Gaiman's awards includeHugo,Nebula, andBram Stoker awards andNewbery andCarnegie medals. He is the first author to win the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work,The Graveyard Book.The Ocean at the End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in the BritishNational Book Awards, and it was adapted into an acclaimed stage play at theRoyal National Theatre in London.
Beginning in 2024, news outlets published sexual assault accusations against Gaiman by numerous women.[3] This affected or halted production on several adaptations of his work. One accuser sued Gaiman and his estranged wifeAmanda Palmer forrape andhuman trafficking.
Early life and education
Neil Richard Gaiman[4] was born on 10 November 1960[5] inPortchester, Hampshire.[6] Gaiman's family is ofPolish-Jewish and otherAshkenazi origins.[7] His great-grandfather emigrated to England fromAntwerp before 1914[8] and his grandfather settled inPortsmouth and established a chain of grocery stores, changing the family name from Chaiman to Gaiman.[9] His father,David Bernard Gaiman, worked in the same chain of stores;[10] his mother, Sheila Gaiman (née Goldman), was a pharmacist. Neil has two younger sisters, Claire and Lizzy.[11]
The Gaimans moved in 1965 to theWest Sussex town ofEast Grinstead, where his parents studiedDianetics at theScientology centre in the town; one of Gaiman's sisters works for theChurch of Scientology in Los Angeles. His other sister, Lizzy Calcioli, has said, "Most of our social activities were involved with Scientology or our Jewish family. It would get very confusing when people would ask my religion as a kid. I'd say, 'I'm a Jewish Scientologist.'" Gaiman says that he is not a Scientologist, and that like Judaism, Scientology is his family's religion.[6] About his personal views, Gaiman has stated, "I think we can say that God exists in the DC Universe. I would not stand up and beat the drum for the existence of God in this universe. I don't know, I think there's probably a 50/50 chance. It doesn't really matter to me."[12]
Gaiman was able to read at the age of four. He said, "I was a reader. I loved reading. Reading things gave me pleasure. I was very good at most subjects in school, not because I had any particular aptitude in them, but because normally on the first day of school, they'd hand out schoolbooks, and I'd read them—which would mean that I'd know what was coming up because I'd read it."[13] When he was about 10 years old, he read his way through the works ofDennis Wheatley;The Ka of Gifford Hillary andThe Haunting of Toby Jugg made a special impact on him.[14]
Another work that made a particular impression wasJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings, which he got from his school library. Although they only had the first two of the novel's three volumes, Gaiman consistently checked them out and read them. He later won the school English prize and the school reading prize, enabling him to finally acquire the third volume.[15] For his seventh birthday, Gaiman receivedC. S. Lewis'sThe Chronicles of Narnia. He later recalled that "I admired his use of parenthetical statements to the reader, where he would just talk to you ... I'd think, 'Oh, my gosh, that is so cool! I want to do that! When I become an author, I want to be able to do things in parentheses.' I liked the power of putting things in brackets."[15]Narnia also introduced him to literary awards, specifically theCarnegie Medal, won by the concluding volume in 1956. When Gaiman won the 2010 Medal himself, he said "it had to be the most important literary award there ever was"[16] and "if you can make yourself aged seven happy, you're really doing well – it's like writing a letter to yourself aged seven."[17]Lewis Carroll'sAlice's Adventures in Wonderland was another childhood favourite, and "a favourite forever. Alice was default reading to the point where I knew it by heart." He also enjoyedBatman comics.[15]
Gaiman was educated at severalChurch of England schools, including Fonthill School in East Grinstead,[18]Ardingly College (1970–1974), andWhitgift School inCroydon (1974–1977).[19] His father's position as a public relations official of theChurch of Scientology was the cause of the seven-year-old Gaiman being forced to withdraw from Fonthill School and return to the school which he had previously attended.[6][20] He lived in East Grinstead for many years, from 1965 to 1980 and again from 1984 to 1987.[18]
In the 1970s, he spent three years as anauditor for the Church of Scientology, an unusually high-ranking position given his age.[21] He also sang in apunk rock band Ex Execs, formerly called Chaos.[22]
He met his first wife, Mary McGrath, while she was studying Scientology and living in a house in East Grinstead that was owned by his father. The couple were married in 1985 after having their first child.[6]
Career
Journalism, early writings, and literary influences
Gaiman has namedRoger Zelazny as the author who influenced him the most.[34][35] Gaiman claims that other authors such asSamuel R. Delany andAngela Carter "furnished the inside of my mind and set me to writing".[34] Gaiman takes inspiration from the folk tales tradition, citingOtta F Swire's book on the legends of theIsle of Skye as his inspiration forThe Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains.[36]
In the early 1980s, Gaiman pursued journalism, conducting interviews and writing book reviews, as a means to learn about the world and to make connections that he hoped would later assist him in getting published.[15] He wrote and reviewed extensively for the British Fantasy Society.[37] His first professional short story publication was "Featherquest", a fantasy story, inImagine magazine in May 1984.[37]
Gaiman frequented theForbidden Planet comic store at its original location of Number 23,Denmark Street, central London (pictured).
