Orson Scott Card | |
|---|---|
 Card atLife, the Universe, & Everything in 2008 | |
| Born | (1951-08-24)August 24, 1951 (age 74) Richland, Washington, U.S. |
| Pen name |
|
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) University of Utah (MA) |
| Genre | |
| Notable works | Ender's Game series, The Tales of Alvin Maker |
| Notable awards |
|
| Spouse | Kristine Allen |
| Children | 5 |
| Signature | |
 | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for hisscience fiction works. As of 2024[update], he is the only person to have won aHugo Award and aNebula Award inconsecutive years, winning both awards for his novelEnder's Game (1985) and its sequelSpeaker for the Dead (1986). Afeature film adaptation ofEnder's Game, which Card coproduced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote theLocus Fantasy Award-winning seriesThe Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003). Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; he has provoked controversy and criticism for his public opposition tohomosexuality.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson ofBrigham Young, was born inRichland, Washington,[1][2] and grew up inUtah andCalifornia. While he was a student atBrigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won theJohn W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from theUniversity of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.[3]
Card teachesEnglish atSouthern Virginia University; he has written two books oncreative writing and serves as a judge in theWriters of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps".
Orson Scott Card was born on August 24, 1951, inRichland, Washington.[4] He is the son of Peggy Jane (née Park) and Willard Richards Card, and is the third of six children and the older brother of composer and arrangerArlen Card.[5] Card's family hasMormon pioneer heritage. His ancestors includeBrigham Young,Charles Ora Card,Zina P. Young Card,Zina Young Card Brown, andHugh B. Brown.[6]
When Card was one month old, his family moved toSan Mateo, California, so Willard Card could begin a sign-painting business. When he was three years old, the family moved toSalt Lake City, Utah, so his father could finish his bachelor's degree. The family moved toSanta Clara, California, when Card was six; they stayed there for seven years while his father completed his master's degree and worked as a professor atSan Jose State College. In school, Card took classes for gifted students, but he was more interested in studying music—he played clarinet and French horn. He read widely, including historical fiction, nonfiction, and literary classics.[7] At age ten, he wrote his first story, which was about an intelligent child who is assaulted by bullies and sustainsbrain damage. Ender's confrontation with Stilson inEnder's Game is based on this story.[8]
In 1964, Card and his family moved toMesa, Arizona, where he participated in mock debates in junior high school. In 1967, the family moved toOrem, Utah, where his father worked atBrigham Young University (BYU). Card attended BYU's laboratory school, where he took both high school and early college-level classes before graduating in one year. When beginning his college studies he intended to major in archeology, but after becoming increasingly more interested in theater, he began script-writing, writing ten original plays and rewriting other students' plays. Most of his plays were based on Mormon history and scriptures; one was science fiction. By watching the body language of an audience, he could tell when an audience was interested in his scripts.[8][9] During his studies as a theater major, he began doctoring scripts, adapting fiction forreader's theater production, and writing one-act and full-length plays, several of which were produced by faculty directors at BYU.[10]Charles W. Whitman, Card's play-writing professor, encouraged his students to write plays with LDS themes.[11] Card studied poetry withClinton F. Larson at BYU.[12] He also wrote short stories, which were later published together inThe Worthing Saga.[13]
Before graduating, Card served as amissionary for the LDS Church in Brazil starting in 1971. During his mission, he wrote a play calledStone Tables.[14][15] He returned from his mission in 1973 and graduated from BYU in 1975, receiving a bachelor's degree with distinction in theater.[16][14] After graduation, he started the Utah Valley Repertory Theatre Company, which for two summers produced plays at "the Castle", aDepression-era outdoor amphitheater.[17] After going into debt with the community theatre's expenses,[18] Card took part-time employment as a proofreader atBYU Press, moving on to full-time employment as a copy editor.[19] In 1981, Card completed hismaster's degree in English at theUniversity of Utah where he studied withFrançois Camoin and Norman Council. He began a doctoral program at theUniversity of Notre Dame but dropped out to pursue his more lucrative writing projects.[20][11]
