Joe R. Lansdale | |
|---|---|
 Lansdale in 2024 | |
| Born | Joe Richard Lansdale (1951-10-28)October 28, 1951 (age 74) Gladewater, Texas, U.S. |
| Pen name | Ray Slater, Brad Simmons, Jack Buchanan |
| Occupation |
|
| Genre | Horror,mystery,western,adventure,crime |
| Literary movement | Splatterpunk |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse | Karen |
| Children | Kasey and Keith |
| Website | |
| joerlansdale | |
Joe Richard Lansdale (born October 28, 1951) is anAmerican writer andmartial arts instructor. A prose writer in a variety of genres, includingWestern,horror, science fiction,mystery, and suspense, he has also written comic books and screenplays.[1][2] Several of his novels have been adapted for film and television.[3] He is the winner of theBritish Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, theEdgar Award, and elevenBram Stoker Awards.
Lansdale grew up inEast Texas, the son of a mechanic.[4]
Lansdale's writing is characterized by a deep sense of irony, and features strange or absurd situations or characters, such asElvis Presley andJohn F. Kennedy battling a soul-suckingEgyptianmummy in a nursing home (the plot of hisBram Stoker Award-nominated novella,Bubba Ho-Tep, which was made intoa movie byDon Coscarelli).[5]
HisHap and Leonard series of twelve novels, fournovellas, and three short story collections feature Hap Collins and Leonard Pine who live in the fictional town of Laborde, inEast Texas, where they find themselves solving a variety of crimes.[5] Hap is a white working class laborer in his mid forties who once protested against the war in Vietnam and spent time in federal prison rather than bedrafted, and Leonard is a gay blackVietnam vet. Both of them are accomplished fighters. The stories (told from Hap's point of view) are violent, and characterized by strong language and sexual situations. Lansdale depiction of East Texas is essentially "good" but blighted by racism, ignorance, urban and rural deprivation and corrupt public officials. His novels are also characterized by sharp humor and "wisecracking" dialogue.[6] These books have been adapted into a TV series for theSundanceTV channel[7] and a series ofgraphic novels in 2017.[8] Season 2 is based on the secondHap and Leonard novelMucho Mojo and season 3, which premiered on 3/7/18, is based on the third novelThe Two-Bear Mambo.[9]Much of Lansdale's work has been issued and re-issued aslimited editions bySubterranean Press[10] and astrade paperbacks byVintage Crime/Black Lizard Publications.[11]
Lansdale's novel titledFender Lizards was published in November 2015 by Subterranean Press.[12] In February 2016 two full-length novelsHell's Bounty was published Feb 27 also by Subterreanean Press[13] and a new Hap and Leonard novel titledHonky Tonk Samurai was released Feb 2 by Mulholland Books.[14] On January 31, 2017Coco Butternut: A Hap and Leonard Novella was released by Subterranean Press[15] andRusty Puppy was released by Mulholland Books February 21, 2017.[16] A newmosaic novel titledBlood and Lemonade was released on March 14, 2017.[17]
Lansdale and daughterKasey started a new publishing company called Pandi Press to control the re-issue and publication of his older works.[18]
Lansdale book of essays and memoirs,Miracles Ain't What They Used To Be, was released byPM Press's Outspoken Author Series.[19] His newest Hap and Leonard release is a novel titledJackrabbit Smile and released March 27, 2018.[20] He also, along with his daughter Kasey, released a collection of Dana Roberts mysteries titledTerror is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors, published in May 2018 by Cutting Block Books.[21] In October 2018 a short story collection titledDriving to Geronimo's Grave and Other Stories has been published by Subterranean Press as a limited edition. His most recent novel is titledMore Better Deals and was published by Mulholland Books. Its hardcover and Kindle releases were on July 21, 2020.[22] Since then he released a novelBig Lizard co-written with his son Keith Lansdale released as a limited edition of 1500 hard-copies published by Short, Scary Tales Publications and is also available throughAmazon Kindle.[23]His novel is titledMoon Lake and was released by Mulholland Books on June 22, 2021. He released a book of poetry titledApache Witch as a limited edition that sold out right away and a Nat Love novella,Radiant Apples, published bySubterranean Press.