While waiting for a train at London'sVictoria Station in 1984, Gaiman noticed a copy ofSwamp Thing byAlan Moore, and read it. Moore's approach to comics had such an impact on Gaiman that he later wrote "that was the final straw, what was left of my resistance crumbled. I proceeded to make regular and frequent visits to London'sForbidden Planet shop to buy comics".[29]
In 1984, he wrote his first book, a biography of the bandDuran Duran, and co-editedGhastly Beyond Belief, a book of quotations, withKim Newman. Although Gaiman thought he had done a terrible job, the book's first edition sold out very quickly. When he went to relinquish his rights to the book, he discovered the publisher had gone bankrupt.[15][38] After this, he was offered a job byPenthouse. He refused the offer.[15]
He also wrote interviews and articles for many British magazines, includingKnave. During this, he sometimes wrote under pseudonyms, including Gerry Musgrave, Richard Grey, and "a couple of house names".[39] Gaiman has said he ended his journalism career in 1987 because British newspapers regularly publish untruths as fact.[40][41]In the late 1980s, he wroteDon't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion in what he calls a "classic English humour" style.[42]
After forming a friendship withAlan Moore, who taught him how to write comic scripts,[29][44] Gaiman started writing comic books and picked upMiracleman after Moore finished his run on the series. He continued his professional relationship with Moore by contributing quotations for the supplemental materials in theWatchmen comic book series.[44]
The Sandman tells the tale of theageless,anthropomorphic personification ofDream that is known by many names, includingMorpheus. The series began in January 1989 and concluded in March 1996.[48] The various artists who contributed to the series includeSam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg,Jill Thompson,Shawn McManus,Marc Hempel, andMichael Zulli, with lettering byTodd Klein, colours by Daniel Vozzo, and covers byDave McKean.[15] The series became one of DC's top selling titles, eclipsing evenBatman andSuperman.[49] The 75 issues of the regular series, along with an illustrated prose text and a special containing seven short stories, have been collected into 12 volumes that remain in print.
Comics historianLes Daniels called Gaiman's work "astonishing" and noted thatThe Sandman was "a mixture of fantasy, horror, and ironic humor such as comic books had never seen before".[52][53] DC Comics writer and executivePaul Levitz observed that "The Sandman became the first extraordinary success as a series of graphic novel collections, reaching out and converting new readers to the medium, particularly young women on college campuses, and making Gaiman himself into an iconic cultural figure."[54]
Gaiman andJamie Delano were to become co-writers of theSwamp Thing series followingRick Veitch. An editorial decision by DC to censor Veitch's final storyline caused both Gaiman and Delano to withdraw from the title.[55]
In 1990, Gaiman wroteThe Books of Magic, a four-part mini-series that provided a tour of the mythological and magical parts of theDC Universe through aframe story about an English teenager who discovers that he is destined to be the world's greatest wizard.[59] The miniseries was popular, and sired an ongoing series written byJohn Ney Rieber.[60]
In the mid-1990s, he also created a number of new characters and a setting that was to be featured in a title published byTekno Comix. The concepts were then altered and split between three titles set in the same continuity:Lady Justice,Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man, andTeknophage,[62] and tie-ins. Although Gaiman's name appeared prominently as the creator of the characters, he was not involved in writing any of the above-mentioned books.