In 1977, Card married Kristine Allen,[21] who is the daughter of Mormon historianJames B. Allen.[11] The two met when Kristine was in the chorus of a roadshow Card directed before his mission. They courted after Card's mission, and Card was impressed with her intellectual rigor.[22]: 1:30
During their marriage, they had five children; their son Charles hadcerebral palsy and died aged 17; their daughter Erin died the day she was born.[23][24] Card's short storyLost Boys is highly autobiographical, but contains the death of a fictional child. One of Card's workshop readers, Karen Fowler, said that Card had pretended to experience the grief of a parent who has lost a child. In response, Card realized that the story expressed his grief and difficulty in accepting Charles's disability.[3]: 119 Card stated that he rarely discusses Charles and Erin because his grief has not faded over time.[22]: 1:35:15
Card and his wife live inGreensboro, North Carolina; their daughter Emily, along with two other writers, adapted Card's short storiesClap Hands and Sing,Lifeloop, andA Sepulchre of Songs for the stage inPosing as People.[25] Card suffered a mildstroke on January 1, 2011, and made a full recovery.[23][26]
In 1976, Card became an assistant editor for theEnsign magazine produced by the LDS Church and moved toSalt Lake City.[27] While working atEnsign, Card published his first piece of fiction,[28] a short story calledGert Fram, which appeared in the July 1977 issue ofEnsign under the pseudonym Byron Walley.[29]: 157 Between 1978 and 1988, Card wrote over 300 half-hour audioplays onLDS Church history, theNew Testament, and other subjects forLiving Scriptures in Ogden, Utah.[30]
Card started writing science fiction short stories because he felt he could sell short stories in that genre more easily than others.[31] His first short story,The Tinker, was initially rejected byAnalog Science Fiction and Fact.Ben Bova, the editor ofAnalog, rejected a rewrite of the story but asked Card to submit a science fiction piece.[32] In response, Card wrote the short story "Ender's Game", which Ben Bova published in the August 1977 issue ofAnalog.[33] Card leftEnsign in 1977 and began his career as a freelance writer in 1978.[34][3]: 122 Ben Bova continued to work with Card to publish his stories, and Bova's wife, Barbara Bova, became Card's literary agent, a development that drew criticism for a possible conflict of interest.[35] Nine of Card's science fiction stories, includingMalpractice,Kingsmeat, andHappy Head, were published in 1978.[36]
Card modeledMikal's Songbird onEnder's Game, both of which include a child with special talents who goes through emotional turmoil when adults seek to exploit his ability.[37]Mikal's Songbird was aNebula Award finalist in 1978 and a Hugo finalist in 1979—both in the "novelette" category.[38][39] Card won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978 for his stories published that year; the award helped Card's stories sell internationally.[40]Unaccompanied Sonata was published in 1979 issue ofOmni and was nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards for a short story.[41][42] Eighteen Card stories were published in 1979.[43]
Card's first published book,"Listen, Mom and Dad...": Young Adults Look Back on Their Upbringing (1977) is about child-rearing. He received advances for the manuscripts ofHot Sleep andA Planet Called Treason, which were published in 1979.[44][45] Card later called his first two novels "amateurish" and rewrote both of them later.[46] A publisher offered to buy a novelization ofMikal's Songbird, which Card accepted; the finished novel is titledSongmaster (1980).[47] Card edited fantasy anthologiesDragons of Light (1980) andDragons of Darkness (1981) and collected his own short stories inUnaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories (1981). In the early 1980s, Card focused on writing longer works, only publishing ten short stories between 1980 and 1985. He published a few non-fiction works that were aimed at an LDS audience; these include a satirical dictionary calledSaintspeak, which resulted in him being temporarily banned from publishing in church magazines.[48] Card wrote the fantasy-epicHart's Hope (1983) and a historical novel,A Woman of Destiny (1984), which was later republished asSaints and won the 1985award from theAssociation for Mormon Letters for best novel.[43] He rewrote the narrative ofHot Sleep and published it asThe Worthing Chronicle (1983), which replacedHot Sleep and the short-story collection set in the same universe,Capitol (1979).[20] The recession of the early 1980s made it difficult to get contracts for new books, so Card returned to full-time employment as the book editor ofCompute! magazine that was based in Greensboro, North Carolina, for nine months in 1983.[49] In October of that year, Tom Doherty offered a contract for Card's proposed Alvin Maker series, which allowed him to return to creative writing full-time.[50]
