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Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
, who also wrote works of
historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
Andre Norton, but also under Andrew North and Allen Weston. She was the first woman to be Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy, to be
SFWA Grand Master The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to a living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was first awarded in 1975, to Robert Heinlein. ...
, and to be inducted by the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame The Museum of Pop Culture (or MoPOP) is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, United States, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then ...
.


Biography and career


Biography

Alice Mary Norton was born in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
in 1912. Her parents were Adalbert Freely Norton, who owned a rug company, and Bertha Stemm Norton. Alice began writing at Collinwood High School in Cleveland, under the tutelage of Sylvia Cochrane. She was the editor of a literary page in the school's paper, ''The Collinwood Spotlight'', for which she wrote short stories. During this time, she wrote her first book, ''Ralestone Luck'', which was eventually published as her second novel in 1938. After graduating from high school in 1930, Norton planned to become a teacher, and began studying at Flora Stone Mather College of
Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...
. However, in 1932 she had to leave because of the Depression and began working for the Cleveland Library System, where she remained for 18 years, latterly in the children's section of the Nottingham Branch Library in Cleveland. In a 1996 interview she recalled defending acquisition of ''
The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ...
'' by
J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...
for the library. In 1934, she legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton, a pen name she had adopted for her first book, published later that year, to increase her marketability, since boys were the main audience for fantasy. During 1940–1941, she worked as a special librarian in the cataloging department of the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
. She was involved in a project related to alien citizenship which was abruptly terminated upon the American entry into
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 1941 she bought a bookstore called Mystery House in
Mount Rainier, Maryland Mount Rainier () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, bordering Washington D.C. The population was 8,333 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mount Rainier is contained between the Northwest Branch Anacostia Ri ...
, the eastern neighbor of
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
The business failed, and she returned to the Cleveland Public Library until 1950, when she retired due to ill health. She then began working as a reader for publisher-editor Martin Greenberg at
Gnome Press Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company active 1948 – 1962 and primarily known for fantasy and science fiction, many later regarded as classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 ...
, a
small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when a distinction ...
in New York City that focused on science fiction. She remained until 1958, when, with 21 novels published, she became a full-time professional writer. As Norton's health became uncertain, she moved to
Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was foun ...
in November 1966, where she remained until 1997. She moved to
Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
in 1997 and was under
hospice care Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...
from February 21, 2005. She died at home on March 17, 2005, of congestive heart failure.