Asked why he likes comics more than other forms of storytelling, Gaiman said:
One of the joys of comics has always been the knowledge that it was, in many ways, untouched ground. It was virgin territory. When I was working onSandman, I felt a lot of the time that I was actually picking up a machete and heading out into the jungle. I got to write in places and do things that nobody had ever done before. When I'm writing novels I'm painfully aware that I'm working in a medium that people have been writing absolutely jaw-droppingly brilliant things for, you know, three-four thousand years now. You know, you can go back. We have things likeThe Golden Ass. And you go, well, I don't know that I'm as good as that and that's two and a half thousand years old. But with comics I felt like – I can do stuff nobody has ever done. I can do stuff nobody has ever thought of. And I could and it was enormously fun.[63]
After teaming withColleen Doran for a series of graphic novel adaptations based on his short stories "Troll Bridge", "Chivalry", and "Snow, Glass, Apples", Gaiman and the Terry Pratchett estate chose Doran to adaptGood Omens into graphic novel form, and to self publish the work via the Pratchett estate's Dunmanifestin label. It was financed on Kickstarter where it became a record-setter in less than a week as the top fan-supported and top-earning comics project in the history of the platform.[78]
Neil Gaiman andRoz Kaveney discuss Why We Need Fantasy at the British Library on 20 November 2023.Gaiman in 2009
In a collaboration with authorTerry Pratchett, best known for his series ofDiscworld novels, Gaiman's first novelGood Omens was published in 1990. In 2011, Pratchett said that while the entire novel was a collaborative effort and most of the ideas could be credited to both of them, Pratchett did a larger portion of writing and editing if for no other reason than Gaiman's scheduled involvement withSandman.[79]
The 1996novelisation of Gaiman's teleplay for the BBC mini-seriesNeverwhere was his first solo novel. The novel was released in tandem with the television series, though it presents some notable differences from the television series. Gaiman has since revised the novel twice, the first time for an American audience unfamiliar with theLondon Underground, the second time because he felt unsatisfied with the originals.[80]
In 1999, the first printings of his fantasy novelStardust were released. The novel has been released both as a standard novel and in an illustrated text edition.[81] This novel was highly influenced by Victorian fairytales and culture.[82]
American Gods became one of Gaiman's best-selling and multi-award-winning novels upon its release in 2001.[83] A special 10th Anniversary edition was released, with the "author's preferred text" 12,000 words longer than the original mass-market editions.[84] Gaiman has not written a direct sequel toAmerican Gods but he has revisited the characters. A glimpse at Shadow's travels in Europe is found in a short story which finds him in Scotland, applying the same concepts developed inAmerican Gods to the story ofBeowulf. The 2005 novelAnansi Boys deals withAnansi ('Mr. Nancy'), tracing the relationship of his two sons, one semi-divine and the other an unassuming bookkeeper, as they explore their common heritage. It debuted at number one onThe New York Times Best Seller list.[85]
In 2002, Gaiman entered the world of children's books with the dark fairy taleCoraline. In 2008 he released ayoung adult novel,The Graveyard Book. It follows the adventures of a boy named Bod after his family is murdered and he is left to be brought up by a graveyard. It is heavily influenced byRudyard Kipling'sThe Jungle Book andH. P. Lovecraft’sThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.[86] Literary criticDanel Olson defended it as one of the first canonical novels of 21st century Gothic literature.[87] As of late January 2009[update], it had been onThe New York Times Bestseller children's list for fifteen weeks.[88]
In September 2016, Neil Gaiman announced that he had been working for some years on retellings ofNorse mythology.[93]Norse Mythology was released in February 2017.[94]
Several of his novels have been published as paperbacks with retro covers by artistRobert McGinnis.[95][96]
Gaiman wrote the 1996BBC dark fantasy television seriesNeverwhere. He co-wrote the screenplay for the movieMirrorMask with his old friendDave McKean for McKean to direct. In addition, he wrote the localised English language script for theanime moviePrincess Mononoke, based on a translation of the Japanese script.[97]
After his disappointment with the production limitations ofNeverwhere, Gaiman asked his agent to pull him out of an (unnamed) UK television series that was to begin production immediately afterwards. "I didn't want to do it unless I had more control than you get as a writer: in fantasy, the tone of voice, the look and feel, the way something is shot and edited is vital, and I wanted to be in charge of that."[98]
He was the only person other thanJ. Michael Straczynski to write aBabylon 5 script in the series' last three seasons, contributing to the season five episode "Day of the Dead".[97] The series also features a recurring alien race called the Gaim, who resemble the character of Dream and are named after Gaiman.