Card's 1977novellaEnder's Game is about a young boy who undergoes military training for space war. Card expanded the story intoa novel with the same title and told the backstory of the adult Ender inSpeaker for the Dead. In contrast to the fast-pacedEnder's Game,Speaker for the Dead is about honesty and maturity.[51]Ender's Game andSpeaker for the Dead were both awarded theHugo Award and theNebula Award, making Card the first author to win both of science fiction's top prizes in consecutive years.[52][53] According to Card, some members of theScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) resented his receiving of the Nebula award while editing theNebula Awards Report. Subsequently, Card left the SFWA.[54] Card attended many science fiction conventions in the late 1980s. He held several "Secular Humanist Revival Meetings" at the conventions, satirizing Evangelical revival meetings.[55][56][48]
Card continued to write short stories and columns and published two short story collections:Cardography (1987) andThe Folk of the Fringe (1989). The novellaEye for Eye was republished with another novella by Tor and won the Hugo Award for best novella in 1988.[57][58] Between 1987 and 1989, Card edited and published a short science fiction review magazine calledShort Form.[48][59] He also wroteCharacters & Viewpoint (1988) andHow to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (1990).[60] Card also offered advice about writing in an interview inLeading Edge #23 in 1991.[61] He wrote the script for an updatedHill Cumorah Pageant in 1988.[62]
Inspired by Spenser'sFaerie Queene, Card composed the long poemPrentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow, which uses colloquial language and diction common to Joseph Smith's time. The poem, along with the novelette "Hatrack River",[63] became the basis forSeventh Son (1987), the first book inThe Tales of Alvin Maker series, a fantasy retelling of theJoseph Smith story. In the alternate history novel, Alvin Maker, the seventh son of a seventh son, is born with unusual magical abilities that make him a "Maker". Alvin has many similarities to Joseph Smith. FollowingSeventh Son, he wroteRed Prophet andPrentice Alvin, which focus on settlers' interactions with indigenous peoples and slaves, respectively.[60][64][65] The series has sustainableenvironmental ethics as a main theme, addressing ways humans affect the environment in the Americas.[63] Alvin Maker's life has many parallels with Joseph Smith's.Seventh Son won the 1988 Mythopoeic Fantasy award, and the two following books were nominees.[66] The awards are given to books that exemplify "the spirit ofThe Inklings".[67] Critics praisedSeventh Son for creating an American mythology from American experience and belief.[68] According to literary criticEugene England, the series brings up questions about what, exactly, the mission of a religious prophet is. The series also questions the difference between a prophet and magician, religion and magic.[69]
In the 1980s, Card also wroteWyrms (1987), a novel about colonizing a planet, and revisedA Planet Called Treason, which was published asTreason.[60] He also novelizedJames Cameron's filmThe Abyss.[70][71]
Card wrote prolifically in the 1990s, including many books and the short story omnibusMaps in a Mirror (1990). Card continued the Ender's Game series withXenocide (1991) andChildren of the Mind (1996), which focus on Jane, an artificial intelligence that develops self-awareness. These books were considered inferior to their predecessors and were, according to science fiction criticGary Westfahl, "overly prolonged".[72][53]
WhileChildren of the Mind concluded the initial Ender's Game series, Card started another series of books and continued writing in The Tales of Alvin Maker series. TheHomecoming Saga is a science-fiction adaptation ofThe Book of Mormon.[73] The series' volumes;The Memory of Earth,The Call of Earth,The Ships of Earth,Earthfall, andEarthborn were published between 1992 and 1995.[74]Alvin Journeyman (1995), the fourth book in The Tales of Alvin Maker series, won a Locus Award, andHeartfire (1998) was a nominee for the same award.[75][76]
Card wrote several stand-alone novels in the 1990s.Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus (1996) examines time travel andChristopher Columbus.[77] Card collaborated withStar Wars artistDoug Chiang onRobota[78] and withKathryn H. Kidd onLovelock.[79]Lost Boys (1992) is a horror story with a semi-autobiographical background.[80]Treasure Box (1996) andHomebody (1998) represent Card's foray in horror.Enchantment (1999) is a fantasy novel based on the Russian version ofSleeping Beauty.[81][82] It deals with a couple who learn to love each other after they marry. Card stated: "I put all my love for my wife into [Enchantment]."[22]: 1:06
.jpg)
