Charles De Lint
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Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
writer. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of
urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in a contemporary urban area, urban-affected setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual charac ...
, contemporary
magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...
, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull, and John Crowley, de Lint during the 1980s pioneered and popularized the subgenre of urban fantasy. He writes novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, and lyrics. His most famous works include: the Newford series of books (''Dreams Underfoot'', ''Widdershins'', ''The Blue Girl'', ''The Onion Girl'', ''Moonlight and Vines'', ''Someplace to be Flying'', etc.), as well as ''Moonheart'', ''The Mystery of Grace'', ''The Painted Boy'' and ''A Circle of Cats'' (children's book illustrated by Charles Vess). His distinctive style of fantasy uses
American folklore American folklore encompasses the folklore that has evolved in the present-day United States mostly since the European colonization of the Americas. It also contains folklore that dates back to the Pre-Columbian era, Pre-Columbian era. Folklor ...
and
European folklore European folklore or Western folklore refers to the folklore of the Western world, especially when discussed comparatively. The history of Christendom during the Early Modern period has resulted in a number of traditions that are shared in many E ...
; de Lint was influenced by many authors of
mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
,
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
, and
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 ...
, including
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 ...
, Lord Dunsany,
William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 â€“ 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...
, Mervyn Peake, James Branch Cabell, and E. R. Eddison. Some of his mythic fiction poetry can be found online on the Endicott Studio website. As an essayist/
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...
/
folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...
he writes book reviews for ''
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...
'', has judged several literary awards, and has been a writer-in-residence for two public libraries.


Personal life

Charles de Lint was born in 1951 in
Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren. Bussum had a ...
, in North Holland in the Netherlands. His family emigrated to Canada when he was four months old. He grew up in Canada, as well as overseas, but has lived in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
since he was age eleven. In 1974 he met MaryAnn Harris, and they married in 1980. They lived in Ottawa. Harris was first editor of de Lint's fiction and also his business manager. MaryAnn Harris was hospitalized on September 6, 2021 for a rare and debilitating tick-borne virus. On his author Facebook page, de Lint announced that MaryAnn passed away as a result of the disease on June 3, 2024. Her obituary noted that she had been de Lint's inspiration, co-musician, first editor, business manager, and artist for many of his published works. The Bruyère Foundation was suggested for memorial donations made in her name as well as to other causes that were important to her, including groups devoted to aiding youth, Indigenous peoples, animal shelters, and the environment.


Career

During his late twenties to early thirties, de Lint worked in a
record store A record shop or record store is a retail outlet that sells recorded music. Per the name, in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, record shops only sold gramophone records. But over the course of the 20th century, record shops sol ...
and played with a Celtic musical band during weekends.John Robert Colombo "de Lint, Charles" The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. Eugene Benson and William Toye. Oxford University Press 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. York University. October 25, 2011


Writing

Charles de Lint started writing in 1983 and has been a full-time writer ever since, publishing about forty books between 1984 and 1997, and 71 books (excluding foreign editions and reprints), in total, thus gaining a reputation as a master of fantasy. Charles de Lint was one of the contributors to the 1984 '' Citybook II: Port O' Call'' role-playing game supplement from Flying Buffalo. He published three horror novels using the pseudonym Samuel M. Key which have subsequently been reprinted by Orb Books as by Charles de Lint. He has also published a children's book, ''A Circle of Cats'', illustrated by artist Charles Vess.