In 2007, Gaiman announced that after ten years in development,the feature film ofDeath: The High Cost of Living would finally begin production with a screenplay by Gaiman that he would direct for Warner Independent. Gaiman said that he agreed to direct the film "with the carrot dangled in front of me that I could direct it. And we'll see if that happens, and if I'm a good director or not."[98]Don Murphy andSusan Montford were named as producers, andGuillermo del Toro was named as the film's executive producer.[104][105] By 2010, it had been reported that the film was no longer in production.[106]
Seeing Ear Theatre performed two of Gaiman's audio theatre plays, "Snow, Glass, Apples", Gaiman's retelling ofSnow White, and "Murder Mysteries", a story of heaven before the Fall in which the first crime is committed. Both audio plays were published in the collectionSmoke and Mirrors in 1998.[107]
In September 2014, Gaiman and Terry Pratchett joined forces with BBC Radio 4 to make the first-ever dramatisation of their co-penned novelGood Omens, which was broadcast in December in five half-hour episodes and culminated in an hour-long final apocalyptic showdown.[43] In 2021, Gaiman was cast as Duke Aubrey in an adaptation of Hope Mirrlees'Lud-in-the-Mist, a novel Gaiman had previously proclaimed one of his favourites (and to which he had contributed a foreword for an edition by Cold Spring Press), for BBC Radio 4.[126]
Public performances
Gaiman frequently performs public readings from his stories and poetry, and has toured with his wife, musicianAmanda Palmer. In some of these performances he has also sung songs, in "a novelist's version of singing",[127] despite having "no kind of singing voice".[128]
In 2015, Gaiman delivered a 100-minute lecture for theLong Now Foundation entitledHow Stories Last about the nature of storytelling and how stories persist in human culture.[129] In April 2018, Gaiman made a guest appearance on the television showThe Big Bang Theory, and his tweet about the show's fictional comic book store became the central theme of the episode "The Comet Polarization".[130]
In issue No. 9 of the series, Gaiman introduced the charactersAngela,Cogliostro, andMedieval Spawn. Prior to this issue, Spawn was an assassin who worked for the government and came back as a reluctant agent of Hell but had no real direction in his actions. In Angela, a cruel and malicious angel, Gaiman introduced a character who threatened Spawn's existence, as well as providing a moral opposite. Cogliostro was introduced as a mentor character for exposition and instruction, providing guidance. Medieval Spawn introduced a history and precedent that not all Spawns were self-serving or evil, giving additional character development toMalebolgia, the demon that creates Hellspawn.[131][132]
As intended, all three characters were used repeatedly throughout the next decade by Todd McFarlane within the widerSpawn universe.[133] In papers filed by Gaiman in early 2002, however, he claimed that the characters were jointly owned by their scripter (himself) and artist (McFarlane), not merely by McFarlane in his role as the creator of the series.[131][132] Disagreement over who owned the rights to a character was the primary motivation for McFarlane and other artists to form Image Comics (although that argument related more towards disagreements between writers and artists as character creators).[134] As McFarlane used the characters without Gaiman's permission or royalty payments, Gaiman believed hiscopyrighted work was being infringed upon, which violated their original oral agreement. McFarlane initially agreed that Gaiman had not signed away any rights to the characters, and negotiated with Gaiman to effectively "swap" McFarlane's interest in the characterMarvelman.[135] McFarlane had purchased an interest in the character whenEclipse Comics was liquidated while Gaiman was interested in being able to continue his aborted run of the Marvelman title. McFarlane later changed his initial position, claiming that Gaiman's work had only been work-for-hire and that McFarlane owned all of Gaiman's creations entirely. The presiding judge, however, ruled against their agreement being work for hire, based in large part on the legal requirement that "copyright assignments must be in writing."[136]
TheSeventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court ruling in February 2004[137] granting joint ownership of the characters to Gaiman and McFarlane. On the specific issue of Cogliostro, presiding JudgeJohn C. Shabaz proclaimed, "The expressive work that is the comic-book character Count Nicholas Cogliostro was the joint work of Gaiman and McFarlane—their contributions strike us as quite equal—and both are entitled to ownership of the copyright".[138] Similar analysis led to similar results for the other two characters, Angela and Medieval Spawn.