In 1999, Card started a spin-off "shadow" series in the Ender's Game universe that is told from the point of view of other characters. These novels areEnder's Shadow,Shadow of the Hegemon,Shadow Puppets,Shadow of the Giant andShadows in Flight, the latter serving as a bridge to the final bookThe Last Shadow, which is also a sequel toChildren of the Mind.[83][84] Westfahl praised theShadow series, stating they were "executed with panache and skill".[53] Card wrote other spin-offs: a series of shorter stories,First Meetings in the Enderverse, and novelsA War of Gifts,[85] andEnder in Exile.[86][87]Aaron Johnston and Card conceptualized the stories that make up the prequel toEnder's Game, realizing many of them would work best in novel format but first publishing the comics throughMarvel. TheBurning Earth andSilent Strike comic series were published in 2011 and 2012.[88][89][90] Card and Johnston co-wrote the novels in the series between 2012 and 2019; these areEarth Unaware,Earth Afire,Earth Awakens,The Swarm, andThe Hive.Children of the Fleet is the first novel in a new sequel series, calledFleet School.[91][92][90]
While Card was writing books in theShadow series, he also wrote novellas, novels, and a series of books focused on women in the Bible. Card'sThe Women of Genesis series includesSarah (2000),Rebekah (2002), andRachel and Leah (2004).[93] Card wrote three novellas in the 2000s;Space Boy (2007) is a children's story,Hamlet's Father (2008) is a retelling ofShakespeare'sHamlet, andStonefather (2008) is the first story set in the Mithermages universe.[94][95][96]The Crystal City (2003) is the sixth book in The Alvin Maker series.[63]
Card wrote two young-adult fantasy trilogies in the 2010s.Mithermages is about a teenager growing up on a magical estate in rural Virginia; it includesThe Lost Gate (2011),The Gate Thief (2013), andGatefather (2015).[91]ThePathfinder trilogy consists ofPathfinder (2010),Ruins (2012), andVisitors (2014), and follows a young man who can change the past.[97][91] Card has also written several urban fantasies, includingMagic Street (2005) andLost and Found (2019), both of which are about teenagers with special powers.[98][99]
Card wrote the Christmas novelZanna's Gift (2004), which was originally published under a pseudonym.[100]A Town Divided by Christmas and a "Hallmark Christmas movie in prose" were published in 2018.[101]Invasive Procedures (2007), a medical thriller co-written with Aaron Johnston, is based on a screenplay Johnston wrote, which is based on Card's novelMalpractice.[102]
In the 1990s, Card contributed dialogue to the point-and-click adventure video gamesThe Secret of Monkey Island,The Dig, andNeoHunter, a rail shooter game.[103][104] His collaboration on videogame scripts continued in the 2000s, when he worked withCameron Dayton onAdvent Rising[105][106] and outlined the story forShadow Complex, a prequel to the events in his novelsEmpire andHidden Empire. The novels and game are about a near-future civil war in the United States that occurs after civilians resist a left-wing coup in theWhite House.[53][107][108]
Card has written scripts for the two-volume comic-book seriesUltimate Iron Man.[109] He collaborated with his daughters Emily and Zina on the graphic novelLaddertop,[110][111] and withAaron Johnston to write a series of sixDragon Age comics.[112] In 2017, Card wrote, produced, and co-created a television series calledExtinct forBYU TV that ran for one season before it was canceled.[113][114]
Many of Card's works have been adapted into comic books.Dabel Brothers Productions published comic-book adaptations ofRed Prophet andWyrms in 2006.[115] Aaron Johnston wrote comic-book versions ofEnder in Exile andSpeaker for the Dead.[116] Marvel published twoEnder's Game miniseries, which were collected in the graphic novel version ofEnder's Game;Christ Yost wrote the script andPasqual Ferry was the artist.[117][118] Two sets of comic miniseries were adapted byMike Carey forEnder's Shadow and the comics collected inEnder's Shadow Ultimate Collection.[119] A series of one-shots, some of which are based on Card'sEnderverse short stories, were collected inEnder's Game: War of Gifts.[120][121][122]
SinceEnder's Game was published in 1985, Card was reluctant to licensefilm rights and artistic control for the novel. He had two opportunities to sell the rights ofEnder's Game to Hollywood studios, but refused when creative differences became an issue.[123][124] Card announced in February 2009 that he had completed a script forOdd Lot Entertainment, and that they had begun assembling a production team.[125] On April 28, 2011, it was announced thatSummit Entertainment had picked up the film's distribution, andDigital Domain joined Odd Lot Entertainment in a co-production role.[126] Card wrote many versions of the script for the movie,[127] but ultimately directorGavin Hood wrote the screenplay. Card was a co-producer of the film.[128][129][130] OnRotten Tomatoes, the critical consensus states: "If it isn't quite as thought-provoking as the book,Ender's Game still manages to offer a commendable number of well-acted, solidly written sci-fi thrills."[131]