Lansdale, who was born inGladewater,Texas, lives inNacogdoches, Texas,[24] with his wife, Karen. He is the writer in residence atStephen F. Austin State University. He also teaches at his ownShen Chuan martial arts school Lansdale's Self Defense Systems in Nacogdoches[25] and is a member of the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame asSōke[26] and the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame.[citation needed] He is the father of actress, musician and publisherKasey Lansdale[27][28] and reporter and screenwriter Keith Lansdale.[29][30] He has described himself as an atheist, though he has also said that he is not anti-religion.[31]
Lansdale was a contributing writer forBatman: The Animated Series, credited with three episodes, namely"Perchance to Dream" (season 1, episode 26, which aired October 29, 1992), "Read My Lips"(season 1, episode #59 that aired May 10, 1993), and"Showdown" (season 4, episode 2, aired September 12, 1995). Lansdale also wrote "Identity Crisis" onSuperman: The Animated Series (season 2, episode 6, airing September 15, 1997), and "Critters" (withSteve Gerber) forThe New Batman Adventures (season 2, episode 2, airing September 19, 1998).
Lansdale's first film adaptation wasBubba Ho-Tep, based on his novella of the same and released in 2002. The film featuredElvis Presley and a man who believes himself to beJohn F. Kennedy, confined to an old-age rest home, teaming up to fight a mummy who is stealing their friends' souls.[5]
In 2010, Lansdale wrote the screenplay for the animated shortDC Showcase: Jonah Hex.[32]The short storyIncident On and Off a Mountain Road was adapted for the first episode of the first season ofMasters of Horror. It aired on October 28, 2005. Lansdale's story "The Job" was made into an 11-minute short in 1997 by A.W. Feidler. It is available on the out-of-print DVD collection,Short 5 – Diversity, on Warner Home Video. The short story "Drive-In Date" was filmed as a short by James Cahill, from a script written by Lansdale, published inA Fist Full of Stories.
The filmChristmas with the Dead, based on the Lansdale short story of the same name, was filmed in East Texas in Summer 2011. The film starringBrad Maule,Damian Maffei, andKasey Lansdale is currently showing on the film festival circuit and at private screenings. The DVD has been released.[33] Actor and directorBill Paxton worked for six years on a film adaptation of Lansdale's novelThe Bottoms.[34] In a 2015 interview withEntertainment Weekly, Paxton admitted having difficulty getting the project off the ground. Paxton's death left unfinished projects, includingThe Bottoms movie.[35]
Backup Media and Memento Films International financedCold in July, an adaptation of Lansdale's cult novel was directed byJim Mickle, with acting byMichael C. Hall andSam Shepard.[36][37] Filming began in 2013.[38] Accompanied by a movie tie-in edition of the original story released byTachyon Publications, the film was screened at the 2014Sundance Film Festival.[39]
Nick Damici andJim Mickle developed aHap and Leonardprivate investigator series for theSundance Channel, which premiered in March 2016.[40][41] On June 27, 2016, SundanceTV renewed the series for a six-episode second season, which aired in 2017[needs update] and was based on the second novel,Mucho Mojo.[42][43] Season 3 is based the third book,The Two-Bear Mambo[44] On May 14, 2018, SundanceTV announced the cancellation of the series.[45][46][47]
Lansdale is the executive producer of the filmThe Pale Door.[48][49]
Among his awards, Joe Lansdale has won nine Bram Stoker Awards and nominated for the World Fantasy Award eleven times over the course of his long career.