This legal battle was brought by Gaiman and the specifically formed Marvels and Miracles,LLC, which Gaiman had previously created to help sort outthe legal rights surrounding Marvelman. Gaiman had writtenMarvel 1602in 2003 to help fund this project[139] and all of Gaiman's profits for the original issues of the series were donated to Marvels and Miracles.[139] The rights to Marvelman were subsequently purchased, from original creatorMick Anglo, by Marvel Comics in 2009.[140]
Gaiman returned to court again over theSpawn charactersDark Ages Spawn,Domina, andTiffany, claiming that they were "derivative of the three he co-created with McFarlane."[141] The judge ruled that Gaiman was right in these claims as well and gave McFarlane until the beginning of September 2010 to settle the matter.[142]
Gaiman moved nearMenomonie, Wisconsin, in 1992 to be closer to the family of his then-wife, Mary McGrath, with whom he has three children.[15][143] Gaiman has also lived inCambridge, Massachusetts.[144][143] He was close friends with fellow authorTerry Pratchett until the latter's death in 2015.[145] Gaiman metAmanda Palmer in 2008,[21] and the two entered a relationship in 2009,[146] marrying in 2011.[147] They have one son together.[21] The two had anopen marriage,[148] and encouraged one another to have affairs,[21] including with fans of their work.[21]
Gaiman, Palmer and their son moved toNew Zealand in March 2020. Weeks later, their marriage collapsed and Gaiman left the country,[21] travelling from New Zealand to his holiday home on theIsle of Skye, which brokeCOVID-19 lockdown rules.Ross, Skye and Lochaber MPIan Blackford described Gaiman's behaviour as unacceptable and dangerous.[149] Gaiman published an apology on his website, saying he had endangered the local community.[150] After Gaiman's departure, Palmer announced onPatreon that she and Gaiman had separated.[146] Gaiman stated the split was "my fault, I'm afraid", and requested privacy. The couple later released a joint statement clarifying that they were not getting divorced,[151] reconciled in 2021,[152][153] but confirmed they would divorce in a November 2022 joint statement.[154][155] As of January 2025[update], in the fifth year of proceedings, negotiations had become "ugly", with Palmer moving in with her parents due to financial difficulties.[21]
Sexual assault and misconduct allegations
In July 2024, five women accused Gaiman of sexual assault and abuse. All five were interviewed on theTortoise Media podcastMaster: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman. One, using the pseudonym "Claire", was also interviewed byThe New York Times.[156] Claire described non-consensual kissing and groping by Gaiman after meeting him at a book tour event, with Gaiman making a $60,000 payment to her in August 2022.[156] A woman identified as "K", who also first met Gaiman at a book signing, said that during their relationship he subjected her to painful sex that she "neither wanted nor enjoyed".[21][157]
Scarlett Pavlovich, a former nanny for Gaiman and Palmer's child, alleges that Gaiman sexually assaulted her within hours of their first meeting in February 2022.[157] Pavlovich recalled that he said "Amanda told me I couldn't have you" after the assault; according to one of Palmer's friends, Palmer had previously told Gaiman "You could really hurt this person and break her; keep your hands off of her". She said that Gaiman hadanal sex with her in the presence of his son.[21]
A former tenant of Gaiman's named Caroline Wallner alleges that he demanded sexual favours in exchange for being allowed to continue living on his property.[21][158] Wallner says that on one occasion Gaiman grabbed her hand and placed it on his penis while his young son was asleep in the same bed.[21]
The writerJulia Hobsbawm accused Gaiman of "an aggressive, unwanted pass" and described how Gaiman pushed her onto a sofa andFrench kissed her in 1986.[158][159]
In September 2024,Disney halted production on the film adaptation ofThe Graveyard Book due to a variety of factors, including the sexual assault allegations against Gaiman.[160][161][156] That same month, production on season three ofGood Omens was put on hold; Gaiman ultimately left the project in October.[162][163]
In January 2025,New York magazine published a cover story detailing the allegations against Gaiman. This article, which was published online onVulture, included interviews with four of the women who had previously spoken to Tortoise Media, as well as four more women.[21][164] Later the same month,Dark Horse Comics announced that they would cut ties with Gaiman over the allegations, including cancelling his ongoing comic adaptation ofAnansi Boys.[165] A week later,Netflix announced thatThe Sandman was canceled, with the series set to conclude with its second season.[166] Gaiman was also dropped as a client by his agent Casarotto Ramsay.[167]