Since 2001, Card's commentary includes the political columns "War Watch",[132] "World Watch",[133] and "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything", which were published in the GreensboroRhinoceros Times until 2019.[134][135] "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything" features personal reviews of films and commentary on other topics. The column also appears on Card's website, which is titled "Hatrack River".[136] From 2008 to 2015, Card wrote a column of Latter-day Saint devotional and cultural commentary for theNauvoo Times, which was published through Hatrack River.[137]
During his childhood, Card read widely. He read children's classics and popular novels.[138] His favorite book was Mark Twain'sThe Prince and the Pauper, and he read his family'sWorld Book Encyclopedia in its entirety. He read science fiction stories in anthologies and science fiction novels.[7][139][35] He especially creditsTunesmith byLloyd Biggle Jr. as having a large effect on his life.[7] Card often refers to works byRobert A. Heinlein andJ. R. R. Tolkien as sources of inspiration.[140] Card creditsC. S. Lewis's apologetic fiction in theChronicles of Narnia andThe Screwtape Letters[141]: 1:17:50 as influences that shaped his life and career.[142] In 2014, Card stated that Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury were conscious influences on his writing, along withEarly Modern English from theKing James Version of the Bible and the works ofWilliam Shakespeare.[143] As a college student, Card read classic literature, science fiction, and fantasy.[140] Spenser's poetry inspired the originalPrentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow.[64][144] Influences from Portuguese and Brazilian Catholicism, which Card learned about during his LDS mission to Brazil, are evident in hisShadow andSpeaker novels.[14] Card stated his writing improved after teaching writing workshops with Jay Wentworth and fromAlgis Budrys's workshops atWriters of the Future.[11]
Card's membership of the LDS Church has been an important influence on his writing, though he initially tried to keep his religious beliefs separate from his fiction.[145][146] Susanne Reid, a science fiction scholar,[147] stated Card's religious background is evident in his frequent messiah protagonists and the "moral seriousness" in his works.[148][149] Card's science-fiction books do not reference the LDS religion directly but "offer careful readers insights that are compelling and moving in their religious intensity".[150] Non-LDS readers ofA Planet Called Treason did not remark on religious themes; however, LDS reviewer Sandy Straubhaar disliked the novel's explicit violence and sex and stated LDS connections were "gratuitous".[150] Dick Butler criticizedA Planet Called Treason for its lack of Gospel themes and ideas, and two other LDS reviewers defended Card.[151] According to Michael Collings, a critic who acknowledges his "unabashed appreciation" of Card,[152] knowledge of Mormon theology is vital to completely understanding Card's works, stating the life stages of the "piggies" inSpeaker for the Dead correspond to phases of life in the LDS'splan of salvation.[153]In an article inSunstone, Christopher C. Smith also noticed this parallel, noting that the "piggies" procreate "more or less eternally" in the last stage of their development.[154]Ender's Game andSpeaker for the Dead deal with religious themes common in LDS theology but without many surface references to the religion.[155] The Alvin Maker series does not try to explain Mormon history but uses it to examine his characters' relationships with God.[156] Card stated that his church membership influences hiscommunitarian values, specifically, making personal sacrifices for the good of a community. Individuals making sacrifices for their community is a theme in his work.[157]
Card'sHomecoming Saga is a dramatization ofBook of Mormon. Eugene England called the first five novels "good literature". Card received criticism from members of the LDS church for "plagiarizing" the Book of Mormon and using it irreverently. He defended his choices and said speculative fiction is the genre best suited to exploring theological and moral issues.[158] Also in theHomecoming Saga, Card imagines backstories and explanations for "anomalies" in the Book of Mormon, making the fictional work function as a work ofMormon apologetics.[159] While women are not prominent in the Book of Mormon, Card makes them prominent in his retelling.[160] One non-LDS critic described the saga as "readable" but lacking in new ideas.[161] Unaware of its relation to the Book of Mormon, another critic said it is similar to the Bible.[162]