| Work | Year & Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back | 1987World Fantasy Award | Short Fiction | Nominated | |
| Night They Missed the Horror Show | 1988Bram Stoker Award | Short Fiction | Won | |
| 1989 World Fantasy Award | Short Fiction | Nominated | ||
| The Drive-In | 1988 Bram Stoker Award | Novel | Nominated | |
| 1989Locus Award | Horror Novel | Nominated | [50] | |
| 1989 World Fantasy Award | Novel | Nominated | ||
| 2004Seiun Award | Translated Long Work | Nominated | ||
| "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks" | 1989 Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Won | |
| 1990British Fantasy Award | Short Fiction | Won | ||
| 1990 World Fantasy Award | Novella | Nominated | ||
| By Bizarre Hands | 1989 Bram Stoker Award | Fiction Collection | Nominated | |
| 1990 Locus Award | Collection | Nominated | [51] | |
| 1990 World Fantasy Award | Collection | Nominated | ||
| The Steel Valentine | 1990 Locus Award | Short Story | Nominated | [52] |
| Razored Saddles (withPat LoBrutto) | 1990 World Fantasy Award | Anthology | Nominated | |
| 1990 Locus Award | Anthology | Nominated | [53] | |
| Savage Season | 1990 Bram Stoker Award | Novel | Nominated | |
| "Love Doll: A Fable" | 1991 Bram Stoker Award | Short Fiction | Nominated | |
| The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance | 1992 Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Won | |
| Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo | 1993 Bram Stoker Award | Other Media | Won | |
| 1994International Horror Guild Award | Graphic Story/Illustrated Narrative | Won | [54] | |
| Writer of the Purple Rage | 1994 Bram Stoker Award | Fiction Collection | Nominated | |
| Bubba Ho-Tep | 1994 Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Nominated | |
| Weird Business (withRichard Klaw) | 1996Eisner Awards | Anthology | Nominated | |
| The Big Blow | 1997 Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Won | |
| 2001Grand prix de l'Imaginaire | Foreign Short story/Collection of Foreign Short Stories | Nominated | [55] | |
| Something Lumber This Way Comes | 1999 Bram Stoker Award | Work for Young Readers | Nominated | |
| Jonah Hex: Shadows West #1 | 1999 Bram Stoker Award | Illustrated Narrative | Nominated | |
| Mad Dog Summer | 1999 Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Won | |
| The Bottoms | 2000 International Horror Guild Award | Novel | Nominated | [56] |
| 2000Hammett Prize | Finalist | |||
| 2001Anthony Awards | Novel | Nominated | ||
| 2001Edgar Allan Poe Award | Novel | Won | ||
| 2001Macavity Awards | Mystery Novel | Nominated | ||
| High Cotton: Selected Stories of Joe R. Lansdale | 2001 Locus Award | Collection | Nominated | [57] |
| A Fine Dark Line | 2004Audie Awards | Mystery | Nominated | |
| Mad Dog Summer and Other Stories | 2005 World Fantasy Award | Collection | Nominated | |
| Retro-Pulp Tales | 2006 Bram Stoker Award | Anthology | Won | |
| 2007 World Fantasy Award | Anthology | Nominated | ||
| Cross Plains Universe: Texans Celebrate Robert E. Howard (with Scott A. Cupp) | 2007 World Fantasy Award | Anthology | Nominated | |
| The Shadows, Kith and Kin | 2007 International Horror Guild Award | Collection | Nominated | [58] |
| Leather Maiden | 2008 Black Quill Awards | Dark Genre Novel of the Year | Nominated | [59] |
| The Folding Man | 2010 Bram Stoker Award | Short Fiction | Won | |
| Edge of Dark Water | 2012Goodreads Choice Awards | Horror | Nominated | [60] |
| Fishing for Dinosaurs | 2014 Bram Stoker Award | Long Fiction | Won | |
| I Tell You It's Love (with Daniele Serra) | 2014 Bram Stoker Award | Graphic Novel | Nominated | |
| The Thicket | 2014 RUSA CODES Reading List | Historical Fiction | Shortlisted | [61] |
| The Steam Man (withMark Alan Miller) | 2016 Bram Stoker Award | Graphic Novel | Nominated | |
| Paradise Sky | 2016 RUSA CODES Reading List | Historical Fiction | Shortlisted | [62] |
| 2016 Spur Award | Western Historical Novel | Won | [63] | |
| Apache Witch and Other Poetic Observations | 2021 Bram Stoker Award | Poetry Collection | Nominated | |
| Moon Lake | 2022 Locus Award | Horror Novel | Nominated | [64] |
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