Style and settings

His main genre, that of
contemporary fantasy Contemporary fantasy is a genre, subgenre of fantasy set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its subgenres, occult detective fiction, urban fantasy, low fantasy, supernatural fiction and paranormal fiction. Several authors note that ...
, which combines the real world with the "
otherworld In historical Indo-European religion, the concept of an otherworld, also known as an otherside, is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other world/side"), a term used by Lucan in his desc ...
", allows the co-existence of the natural and the supernatural. This has been termed a metaphor for the lack of indigenous folklore in most of Canada living side-by-side with the living oral traditions of the Native Americans.Steven, Lawrence. "Welwyn Wilton Katz and Charles de Lint: New Fantasy as a Canadian Post-colonial Genre." ''Worlds of Wonder: Readings in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature.'' Ed. Jean-François Leroux and Camille R. La Bossière. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2004. 57–72. Print. De Lint, however, draws upon not only North American Aboriginal culture, but also the folklore of other cultures. For example, his novel, ''Moonheart'', uses elements of both Native American and Welsh folklore. Many of his early books are set in Ottawa, while others (1990–2009) have been set mainly in his fictional North American city of Newford, inspired by de Lint's favourite aspects of various North American cities. A regular set of characters are used in many different books. More recently, de Lint published an adult novel, ''The Mystery of Grace'' (Tor 2009), set in his fictional Southwestern US town, Santa de Vado Viejo, as was his most recent young adult novel, ''The Painted Boy'' (Viking 2010).


Recognition

De Lint has received many awards, including the 2000
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 Best Collection for ''Moonlight and Vines'', the Ontario Library Association's White Pine Award, as well as the Great Lakes Great Books Award for his young adult novel ''The Blue Girl'' (Viking, 2004). In 1988 he won the Canadian SF/Fantasy Award, the Casper (now known as the Aurora) for his novel ''Jack, the Giant-killer'' (Ace 1987). His novel ''Widdershins'' (Tor, 2006) won first place, Amazon.com Editors' Picks: Top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2006. His 1984 urban fantasy novel, ''Moonheart'', was a best-selling trade paperback for Tor's Orb line. It has been described as a thriller, detective mystery, and otherworld mythic fantasy.


Other literary work

In addition to being the author of numerous novels and short stories, de Lint is also a poet, folklorist, and critic. His poetry can be found online in the Endicott Studio ''Journal of Mythic Arts''. He has taught creative writing workshops in Canada and the United States, and was writer‑in‑residence for two public libraries in Ottawa. He has also written original songs; his main instruments are flute, fiddle, whistles, vocals and guitar. In 2011, de Lint released his first CD, ''Old Blue Truck'' De Lint has also been a judge for the
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 ...
, 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 ...
, the
Theodore Sturgeon Award The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction story ...
and the
Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
.


Music and art

De Lint plays folk, Irish and Celtic music with his wife MaryAnn; at one time playing at a local pub, and most recently doing concerts at FaerieWorlds and FaerieCon West in Seattle. He plays multiple instruments and sings and writes his own songs. In 2011 de Lint released his first album, ''Old Blue Truck'', which was released alongside his wife MaryAnn Harris's album, ''Crow Girls'' in which he also contributes.


Awards


Bibliography


Novels

* * * * * * Re-published in ''Jack of Kinrowan'' * * * * * * * * * * *''The Wild Wood'' ( Brian Froud's Faerielands, Illustrated by Brian Froud) (1994) *''Memory and Dream'' (1994) *''Someplace to Be Flying '' (1998) *''The Road to Lisdoonvarna'' (2001) *''The Blue Girl'' (2004) *''The Mystery of Grace'' (2009) *''Eyes Like Leaves'' (2009) *''Under My Skin'' (2012) *''Over My Head'' (2013) *''Out of This World'' (2014) *''The Wind in His Heart'' (2017) *''Juniper Wiles'' (2021) *''Juniper Wiles and the Ghost Girls'' (2022)


Young adult novels

Some additional young adult novels are listed under their series name below. *''Little (Grrl) Lost'' (2007) *''The Painted Boy'' (2010) *''The Cats of Tanglewood Forest'' (illustrated by Charles Vess) (2013) *''Seven Wild Sisters: A Modern Fairy Tale'' (illustrated by Charles Vess) (2002)


Novellas

*''Berlin'' (1989) *''The Fair in Emain Macha'' (1990) *''Our Lady of the Harbour'' (1991) *''Paperjack'' (1992) *''Death Leaves an Echo'' (part of three novella collection, Cafe Purgatoriam) (1991) *''A Circle of Cats'' (illustrated by Charles Vess) (2003) *''Promises to Keep'' (2007, Tachyon Publications) * ''A Tangle of Green Men'' (2011)