Because Card began his writing career in screenplays, his early work is considered accessible and fast-paced with good characters but stylistically unremarkable. According to biographer Richard Bleiler, a number of critics described his tone as emotionless or conversely, as nonjudgmental, leaving readers to come to their own conclusions about how to feel about a story.[163] Though Card was initially classified as ahard science fiction writer for publishing inAnalog,[164] his science fiction focuses more on his characters than on the details of future technology.[163] One critic said Card is poor at characterization, stating the characters Peter and Valentine inEnder's Game are "totally unbelievable".[165] While noticing that some of Card's early stories were formulaic, Westfahl praised many of Card's early stories as showing "conspicuous originality".[166] The graphic violence in his early fiction was controversial; frequent appearances of naked men and boys raised "questions about homoerotic imagery", according to Westfahl.[167] Collings stated that the early stories are "essential steps in the development of Card's fiction".[168] Card uses a technique common inpulp fiction when he refers to characters by a quirk of their appearance or personality.[53] Card's fantasy stories also use tropes that are common to fantasy.[169]
Card cites the Book of Mormon as an important influence on his writing; his habit of beginning sentences withconjunctions comes from the book.[170] Literary devices inHot Sleep parallel those of the Book of Mormon.[171] Collings saidHot Sleep's mimicry of Book of Mormon language makes it an "inherently" Mormon novel. Card combined several Worthing stories and revisedHot Sleep to createThe Worthing Chronicle, which does not mirror the language of the Book of Mormon as much asHot Sleep does.[172]
One theme in Card's works is that of a precocious child who is isolated from others but is uniquely positioned to help or save their community. These characters with exceptional abilities achieve their destiny "through discipline and suffering".[173] Often, his gifted protagonists are introspective children.[174] Card's work features children and adults working together, which is unusual.[167] His characters feel "real" and must grow and take on responsibilities and often sacrifice themselves to improve their own societies.[163] This sacrifice is a difficult choice in which none of the options are obviously good.[175] These protagonists have unusual abilities that are both a blessing and a curse. The protagonists, who are isolated from family and friends, relate better to adults than to other young people; when they grow up, they often mentor other precocious youths.[176][177] Alvin Maker follows this pattern; his magical abilities are very unusual and he uses them to redeem his people.[144]
According to Collings, Card's protagonists are "lonely and manipulative Messiah-figures" who make sacrifices that can be interpreted as a declaration of principles. Family and community problems arise when individuals are not fully accepted or when communities do not work with others in larger units.[178][53] Often one group tries to kill or enslave another group, but their conflict is alleviated when they try to understand each other.[179] Protagonists make choices that save a person or a group of people.[175] InThe Porcelain Salamander, a girl is saved by a magical salamander; this action restores her ability to move but she takes on some attributes of the salamander.[180] InKingsmeat the Shepherd painlessly excises meat from humans to save them from being completely eaten by their alien overlords. The violence of removing parts of people is like the violence of repentance.[181] Collings states part of this story "could serve as an epigram of all Card's fictions; trapped within a circle of opposing forces, one focal character must decide whether or not to become, like Ender Wiggin, 'something of a savior, or a prophet, or at least a martyr' ."[182]
The original short storyEnder's Game is reminiscent of Heinlein's young adult novels because it is about a young person with impressive gifts who is guided by a stern mentor whose choices affect all of humanity.[166] The situations and choices in theEnder series invoke a number of philosophical topics, including the rules of war,embodiment psychology, the ethics of anthropology andxenology, and the morality of manipulating children.[183] Though Card describedHappy Head (1978) as an embarrassment, it anticipatedcyberpunk fiction with an investigator judge who can experience memories with witnesses. BothA Thousand Deaths (1978) andUnaccompanied Sonata feature protagonists who rebel against the dystopias they inhabit.[184]