In February 2025, Scarlett Pavlovich filed three federal lawsuits in the USA that alleged human trafficking under theTrafficking Victims Protection Act, alongside formal allegations of sexual assault and coercion. One named Gaiman and Palmer as co-defendants and two were against Palmer alone, seeking at least US$7 million in damages.[168][169] In his response to the lawsuit, Gaiman claimed that the American court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case because the alleged assaults happened in New Zealand, and asked for the case to be dismissed.[170] Gaiman also accused Pavlovich of lying, presenting text messages in which she appeared to confirm that no sexual abuse had taken place, and claimed that police in New Zealand had already investigated her claims and found them to be false.[171]
Gaiman has denied engaging in non-consensual sex, and dismissed Hobsbawm's allegations as his misreading a situation.[158][159] Gaiman's representatives claim that Wallner initiated their sexual encounters and that none of these occurred in the presence of Gaiman's child.[21] In a blog post responding to coverage of the allegations against him, Gaiman said there were "moments I half-recognise and moments I don't". He denies engaging in any non-consensual sexual activity, but said he could have "done so much better" and was "trying to do the work needed".[172][173][174]
Blog and social media
In February 2001, when Gaiman had completed writingAmerican Gods, his publishers set up a promotional website featuring aweblog in which Gaiman described the day-to-day process of revising, publishing, and promoting the novel. After the novel was published, the website evolved into a more general Official Neil Gaiman Website.[175] Gaiman generally posts to the blog describing the day-to-day process of being Neil Gaiman and writing, revising, publishing, or promoting whatever the current project is. He also posts reader emails and answers questions, which gives him unusually direct and immediate interaction with fans. One of his answers on why he writes the blog is "because writing is, like death, a lonely business."[176] The originalAmerican Gods blog was extracted for publication in theNESFA Press collection of Gaiman miscellany,Adventures in the Dream Trade.[177] To celebrate the seventh anniversary of the blog, the novelAmerican Gods was provided free of charge online for a month.[178]
Gaiman joinedTwitter in 2008. In 2013, Gaiman was named byIGN as one of "The Best Tweeters in Comics", describing his posts as "sublime".[179]
Other personal relationships
Gaiman is godfather to Tori Amos's daughter Tash,[180][181] and wrote a poem called "Blueberry Girl" for Tori and Tash.[182] The poem was adapted into a book by illustratorCharles Vess.[183] Gaiman read the poem aloud to an audience at the Sundance Kabuki Theater in San Francisco on 5 October 2008 during his book reading tour forThe Graveyard Book.[184] It was published in March 2009 with the titleBlueberry Girl.
Advocacy
In 2016, Gaiman, as well as several celebrities, appeared in the video "What They Took With Them", from theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to help raise awareness of the issue of global refugees.[185][186]
Gaiman is a supporter of theComic Book Legal Defense Fund and has served on its board of directors.[187] In 2013, Gaiman was named co-chair of the organization's newly formed advisory board.[188]
In 2022, during theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Gaiman supported Ukraine by announcing on Twitter that he does not want to renew contracts with Russian publishers.[189] Gaiman also encouraged donating to Ukrainian refugees.[190][191]
In 2023, Gaiman signed an open letter addressed to Russian presidentVladimir Putin, alongside over 100 other public figures, calling for the release of Russian prisonerAlexei Navalny.[192][193]
Literary allusions
Gaiman's work is known for its use ofallusions.[194] Meredith Collins, for instance, has commented upon the degree to which his novelStardust depends on allusions to Victorian fairy tales and culture.[195] InThe Sandman, literary figures and characters appear often; the character of Fiddler's Green is modeled onG. K. Chesterton, and bothWilliam Shakespeare andGeoffrey Chaucer appear as characters, as do several characters fromA Midsummer Night's Dream[196] andThe Tempest. The comic also draws from numerous mythologies.[citation needed]
Analyzing Gaiman'sThe Graveyard Book, bibliographer and librarianRichard Bleiler detects patterns of and allusions to the Gothic novel, fromHorace Walpole'sThe Castle of Otranto toShirley Jackson'sThe Haunting of Hill House. He concludes that Gaiman is "utilizing works, characters, themes, and settings that generations of scholars have identified and classified as Gothic... [yet] subverts them and develops the novel by focusing on the positive aspects of maturation, concentrating on the values of learning, friendship, and sacrifice."[197] Regarding another work's assumed connection and allusions to this form, Gaiman himself quipped: "I've never been able to figure out whetherSandman is a gothic."[198]