Chapbooks

* ''Laughter in the Leaves'' (1984) * ''Ghosts of Wind and Shadow'' (1991) * ''Refinerytown'' (2003) * ''This Moment'' (2005) * ''Make A Joyful Noise'' (2006) * ''Old Man Crow'' (2007) * ''Riding Shotgun'' (2007) * ''Yellow Dog'' (2008)


Short stories published in book form

*''Ascian in Rose'' (1987) (re-published in ''Spiritwalk'') *''Westlin Wind'' (1989) (re-published in ''Spiritwalk'') *''Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair'' (1991) (re-published in ''Dreams Underfoot'') *''Our Lady of the Harbour'' (1991) (re-published in ''Dreams Underfoot'') *''Paperjack'' (1991) (re-published in ''Dreams Underfoot'') *''Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood'' (1992) (re-published in ''Spiritwalk'') *''The Wishing Well'' (1993) (re-published in ''The Ivory and the Horn'') *''The Buffalo Man'' (1999) (re-published in ''Tapping the Dream Tree'')


Collections

* ''A Pattern of Silver Strings'' (1981) * ''De Grijze Roos'' ("The Grey Rose") (1983) (translated into Flemish) * ''In Mask and Motley'' (1983) * ''Desert Moments'' (1991) * ''Hedgework and Guessery'' (1991) * ''Spiritwalk'' (1992) * ''Jack of Kinrowan'' (1995) * ''Triskell Tales'' (2000) * ''Waifs and Strays'' (2002) * ''A Handful of Coppers'' (2003) (Collected Early Stories, Vol.1: Heroic Fantasy) * ''Quicksilver & Shadow'' (2004) (Collected Early Stories, Vol.2) * ''Triskell Tales 2'' (2006) * ''What the Mouse Found and Other Stories'' (2008) * ''Woods and Waters Wild'' (2008) * ''The Very Best of Charles de Lint'' (2010)


Newford series

Newford is a fictional North American city where Charles de Lint has set many of his novels and short stories. Human beings share the city with European and Native American mythological legends, finding common ground as they live out their daily lives or find themselves swept up in adventures. *''The Dreaming Place'' (young adult, illustrated by Brian Froud) (1990) *''From a Whisper to a Scream'' (first published under the pseudonym Samuel M. Key) (1992) *''I'll Be Watching You'' (first published under the pseudonym Samuel M. Key) (1994) *''Memory and Dream'' (1994) *''Trader'' (1997) *''Someplace to Be Flying'' (1998) *''Forests of the Heart'' (2000) *'' The Onion Girl'' (2001) *''Seven Wild Sisters'' (Novella illustrated by Charles Vess) (2002) *''Spirits in the Wires'' (2003) *''A Circle of Cats'' (2003) (written as a children's book) *''Medicine Road'' (illustrated by Charles Vess, Tachyon Publications) (2004) *''The Blue Girl'' (young adult) (2004) *''
Widdershins Widdershins (sometimes withershins, widershins or widderschynnes) is a term meaning to go counter-clockwise, anti-clockwise, or lefthandwise, or to walk around an object by always keeping it on the left. Literally, it means to take a course opp ...
'' (2006) *''Promises to Keep'' (2007, Tachyon Publications) *''Old Man Crow'' (2007) *''Dingo'' (young adult) (2008) *''Juniper Wiles'' (2021) *''Juniper Wiles and the Ghost Girls'' (2022) ;Newford Series Collections * ''Dreams Underfoot'' (1993) * ''The Ivory and the Horn'' (1995) * ''Moonlight and Vines'' (1999) * ''The Newford Stories'' (compiles ''Dreams Underfoot'', ''The Ivory and the Horn'' & ''Moonlight and Vines'') (1999) * ''Tapping the Dream Tree'' (2002) * ''The Hour Before Dawn'' (2005) * ''Riding Shotgun'' (2007) * ''Muse and Reverie: A Newford Collection'' (2009) * ''Newford Stories: Crow Girls'' (2015) * ''Newford Stories: The Blue Fiddle'' (2022)