Literary career

In 1934, her first book, ''The Prince Commands, being sundry adventures of Michael Karl, sometime crown prince & pretender to the throne of Morvania'', with illustrations by
Kate Seredy Kate Seredy (November 10, 1899 – March 7, 1975) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She won the Newbery Medal once, the Newbery Honor twice, the Caldecott Honor once, and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. Most of her bo ...
, was published by D. Appleton–Century Company (cataloged by the U.S. Library of Congress as by "André Norton"). She went on to write several historical novels for the juvenile (now called "young adult") market. Norton's first published science fiction was a
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
, "The People of the Crater", which appeared under the name "Andrew North" as pages 4–18 of the inaugural 1947 number of ''
Fantasy Book ''Fantasy Book'' was a semi-professional American science fiction magazine that published eight issues between 1947 and 1951. The editor was William Crawford, and the publisher was Crawford's Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. Crawford had pro ...
'', a magazine from
Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc., or FPCI, was an American science fiction and fantasy small press specialty publishing company established in 1946. It was the fourth small press company founded by William L. Crawford. Crawford's first com ...
Her first fantasy novel, ''Huon of the Horn'', published by
Harcourt Brace Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. It was known at different stages in its history as Harcourt Brace, & Co. and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. From 1919 to 1 ...
under her own name in 1951, adapted the 13th-century story of Huon, Duke of Bordeaux. Her first science fiction novel, ''Star Man's Son, 2250 A.D.'', appeared from Harcourt in 1952. She became a prolific novelist in the 1950s, with many of her books published for the juvenile market, at least in their original hardcover editions. As of 1958, when she became a full-time professional writer, ''Kirkus'' had reviewed 16 of her novels, and awarded four of them starred reviews. Her four starred reviews to 1957 had been awarded for three historical adventure novels—''Follow the Drum'' (1942), ''Scarface'' (1948), ''Yankee Privateer'' (1955)—and one cold war adventure, ''At Swords' Points'' (1954). She received four starred reviews subsequently, latest in 1966, including three for science fiction. Norton was twice nominated for the
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...
, in 1964 for the novel ''
Witch World Witch World is a speculative fiction project of American writer Andre Norton, inaugurated by her 1963 novel '' Witch World'' and continuing more than four decades. Beginning in the mid-1980s, when she was about 75 years old, Norton recruited oth ...
'' and in 1967 for the novelette "Wizard's World". She was nominated three times for the
World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
for lifetime achievement, winning the award in 1998. Norton won a number of other genre awards and regularly had works appear in the ''Locus'' annual "best of year" polls. She was a founding member of the
Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America The Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America or SAGA was an informal group of American people, American fantasy authors active from the 1960s through the 1980s, noted for their contributions to the "Sword and sorcery, Sword and Sorcery" kind of ...
(SAGA), a loose-knit group of
heroic fantasy Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of ...
authors founded in the 1960s, led by
Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. Lov ...
, with entry by fantasy credentials alone. Norton was the only woman among the original eight members. Some works by SAGA members were published in
Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. Lov ...
's ''
Flashing Swords! ''Flashing Swords!'' is a series of fantasy anthologies published by Dell Books from 1973 to 1981 under the editorship of Lin Carter, and revived under the editorship of Robert M. Price in 2020. It originally showcased the heroic fantasy work of t ...
'' anthologies. In 1976,
Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering tabletop role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax creat ...
invited Norton to play ''
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
'' in his
Greyhawk Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson' ...
world. Norton subsequently wrote ''
Quag Keep ''Quag Keep'' is a fantasy novel by Andre Norton published in 1978. Written after Norton had participated in a session of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' with Gary Gygax, it was the first novel to be set in Gygax's World of Greyhawk, and the first to be ...
'', which involved a group of characters who travel from the real world to Greyhawk. It was the first novel to be set, at least partially, in the Greyhawk setting and, according to ''Alternative Worlds'', the first to be based on ''D&D''. ''Quag Keep'' was excerpted in Issue 12 of ''The Dragon'' (February 1978) just prior to the book's release. She and
Jean Rabe Jean Rabe is an American journalist, editor, gamer and writer of fantasy and mystery. After a career as a newspaper reporter, she was employed by TSR, Inc. for several years as head of the Role Playing Game Association and editor of the ''Polyhe ...
were collaborating on the sequel to ''Quag Keep'' when Norton died. '' Return to Quag Keep'' was completed by Rabe and published by
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...
in January 2006. Her final complete novel, ''Three Hands for Scorpio'', was published on April 1, 2005. Besides ''Return to Quag Keep'', Tor has published two more novels with Norton and Rabe credited as co-authors, ''Dragon Mage'' (November 2006) and ''Taste of Magic'' (January 2008). File:Fantasy book 1947 v1 n1.jpg, Norton's novelette "The People of the Crater", published under her "Andrew North" pseudonym, was the cover story in the debut issue of ''Fantasy Book'' in 1947. File:Fantasy book 1948 n3.jpg, "The Gifts of Asti", also published under the "North" byline, took the cover of the third issue of ''Fantasy Book'' in 1948. File:Voodoo Planet, by Andrew North - cover - Project Gutenberg eText 18846.jpg, Cover of ''Voodoo Planet'' by Andrew North, artist Ed Valigursky; half of
Ace Double American company Ace Books began publishing genre fiction starting in 1952. Initially these were mostly in tête-bêche format with the ends of the two parts meeting in the middle and with a divider between them which functioned as the rear cover ...
#D-345 (1959)


Series

Norton wrote more than a dozen
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...
series, but her longest, and longest-running project was "
Witch World Witch World is a speculative fiction project of American writer Andre Norton, inaugurated by her 1963 novel '' Witch World'' and continuing more than four decades. Beginning in the mid-1980s, when she was about 75 years old, Norton recruited oth ...
", which began with the novel ''Witch World'' in 1963. The first six novels were
Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by A. A. Wyn, Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mystery fiction, mysteries and western (genre), westerns, and soon branched out int ...
paperback originals published from 1963 to 1968. From the 1970s most of the books in the series were first published in hardcover editions. From the 1980s some were written by Norton and a co-author, and others were anthologies of short fiction for which she was editor. (Witch World became a
shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
.) There were dozens of books in all. The five novels of The Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan, ''To the King a Daughter'', ''Knight or Knave'', ''A Crown Disowned'', ''Dragon Blade'', and ''The Knight of the Red Beard'', were written with
Sasha Miller Sasha Miller is the pseudonym of American fantasy writer Georgia Myrle Miller (born October 15, 1933 in Erick, Oklahoma). She has also written under the names Georgia Sallaska, Myrle Benedict, and G. S. Madden. In 1958 and 1959 she published a ...
. The fifth and last novel was dedicated "To my late collaborator, Andre Norton, whose vision inspired the NordornLand cycle." ("NordornLand cycle" is another name for this cycle.)