In a May 2013 essay called "Unlikely Events", which Card presented as an experiment in fiction writing,[185] Card described an alternative future in which PresidentBarack Obama ruled as a "Hitler- orStalin-style dictator" with his own national police force of young unemployed men; Obama and his wifeMichelle would have amended theU.S. Constitution to allow presidents to remain in power for life, as inNigeria,Zimbabwe, andNazi Germany.[186][187] In the essay, first published inThe Rhinoceros Times, Card attributed Obama's success to being a "black man who talks like a white man (that's what they mean by calling him "articulate" and a "great speaker")."[188]: 66 The essay drew criticism from journalists for its allusions to Obama's race and its reference to "urban gangs".[189][190][191] Vice authorDave Schilling featured the article in his "This Week in Racism" roundup several months after its publication.[192]
Empire (2006) is a novel about civil war between progressive and conservative extremists in America. It was a finalist for thePrometheus Award, an award given by the Libertarian Futurist Society.[193]Publishers Weekly stated that "right-wing rhetoric trumps the logic of story and character" in the novel.[194] Another review fromPublishers Weekly noted that "Card's conservative bias seeps into" the novel.[195] AtSFReviews, Thomas Wagner took further issue with Card's tendency to "smugly pretend ... to be above it all", or claiming to be moderate while espousing conservative views of news media.[196] In an interview with Mythaxis Review in April 2021, Card stated that he writes fiction "without conscious agenda".[197]
In Card's fiction writing, homosexual characters appear in contexts that some critics have interpreted as homophobic. Writing forSalon, Aja Romano lists the "homophobic subtext" of characters in four of Card's books.[198] InSongmaster, a man falls in love with a 15-year-old castrato in apederastic society. Their sexual union has "creepy overtones" that makes the teenager "unable to have sex again".[198] On the topic ofSongmaster, Card wrote that he was not trying to show homosexual sex as beautiful. Romano wrote that the book's "main plot point revolve[d] around punishing homosexual sex".[198] In the Homecoming series, a gay male character, Zdorab, marries and procreates for the good of society. Romano notes that Zdorab does not stop being gay after his marriage, but that procreation is paramount in the book's society. Eugene England defends Zdorab, arguing that he is a sympathetic character who discovered that his homosexuality was determined by his mother's hormone levels during pregnancy. Therefore, Card does not depict homosexuality as a character trait that could be erased or reversed. However, he does positively depict a character who actively represses it: while Zdorab marries and has children, he sees his choice to become a father as very deliberate and not "out of some inborn instinct".[199]
Card's 2008 novellaHamlet's Father re-imagines the backstory of Shakespeare's playHamlet. In the novella, Hamlet's friends were sexually abused as children by hispedophilic father and subsequently identify as homosexual adults. The novella prompted public outcry, and its publishers were inundated with complaints.[200][201] Trade journalPublishers Weekly criticized Card's work, stating its main purpose was to attempt to link homosexuality with pedophilia.[202] Card responded that he did not link homosexuality with pedophilia, stating that in his book, Hamlet's father was a pedophile that shows no sexual attraction to adults of either sex.[203]
Card became a member of theU.S. Democratic Party in 1976 and has on multiple occasions referred to himself as aMoynihan orBlue Dog Democrat, as recently as 2020.[157][204][205]: 0:58:09 Card supportedRepublican presidential candidateJohn McCain in 2008,[206] and thenNewt Gingrich in 2012.[207] In 2016, he followed the "hold your nose, voteTrump" hashtag and voted accordingly.[205]: 1:01:10 According toSalon, Card's views are close toneoconservative,[198] and Card has described himself as a moral conservative.[208][157] Card was a vocal supporter of the U.S.'sWar on Terror.[209][210] In a 2020 interview withBen Shapiro, Card stated that he was not aconservative because he has beliefs that do not align with typical conservative platforms, including desiring liberal immigration laws, gun control, and abolishing the death penalty.[205]: 0:58:49 In 2000, Card said he "believe[d] [that] government has a strong role to protect us from capitalism".[211]
Card has publicly declared his support of laws againsthomosexual activity andsame-sex marriage.[198][212] Card's 1990 essay "A Changed Man: The Hypocrites of Homosexuality" was first published inSunstone[213] and republished in his collection of non-fiction essays,A Storyteller in Zion.[214] In the essay, he argued thatlaws against homosexual behavior should not be "indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but [used only] when necessary to send a clear message [to] those who flagrantly violate society's regulation". However, in an introduction to a reprint of his essay, Card wrote that since 2003, when theU.S. Supreme Court hadruled those laws unconstitutional, he has "no interest in criminalizing homosexual acts".[215] Card also questioned in a 2004 column the notion that homosexuality was a purelyinnate or genetic trait and asserted that a range of environmental factors also contributed to its development, including abuse.[216]