Short stories

* "The Valley of the Troll" in '' Sword and Sorceress I'' (1984) * "Cold Blows The Wind" in '' Sword and Sorceress II'' (1985) * "The Weeping Oak" in '' Sword and Sorceress IV'' (1987) * "Into the Green" in '' Sword and Sorceress V'' (1988) * "One Chance" in ''Werewolves'' (edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg). Reprinted in Bruce Coville's '' Book of Spine Tinglers'' (1988) * "Somewhere in My Mind There is a Painting Box" in '' The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest'' (2002) * "Companions to the Moon" in ''
Realms of Fantasy ''Realms of Fantasy'' was a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Sovereign Media, then Tir Na Nog Press, and Damnation Books, which specialized in fantasy fiction (including some horror), related nonfiction (wi ...
'' (June, 2007). Reprinted in Peter S. Beagle's ''The Urban Fantasy'' (2011) * "Ten for the Devil" in ''Battle Magic'' (Daw Books). Reprinted in Tim Pratt's ''Sympathy for the Devil'' (2010) * "The Butter Spirit's Tithe (2004) in ''Emerald Magic'' De Lint also scripted several comic books for Barry Blair's Aircel Publishing in the mid-1980s. His short story, "The Sacred Fire", was made into a short film by
Peter Billingsley Peter Billingsley (born April 16, 1971), also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for portraying Ralphie Parker in ''A Christmas Story'' and ''A Christmas Story Christm ...
and Robert Meyer Burnett in 1994. Originally set on and near the campus of
Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...
, the setting was changed to
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
for the film. It was also adapted as an episode of '' The Hunger'' in January 2000.


Anthology

* ''Cafe Purgatorium'' (1991) (with Dana. M. Anderson & Ray Garton)


Review columns

* De Lint writes a regular review column called "Books to Look For" for the '' Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction''. * Wrote several reviews in 1978 edition of ''Beyond the Fields We Know: Tales of Fantasy'' magazine as well as published poem ''Far from the Rush''. * Wrote several reviews in Fanzine ''Dragonfields: Tales of Fantasy'' #3, Summer 1980 edition. * Wrote several reviews in Fanzine ''Dragonfields: Tales of Fantasy'' #4, Winter 1983 editon.


Discography

* ''Old Blue Truck'' (2011) * ''Crow Girls'' (MaryAnn Harris) (2011) * ''The Loon's Lament''—digital single (2011) (previously released on the album ''A Walk on the Windy Side'' in 2002).


References


External links


Charles de Lint
*

*
Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
*
Year's Best 2012: Charles de Lint on "A Tangle of Green Men"


* ttp://www.challengingdestiny.com/interviews/delint.htm Interview with Charles de Lint ( Challenging Destiny Number 9, 2000)
Kim Antieau: Interview with Charles de Lint (April 28, 2008)

Charles de Lint – SF Signal (2010)

Bookslut: An Interview with Charles de Lint (June 2006)

Charles de Lint – Online Radio Interview with the Author (December 2009)



Fantasy, Rockabilly & Grace: An Interview with Genre Master Charles De Lint (March 2009)



Someplace to Be Flying: An Interview with Charles de Lint
by Michael McCarty {{DEFAULTSORT:De Lint, Charles 1951 births 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian essayists 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian essayists Canadian Celtic music Canadian fantasy writers Canadian folklorists Canadian horror writers Canadian literary critics Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian male novelists Canadian male poets Canadian multi-instrumentalists Canadian people of Dutch descent Canadian male songwriters Canadian speculative fiction critics Canadian speculative fiction writers Canadian writers of young adult literature Dutch emigrants to Canada Living people The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people Magic realism writers Mythopoeic writers Lint, Charles De Science fiction critics Trope theorists Urban fantasy Urban fantasy writers Weird fiction writers World Fantasy Award–winning writers Poets from Ottawa Writers of Gothic fiction Forest of Reading Award winners Aurora Award–winning writers Novelists from Ottawa