Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler
Butler signing a copy of Fledgling in 2005
Butler signing a copy of Fledgling in 2005
BornOctavia Estelle Butler
(1947-06-22)June 22, 1947
Pasadena, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 24, 2006(2006-02-24) (aged 58)
Lake Forest Park, Washington, U.S.
OccupationWriter
EducationPasadena City College (AA)
California State University, Los Angeles
Period1970–2006[1]
GenreScience fiction
Notable awardsMacArthur Fellow
Hugo Award
Nebula Award
See list
Signature
Website
Official website

Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.[2][3]

Born in Pasadena, California, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. She was extremely shy as a child, but Butler found an outlet at the library reading fantasy, and in writing. She began writing science fiction as a teenager. Butler attended community college during the Black Power movement. While participating in a local writer's workshop, she was encouraged to attend the Clarion Workshop which focused on science fiction.[4][5]

She soon sold her first stories and by the late 1970s had become sufficiently successful as an author to be able to write full-time. Her books and short stories drew the favorable attention of the public, and awards soon followed. She also taught writer's workshops, and spoke about her experiences as an African American, using such themes in science fiction. She eventually relocated to Washington. Butler died of a stroke at the age of 58. Her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference isfdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Crossley, Robert. "Critical Essay." In Kindred, by Octavia Butler. Boston: Beacon, 2004. ISBN 978-0-8070-8369-7
  3. ^ "Octavia Butler". MacArthur Foundation Fellows. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Anderson, Hephzibah. "Why Octavia E Butler's novels are so relevant today". www.bbc.com. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  5. ^ George, Lynell (November 17, 2022). "The Visions of Octavia Butler". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Ayana Jamieson (June 22, 2017). "Mining the Archive of Octavia E. Butler". Retrieved November 9, 2020.