

Bibliography

Novels

• The Door Through Space (1961)
• Seven from the Stars (1961)
• Falcons of Narabedla (1964)
• Castle Terror (1965)
• Souvenir of Monique (1967)
• Bluebeard's Daughter (1968)
• The Jewels of Arwen (1974)
• The Parting of Arwen (1974)
• The Endless Voyage (1975)
• Drums of Darkness (1976)
• The Brass Dragon (1978)
• Ruins of Isis (1978)
• The Catch Trap (1979)
• The Endless Universe (1979)
• The House Between the Worlds (1980)
• Survey Ship (1980)
• The Colors Of Space (1983)
• Night's Daughter (1985)
• Lythande (1986)
• The Fall of Atlantis (1987)
• The FireBrand (1987)
• Tiger Burning Bright (1995) (with Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton)
• The Gratitude of Kings (1997)

Series

• Avalon Series
  • The Mists of Avalon (1979)
  • The Forest House (1993) (with Diana L Paxson)
  • The High Queen (1994)
  • The King Stag (1994)
  • Mistress of Magic (1994)
  • The Prisoner in the Oak (1994)
  • Lady of Avalon (1997) (with Diana L Paxson)
  • The Forests of Avalon (1998)
  • Priestess of Avalon (2000) (with Diana L Paxson)
  • The Ancestors of Avalon (2004) (with Diana L Paxson)

• Darkover series (See: List of Darkover books for complete details)
  • The Planet Savers (1962)
  • The Sword of Aldones (1962)
  • The Bloody Sun (1964)
  • Stars of Danger (1965)
  • World Wreckers (1971)
  • Darkover Landfall (1972)
  • The Spell Sword (1974)
  • The Heritage of Hastur (1975)
  • The Shattered Chain (1976)
  • The Forbidden Tower (1977)
  • Winds of Darkover (1977)
  • Stormqueen (1978) (with Paul Edwin Zimmer)
  • The Keeper's Price (1980)
  • Two to Conquer (1980)
  • Sharra's Exile (1981)
  • Hawkmistress! (1982)
  • Sword of Chaos (1982)
  • Thendara House (1983)
  • City of Sorcery (1984)
  • The Darkover Saga (omnibus) (1984)
  • Free Amazons of Darkover (1985)
  • Star of Danger (1985)
  • Other Side of the Mirror (1987)
  • Red Sun of Darkover (1987)
  • Warrior Woman (1987)
  • Four Moons of Darkover (1988)
  • The Heirs of Hammerfell (1989)
  • Domains of Darkover (1990)
  • Leroni of Darkover (1991)
  • Renunciates of Darkover (1991)
  • Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover (1993)
  • Rediscovery (1993) (with Mercedes Lackey)
  • Towers of Darkover (1993)
  • Snows of Darkover (1994)
  • Exile's Song (1996) (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes)
  • The Shadow Matrix (1997) (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes)
  • Traitor's Sun (1999) (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes)
  • The Fall of Neskaya (2001) (with Holly Lisle)
  • The Ages of Chaos (omnibus) (2002)
  • The Forbidden Circle (omnibus) (2002)
  • Heritage And Exile (omnibus) (2002)
  • The Saga of the Renunciates (omnibus) (2002)
  • Zandru's Forge (2003) (with Holly Lisle)
  • A World Divided (omnibus) (2003)
  • First Contact (omnibus) (2004)
  • To Save a World (omnibus) (2004)
  • A Flame in Hali (2004) (with Holly Lisle)

• Glenraven series (with Holly Lisle)
  • Glenraven (1996)
  • In the Rift (1998)

• Sword and Sorceress series

See Sword and Sorceress series for details

• Witchlight series
  • Ghostlight (1995)
  • Witchlight (1996)
  • Gravelight (1997)
  • Heartlight (1998)

Novels under pen names

• Writing under the pseudonym Lee Chapman
  • I am a Lesbian (1962)
• Writing under the pseudonym John Dexter
  • No Adam for Eve (1966)
• Writing under the pseudonym Miriam Gardner
  • My Sister, My Love (1963)
  • Twilight Lovers (1964)
  • The Strange Women (1967)
• Writing under the pseudonym Valerie Graves
  • Witch Hill (1972)
• Writing under the pseudonym Morgan Ives
  • Spare Her Heaven (1963)
  • Anything Goes (1964)
  • Knives of Desire (1966)

External links

• The Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust
• Into the Mists, an MZB fansite
• Bibliography on SciFan

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