Card had stated there is no need to legalize same-sex marriage and that he opposed efforts to do so.[216] In 2008, he wrote in an opinion piece in theDeseret News (a newspaper of the LDS Church) that relationships between same-sex couples would always be different from those between opposite-sex couples, and that if a government were to say otherwise, heterosexually "married people" would "act to destroy that government" as their "mortal enemy", and "it is that insane Constitution, not marriage, that will die."[217][218] In 2012, Card supportedNorth Carolina Amendment 1, a ballot measure to outlaw same-sex marriage in North Carolina, saying the legalization of gay marriage was aslippery slope upon which the political left would make it "illegal to teach traditional values in the schools".[219] In 2009, Card joined the board of directors of theNational Organization for Marriage, a group that campaigns against same-sex marriage.[220] Card resigned from the board in mid-2013.[221] In July 2013, one week after the U.S. Supreme Court issued two rulings recognizing same-sex marriages, Card published inEntertainment Weekly a statement saying the same-sex marriage issue is moot because of the Supreme Court's decision on theDefense of Marriage Act (DOMA).[222]
Card's views have had professional repercussions. In 2013, he was selected as a guest author forDC Comics' newAdventures of Superman comic book series,[223] but controversy over his views on homosexuality led illustratorChris Sprouse to leave the project. An online petition to drop the story received over 16,000 signatures, and DC Comics put Card's story on hold indefinitely.[224][225] A few months later, anLGBT non-profit organization[226]Geeks OUT proposed a boycott of themovie adaptation ofEnder's Game, calling Card's views "anti-gay",[227][228] and causing the movie studioLionsgate to publicly distance itself from Card's opinions.[229]
In 1992, Card won theEdward E. Smith Memorial Award. Card won the ALAMargaret Edwards Award, which recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for "significant and lasting contributions to young adult literature",[230] in 2008 for his contribution in writing for teenagers; his work was selected by a panel ofYA librarians.[231] Card said he was unsure his work was suitable for the award because it was never marketed as "young adult".[232] In the same year, Card won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Mormon writers at theWhitney Awards.[233] In 2002Shadow of the Hegemon was listed asALA Best Books for Young Adults.[234]
TheHarold B. Lee Library has acquired the Orson Scott Card papers, which include Card's works, writing notes, and letters. The collection was formally opened in 2007.[235][236][237]Stephenie Meyer,Brandon Sanderson, andDave Wolverton have cited Card's works as a major influence.[238][239][240] In addition, Card inspiredLindsay Ellis's novelAxiom's End.[241]
Since 1994, Card has served as a judge forWriters of the Future, a science fiction and fantasy story contest for amateur writers.[242] In late 2005, Card launchedOrson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, an online fantasy and science fiction magazine.[243] In 2005, Card accepted a permanent appointment as "distinguished professor" atSouthern Virginia University inBuena Vista, Virginia, a smallliberal arts college.[244] Card has served on the boards of a number of organizations, includingpublic television stationUNC-TV (2013–present)[245] and theNational Organization for Marriage (2009–2013).[246]
Card taught a course on novel writing atPepperdine University, which was sponsored byMichael Collings. Afterwards, Card designed his own writing courses called "Uncle Orson's Writing Course" and "literary boot camp".[11]Eric James Stone,Jamie Ford,Brian McClellan,Mette Ivie Harrison andJohn Brown have attended Card's literary boot camp.[247] Luc Reid, founder of theCodex Writers Group is also a literary book camp alumnus.[248] Card has been a Special Guest and/or Literary Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at theLife, the Universe, & Everything professional science fiction and fantasy arts symposium, on at least six separate occasions: 1983, 1986, 1987, 1997, 2008, 2014.[249]
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)Real communism has never been tried! I would like to see government controls expanded, laws that allow capitalism to not reward the most rapacious, exploitative behavior. I believe government has a strong role to protect us from capitalism. I'm ashamed of our society for how it treats the poor. One of the deep problems in Mormon society is that really for the last 75 years Mormons have embraced capitalism to a shocking degree.