Legacy

Often called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy by biographers such as J. M. Cornwell, and organizations such as
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...
, ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', and ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', Andre Norton wrote novels for more than 70 years. She had a profound influence on the entire genre, having more than 300 published titles read by at least four generations of science fiction and fantasy readers and writers. Notable authors who cite her influence include
Greg Bear Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) was an American science fiction writer. His work covered themes of Interstellar_war, galactic conflict (''The Forge of God, Forge of God'' books), parallel universes (''The Way (Greg Bear ...
,
Lois McMaster Bujold Lois McMaster Bujold ( ; born November 2, 1949) is an American speculative fiction writer. She has won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record (not counting his Retro Hugos). Her novella '' The Mountains of ...
,
C. J. Cherryh Carolyn Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has written more than 80 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award–winning novels '' Downbe ...
, Cecilia Dart-Thornton,
Tanya Huff Tanya Sue Huff (born 1957) is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her ''Tanya Huff bibliography#Blood series, Blood Books'' ...
,
Mercedes Lackey Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of Fantasy literature, fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar (fictional co ...
,
Charles de Lint Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull ...
, Joan D. Vinge,
David Weber David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best-known of which is the Honor Harrington science-fiction series. His first nov ...
, K. D. Wentworth, and
Catherine Asaro Catherine Ann Asaro (born November 6, 1955) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, singer and teacher. She is best known for her books about the Ruby Dynasty, called the Saga of the Skolian Empire. Biography Catherine Asaro was b ...
. On February 20, 2005, the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...
, which had honored Norton with its Grand Master Award in 1984, announced the creation of the
Andre Norton Award The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (formerly the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy) is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to the ...
, to be given each year for an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the
young adult literature Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
market, beginning with 2005 publications. While the Norton Award is not a
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...
, it is voted on by SFWA members on the Nebula ballot and shares some procedures with the Nebula Awards. Nominally for a young adult book, actually the eligible class is middle grade and young adult novels. This added a category for genre fiction to be recognized and supported for young readers. Unlike Nebulas, there is a jury whose function is to expand the ballot beyond the six books with most nominations by members. Norton received the
Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...
in 1989.


High Hallack Library

The High Hallack Library was a facility that Norton was instrumental in organizing and opening. Designed as a research facility for genre writers, and scholars of "popular" literature (the genres of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, western, romance, gothic, and horror), it was located near Norton's home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee., Retrieved May 31, 2013. The facility, named after one of the continents in Norton's ''Witch World'' series, was home to more than 10,000 texts, videos, and various other media. Attached to the facility were three guest rooms, allowing authors and scholars the chance to stay on-site to facilitate their research goals. The facility was opened on February 28, 1999, and operated until March 2004. Most of the collection was sold during the closing days of the facility. The declining health of Andre Norton was one of the leading causes of its closing.


See also

*
Andre Norton bibliography These works were written or edited by the American fiction writer Andre Norton (Andre Alice Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, 1912–2005). Before 1960 she used the pen name Andrew North several times and, jointly with Grace Allen Hogarth, Allen Wes ...
* :Works by Andre Norton


Explanatory notes


Cited references


General sources

* Bankston, John. ''Andre Norton''. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. * Schlobin, Roger C. ''Andre Norton, a Primary and Secondary Bibliography''. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1980. * Wolf, Virginia L. Andre Norton: Feminist Pied Piper in SF. ''Children's Literature Association Quarterly''. Volume 10, Number 2, Summer 1985 pp. 66–70. * Yoke, Carl B. ''Roger Zelazny and Andre Norton, Proponents of Individualism''. Columbus: State Library of Ohio, 1979. * Yoke, Carl B. "Slaying The Dragon Within: Andre Norton's Female Heroes", ''Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts'', Vol. 4, No. 3 (15) (1991), pp. 79–93.


External links

Digital collections * * * * Institutional collections
Andre Norton correspondences
in the digital archives of
Cleveland Public Library The Cleveland Public Library is a public library system in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1869, it had a circulation of 3.5 million items in 2020. It operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 27 branches throughout the cit ...
. The library also includes several images of th
doll house she donated to the library
still on display in the Youth Services Department. One letter in the collection is from Houghton Mifflin Company concerning Andre Norton's application for a Literary Fellowship award.

Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Other information
Andre-Norton.com
"The Estate Authorized Andre Norton Website" w/ complete Bibliography and much more. * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Andre 1912 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers American fantasy writers American science fiction writers American women novelists American women science fiction and fantasy writers Case Western Reserve University alumni Inkpot Award winners Novelists from Ohio Pseudonymous women writers Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees SFWA Grand Masters World Fantasy Award–winning writers Writers from Cleveland