Christopher Buehlman (born February 22, 1969) is an American novelist, comedian, playwright, and poet from

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

Early life and education

Buehlman was born in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, in 1969, to an adolescent young woman originally from

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. He was subsequently adopted by Joseph and Christeen Buehlman of

. He attended Thom Howard Academy, a school for gifted and special needs students, from 1973 until 1982, when he enrolled at Northeast High School as a sophomore. He graduated from Northeast in 1985 at the age of sixteen. He briefly attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

that year, then got his associate degree from St. Petersburg Junior College in 1989. He studied French language and History at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

, graduating in 1994 with a bachelor's degree. He speaks French with near fluency and is conversant in Spanish.

Work

Performance

A lifelong fan of

renaissance festival A Renaissance Festival (medieval fair or ren faire) is an outdoor gathering that aims to entertain its guests by recreating a historical setting, most often the English Renaissance. Renaissance festivals generally include costumed entertainers ...

s, Buehlman developed an act called "Christophe the Insultor," roasting fair-goers for money at the behest of their friends, and has been touring with this act for 25 years. Early in his career the material was period and PG-13, performed in the lanes, but as the act moved on stage and into festival taverns it got bluer, more modern, and wilder, and has a strong cult following—most of his 18,000 Facebook followers have personally seen his show. He has also written and performed a one-man show about

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

, written a festival stage show called The Bastard Monks, and still performs his shows Filthy Irish Stories and Fat Shakespeare for the

Sterling Renaissance Festival Sterling Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance Festival that operates in Sterling, New York. Since 1976, it runs for seven consecutive weekends through July and August and features music, comedy, and interactive theatre performances as well as th ...

in the summer.

Literary

Buehlman's poetry has appeared in the ''

Atlanta Review ''Atlanta Review'' is an international poetry journal based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded by Daniel Veach in 1994 and is published twice a year. Karen Head of the Georgia Institute of Technology became editor in 2016. The jo ...

'', and other literary and university publications. He was a finalist in the 2006 War Poetry Contest, and the 2008

Forward Prizes for Poetry The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The ...

list. His first full-length play, ''Hot Nights for the War Wives of Ithaka'', debuted at Jobsite Theater of Tampa in March 2012. He is the author of numerous short plays often performed out of doors. He is the author of several novels, which range in setting from 14th century France to 1930s American South to modern-day New York. Buehlman wrote the foreword to the 2022 Medieval horror anthology '' Howls From the Dark Ages''.

Television

In 2018, Buehlman authored a segment called "The Man in the Suitcase" for the Shudder reboot of ''

Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, ...

'', described as "a nifty little tale of comeuppance...

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

delivers much of what's been missing with Shudder's show so far."

Awards

* 2007 winner,

Bridport Prize Bridport Arts Centre is an arts centre in Bridport, Dorset, England. Founded in 1973, it is housed in and around a 19th-century, Grade II listed building, formerly known as the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. The complex includes the Marlow Theatre, t ...

for poetry ("Wanton") * 2011 nominee,

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 novel (''Those Across The River'') * 2014 nominee,

Shirley Jackson Award The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and dark fantasy are presented at Rea ...

for best novel (''The Lesser Dead'')

Bibliography

Novels * ''Those Across the River'' (Ace, 2011) * '' Between Two Fires'' (Ace, 2012) * ''The Necromancer's House'' (Ace, 2013) * ''

The Lesser Dead ''The Lesser Dead'' is a 2014 horror novel by American novelist Christopher Buehlman, who also provided the narration for the audiobook edition. The book was first published in the United States on October 7, 2014 through Berkley Books and cente ...

'' (Berkley, 2014) * '' The Suicide Motor Club'' (Berkley, 2016) * ''The Blacktongue Thief'' (Tor, 2021) * ''The Daughters' War'' (Tor, 2024), a prequel to ''The Blacktongue Thief'' Plays * ''The Last Neanderthals: A Paleolithic Comedy'' * ''Hot Nights for the War Wives of Ithaka'' * ''A Sodomite's Christmas in Elizabethan London'' * ''Vulgar Sermons'' Poetry * "Bear Attacks" * "Wanton" * "Rapture" * "Love Song for the Geminid Meteors"

References

External links

*
Christophe the Insultor webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buehlman, Christopher 1969 births Living people 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American poets American fantasy writers American male poets American horror writers Florida State University alumni American male novelists People from St. Petersburg, Florida American historical fiction writers American male dramatists and playwrights American male comedians Writers from St. Petersburg, Florida Writers from Tampa, Florida People from Tampa, Florida