Clay Smith has argued that this sort of allusiveness serves to situate Gaiman as a strong authorial presence in his own works, often to the exclusion of his collaborators.[199] However, Smith's viewpoint is in the minority: to many, if there is a problem with Gaiman's scholarship and intertextuality it is that "... his literary merit and vast popularity have propelled him into the nascent comics canon so quickly that there is not yet a basis of critical scholarship about his work."[200]
David Rudd takes a more generous view in his study of the novelCoraline, where he argues that the work plays and riffs productively onSigmund Freud's concept ofUnheimlich ("the Uncanny").[201]
Though Gaiman's work is frequently seen as exemplifying themonomyth structure laid out inJoseph Campbell'sThe Hero with a Thousand Faces,[202] Gaiman says that he started readingThe Hero with a Thousand Faces but refused to finish it: "I think I got about halfway throughThe Hero with a Thousand Faces and found myself thinking if this is true – I don't want to know. I really would rather not know this stuff. I'd rather do it because it's true and because I accidentally wind up creating something that falls into this pattern than be told what the pattern is."[203]
Selected awards and honours
From 1988 to 2008, Gaiman wonEagle Awards in the following categories:
1988 Favourite Comic Album (U.K.) forViolent Cases (withDave McKean)[204]
2005 Best Short Story for "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire"[211]
2006 Best Fantasy novel forAnansi Boys.[211] The book was also nominated for a Hugo Award, but Gaiman asked for it to be withdrawn from the list, stating that he wanted to give other writers a chance and that it was really more fantasy than science fiction.[216]
2004 Best Short Story forA Study in Emerald (in a ceremony the author presided over himself, having volunteered for the job before his story was nominated)[211]
2010Carnegie Medal forThe Graveyard Book, becoming the first author to have won both the Carnegie and Newbery Medals for the same work.[17][16][245][246][247]
2019Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, "celebrat[ing] authors who have given generously to other writers or to the broader literary community." Gaiman was given the award "for advocating for freedom of expression worldwide and inspiring countless writers."[253]
^Gaiman, Neil (16 January 2009)."Journeys End". Neil Gaiman's Journal. Archived fromthe original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved16 January 2009.My paternal great-grandfather came to the UK before 1914; and he would have come from Antwerp.
^Wearring, Andrew (December 2009). "Changing, Out-of-Work, Dead, and Reborn Gods in the Fiction of Neil Gaiman".Literature & Aesthetics.19 (2): 236.
^Lancaster, James (11 October 2005). "Everyone has the potential to be great".The Argus. pp. 10–11.David Gaiman quote: "It's not me you should be interviewing. It's my son. Neil Gaiman. He's in theNew York Times Bestsellers list. Fantasy. He's flavour of the month, very famous
^Gaiman, Neil (20 December 2008)."Trees". Neil Gaiman's Journal. Archived fromthe original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved26 July 2011.
^Whitaker, Steve (January 1989). "Neil Gaiman interview".FA (109):24–29.
^"Neil Gaiman". Exclusive Books. Archived fromthe original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved2 February 2012.
^"Head Bars Son of Cult Man".The Times. 13 August 1968. p. 2. Archived fromthe original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved7 May 2011.A headmaster has refused the son of a scientologist entry to a preparatory school until, he says, the cult "clears its name". The boy, Neil Gaiman, aged 7, (...) Mr. David Gaiman, the father, aged 35, a former South Coast businessman, has become in recent weeks a prominent spokesman in Britain for scientology, which has its headquarters at East Grinstead.
^ab"Of Meetings and Partings" by Neil Gaiman, introduction toThis Mortal Mountain: Volume 3 of The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, NESFA Press, edited by David G. Grubbs, Christopher S. Kovacs, and Ann Crimmins, 2009, page 12.
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah (2010). "1980s".DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 235.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Neil Gaiman scripted the complexBlack Orchid prestige format limited series in December [1988], re-envisioning the character with the help of artist Dave McKean.
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 238: "In arguably one of the greatest achievements in serialized modern comic books, writer Neil Gaiman crafted the seventy-five-issue ongoing seriesThe Sandman, introducing its readers to a complex world of horror and fantasy."
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 240: "Neil Gaiman, aided by penciller Mike Dringenberg, introduced the character Death to a fascinated readership...Death was an instant hit and arguably became more popular than the Sandman himself."
