American writer Jack Vance is famous far beyond the borders of his homeland. His works have been read to the bone by more than one generation of science fiction lovers. Vance's books have won numerous literary awards. During his lifetime, the writer was called the patriarch of American science fiction.
Biography: early years
Jack Vance (real name - John Holbrook) was born on August 28, 1916 in San Francisco. Soon after his birth, his parents divorced. Jack was raised by his grandfather. He took his grandson to his ranch located near the San Joaquin Valley in Northern California.
During his school years, Jack enthusiastically read adventure fiction. Even then, he dreamed of writing his book in this genre.
Vance graduated from school early. However, he was in no hurry to become a student. After school, Jack went to work and before entering the university managed to try on the role of a messenger, builder and handyman on a ship that caught oysters.
In 1936 he entered the University of Berkeley. After graduation, Vance joined the army. At that time, the Second World War had already begun. Vance served as a sailor in the merchant marine. Then he began to write the first stories.
Career
Jack Vance began to try his hand at writing immediately after the end of the war. Those years were marked by the so-called renaissance in American literature, it was a time of daring experiments. Vance hit the jet well. His story "The Creator of Worlds" was first published in the 1945 edition of "Fascinating Miracle Stories".
Five years later, the novel "Dying Earth" was published, which included stories written during the war. The book then was not noticed by either critics or readers. Success came to her only a year later. It is now considered a science fiction classic.
Success came to Vance in the early 60s. Thus, his short story "The Masters of the Dragons" was awarded the "Hugo" Prize. Soon the story "The Last Castle" received two awards at once - "Hugo" and "Nebula".
Vance's works had originality, vivid characters and an active storyline. This set his books apart from many other science fiction authors. His cycles "Adventure Planet", "Lioness" and "Demon Princes" were very popular.
We can safely say that Vance made a significant contribution to the development of science fiction. In 1996, his talent was awarded the title "Grandmaster".
Vance's last book was the novel Lurulu, which he wrote in 2009. At the same time, his memoirs "It's me, Jack Vance!" Were published. He also received the Hugo Award for them.
Personal life
Jack Vance was married. In 1946 he became the official husband of Norma Genevieve Ingold. In the 50s, the couple spent a lot of time traveling around Europe. At home, the family lived in Oakland, a fairly large California city. Jack Vance has no children.
In 1980, the writer went completely blind. However, he continued to work on the books using a special program.
In March 2008, his wife died. Five years later, Jack Vance himself was gone. He was 96 years old. Before his death, he was ill for a long time.
