Stephen R. Lawhead

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Stephen R. Lawhead
Born (1950-07-02) July 2, 1950 (age 74)
Kearney, Nebraska, U.S.
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Education Kearney High School
Kearney State College (BA)
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wheaton College
Genres
Spouse
Alice Slaikeu
(m. 1972)
Children2
ParentsRobert Eugene Lawhead
Lois Rowena Bissell Lawhead
Website
www.stephenlawhead.com

Stephen R. Lawhead (born July 7, 1950) is an American writer [1] known for his works of fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, particularly Celtic historical fiction. He has written over 28 novels and numerous children's and non-fiction books.

Contents

Biography

He was born to Robert Eugene Lawhead and Lois Rowena Bissell Lawhead at Good Samaritan Hospital, Kearney, Nebraska. In 1968, Lawhead graduated from Kearney High School and entered Kearney State College as an Art major. In 1969, while at Kearney State College, he wrote a weekly humour column for the college newspaper and was a frequent contributor of poetry and short stories to The Shore Anthology and The Antler. He paid his way through college largely through playing lead guitar in a college rock band named Mother Rush. Lawhead met Alice Slaikeu in 1971, and married her in 1972. He graduated from Kearney State College in 1973 with BA in Art and then went on to enroll in Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. During this time Lawhead also enrolled in a number of writing courses at nearby Wheaton College. His professional writing career began with five busy years as an editor and staff writer for Campus Life magazine. [2] [3] In 1980, Lawhead became the manager of the successful Christian rock act DeGarmo and Key and formed his own record company, Ariel Records. [4] The demise of Ariel Records in 1981 prompted the beginning of Lawhead's fiction-writing career.

In 1981, Lawhead began to author novels, initially fantasy and science fiction, completing his first trilogy, the "Dragon King trilogy". In 1986, he moved to Oxford, England, to do research for The Pendragon Cycle, a reinterpretation of the legend of King Arthur in a Celtic setting combined with elements of Atlantis. Heavily rooted in the original Celtic source material which gave rise to the later and more familiar versions of the Arthurian legend, the series has received critical acclaim for its creative retelling of the Arthur legend and historical credibility. [5]

The first book in the series, Taliesin, won the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Gold Medallion Award for Fiction in 1988. [6] Lawhead's research for The Pendragon Cycle sparked an interest in Celtic history and culture, especially Celtic Christianity, topics which have featured prominently in his work ever since.

"The Song of Albion" trilogy prompted a return to England (Lawhead having left in 1987). This was a series of books set between the Celtic Otherworld and present-day Britain. In the 1990s, he published Byzantium , [7] a work of pure historical fiction, followed by "The Celtic Crusades" trilogy, set at the time of the Crusades, and then Avalon: The Return of King Arthur, a stand-alone related to the Pendragon Cycle .

In 2003, Lawhead published the novel Patrick: Son of Ireland, a fictionalized account of the early years of Saint Patrick. In 2006, he published Hood , the first book in the King Raven Trilogy – a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, transferred to Wales. [8] In 2008, the second book in the trilogy, Scarlet, won a Christy Award in the category of Visionary Fiction. [9]

In 2003, Lawhead received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. [10]

Lawhead and his wife reside in Oxford, UK. He has two sons, Ross Lawhead, and Drake Lawhead. [11]

Works

Adult fiction

Many of his books are in series following a common theme:

Dragon King trilogy:

Empyrion Saga:

The Pendragon Cycle:

  • Aurelia (prequel; forthcoming January 2025)
  1. Taliesin (1987)
  2. Merlin (1988)
  3. Arthur (1989)
  4. Pendragon (1994)
  5. Grail (1997)
  6. Avalon (1999; AKA Avalon: The Return of King Arthur)

Song of Albion:

The Celtic Crusades:

King Raven Trilogy:

Hero (With Ross Lawhead):

Bright Empires:

Eirlandia:

Stand-alone novels:

Children's fiction

The Brown Ears Books:

The Howard Books

The Riverbank Series

Non-fiction

Books contributed to

Lawhead has also contributed essays or chapters to several books. His essay "J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Middle-earth", which describes the impact J. R. R. Tolkien's writings had on him, is featured in the following titles:

Lawhead has contributed to one fictional compilation, writing a chapter in the serial mystery novel Carnage at Christhaven (1989 – ed. William Griffin).

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical fantasy</span> Genre of fiction

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The Pendragon Cycle is a series of historical fantasy books based on Arthurian legend, written by Stephen R. Lawhead. The cycle was originally planned as a four-book series, but the original publisher opted to stop after the first three books, resulting in an abrupt ending to Arthur and the existence of many unexplored stories and plotlines. The first three books were thus originally called "The Pendragon Trilogy". Lawhead moved to a new publisher a few years later. It was decided to expand on the trilogy by finishing the series, and two additional books were planned. These books, Pendragon and Grail, are set in between events covered in Arthur. Lawhead later wrote a final book Avalon, which is not considered to be a true addition to the cycle but rather a "related semi-sequel" to round out the "Once and Future King" aspect of the legend. The film and television rights to the series were purchased by DailyWire+ in November 2022.

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<i>King Raven Trilogy</i> Historical novels by Stephen R. Lawhead

The King Raven Trilogy is a series of historical novels by American writer Stephen R. Lawhead, based on the Robin Hood legend. Lawhead relocates Robin Hood from Sherwood Forest in Nottingham to Wales, and sets the story in the late eleventh century, after the Battle of Hastings and to coincide with the Norman invasion of Wales and the struggles the Cymry (Welsh) people against the Normans, and the political intrigue of medieval Britain. The trilogy consists of three books named Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck. The King Raven series continued his themes of reimagining popular mythology into more authentic and gritty settings, which began with his Pendragon Cycle.

Stories involving the mythical wizard Merlin have been popular since the Renaissance, especially with the renewed interest in the legend of King Arthur in modern times. As noted by Arthurian scholar Alan Lupack, "numerous novels, poems and plays center around Merlin. In American literature and popular culture, Merlin is perhaps the most frequently portrayed Arthurian character."

Excalibur is a three-part "Celtic rock opera" written and directed by Breton folk-rock musician Alan Simon, the first part of which premiered in 1998, and was released as an album in the following year under the French title Excalibur, La légende des Celtes. Its success in France led to two more albums and two novels. In 2009 a spectacular adaptation combining material from the first two albums was performed in Germany under the English title Excalibur: the Celtic Rock Opera, with great success. It was extended with material from the third album in 2011.

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References

  1. "Harry Potter Books". Los Angeles Times . 31 October 1999. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2011. ...bestselling author Stephen R Lawhead's Dragon King series...
  2. "God in the life of Stephen Lawhead". Diocese of Oxford. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. "The Author". Stephen R. Lawhead. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  4. "STEPHEN LAWHEAD, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND UNK ALUMNUS, IS WINTER COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER". University of Nebraska at Kearney. 2 December 2003. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. Bradley J. Birzer (30 August 2010). "The Conundrum of Stephen Lawhead". The Imaginative Conservative .
  6. "Christian Book Expo: 1988 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners". www.christianbookexpo.com. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  7. James, Marion (15 March 2009). "'Byzantium' by Steven R. Lawhead". Today's Zaman . Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  8. Sullivan, Jane (28 May 2010). "The truth about Robin Hood". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  9. "2001-2010 Christy Awards Winners & Finalists" (PDF). The Christy Awards. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  10. Sokpa, Kosi. "University of Nebraska's Presidential Search". nebraska.edu. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  11. "About". Stephen R Lawhead. Retrieved 19 May 2021.