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 262: "In March 1993, DC Comics debuted a three-issue limited series entitledDeath: The High Cost of Living...Written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by future comics superstar Chris Bachalo,The High Cost of Living had one notable trait besides a brilliant story: its cover bore a new logo. With this debut, DC's provocative new mature-reader imprint, Vertigo, was born."
^Daniels, Les (1995). "The Sandman's Coming: A New Approach to Making Myths".DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York, New York:Bulfinch Press. p. 206.ISBN978-0821220764.
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair (2014). "1980s".Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 183.ISBN978-1465424563.Secret Origins No. 36 Neil Gaiman gave readers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Poison Ivy's mind.
^Manning "1980s" in Dougall (2014), p. 179:Secret Origins Special No. 1 "Gaiman wrote the Riddler's tale, with the help of artist Bernie Mireault."
^Martin, Brian (August 2017). "Where theAction is...Weekly".Back Issue! (98): 77.
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 247: "Neil Gaiman chronicled the adventures of magic pupil Timothy Hunter in this miniseries. each issue explored the realms of magic as portrayed by a different painter."
^Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura (2008). "2000s".Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 317.ISBN978-0756641238.Neil Gaiman...took his creative vision and penchant for times past to Marvel, crafting this eight-issue limited series alongside fan-favourite artist Andy Kubert. Digitally painted by Richard Isanove...this series took an alternative look at what the classic Marvel pantheon would be like if they had existed in the 17th century.
^Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 337: "Writer Neil Gaiman and art legend Andy Kubert teamed up to present a touching imaginary tale of a wake for the dead Batman...A love song to the Dark Knight's long history...it went on to win SFX's Best Comic award in 2010."
^Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 338: "The [series] contained fifteen continuous stories, including...'Metamorpho' scripted by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Michael Allred."
^Sunu, Steve (21 March 2013)."Gaiman Returns to Marvel, BringsSpawn's Angela".Comic Book Resources.Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved23 March 2013.Later this year, writer Neil Gaiman makes his return to Marvel Comics...Perhaps even more intriguing is the announcement that Gaiman plans to introduce Angela to the Marvel U.
^"BOOKS: Stardust: Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess".Valdosta Daily Times. 27 June 2020. Retrieved27 November 2020.However, Gaiman initially wrote "Stardust" for Vertigo Comics as a novel illustrated by comics legend Charles Vess. Vertigo published the earliest edition filled with Vess' gorgeous colour and black-and-white illustrations. Some subsequent editions have only contained Gaiman's words without Vess' illustrations.
^Bleiler, Richard (2011). "Raised by the Dead: The Maturational Gothic of Neil Gaiman's _The Graveyard Book_". In Olson, Danel (ed.).21st Century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000 (1st ed.). Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. pp. 269–278.ISBN9780810877283.
^Olson, Danel, ed. (2011).21st Century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000 (1st ed.). Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press.ISBN9780810877283.
^Gaiman, Neil (19 November 2008)."Beyone Tea". Neil Gaiman's Journal. Archived fromthe original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved27 November 2008.
^See Judge Shabaz's ruling for the legal reasoning: "As a co-owner, McFarlane was not violating the Copyright Act by unilaterally publishing the jointly owned work, but, as in any other case of conversion or misappropriation, he would have to account to the other joint owner for the latter's share of the profits."
^See Judge Shabaz'srulingArchived 5 December 2008 at theWayback Machine: "A tentative agreement was reached that... Gaiman would exchange his rights in Medieval Spawn and Cogliostro for McFarlane's rights in another comic book character, Miracleman."
^Judge Shabaz,Official rulingArchived 5 December 2008 at theWayback Machine, as per "Schiller & Schmidt, Inc. v. Nordisco Corp., 969 F.2d 410, 413 (7th Cir. 1992)"
^Bleiler, Richard (2011). "Raised by the Dead: The Maturational Gothic of Neil Gaiman's _The Graveyard Book_". In Olson, Danel (ed.).21st Century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000 (1st ed.). Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. pp. 269–278.ISBN9780810877283.
^Olson, Danel (2014). "Casket Letters: The Essential Comics of Horror, Gothic, and the Weird for 2014".The Weird Fiction Review.5:285–291.
^The source for this and all 1988 awards is from"Previous Winners: 1988".Eagle Awards. Archived fromthe original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved22 September 2018.
^abMCH (September 1990). "Arkham Leads British Awards". Newswatch.The Comics Journal. No. 137. p. 17.
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