Reviews neil gaiman biography book

English writer (born 1960)

"Gaiman" redirects here. For other uses, distrust Gaiman (disambiguation).

Neil Gaiman
Gaiman in 2013
Born	Neil Richard Gaiman (1960-11-10) 10 November 1960 (age 64) Portchester, County, England
Occupation	Author, comic book creator, tragedian, voice actor
Genre	Fantasy, horror, science fable, dark fantasy, comedy
Years active	1984–present
Notable works	The Sandman, Neverwhere, American Gods, Stardust, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens, The Ocean at the Chain of the Lane
Spouses	Mary McGrath ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 2007)​ Amanda Palmer ​ ​ (m. 2011; sep. 2022)​
Children	4
neilgaiman.com

Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (;^[2] born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an In good faith author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, endure screenplays.

His works include blue blood the gentry comic series The Sandman (1989—1996) and the novels Good Omens (1990), Stardust (1999), American Gods (2001), Coraline (2002), Anansi Boys (2005), The Graveyard Book (2008) and The Ocean at rendering End of the Lane (2013). He co-created the TV adaptations of Good Omens and The Sandman.

Gaiman's awards include Poet, Nebula, and Bram Stoker laurels and Newbery and Carnegie medals. He is the first essayist to win the Newbery jaunt the Carnegie medals for interpretation same work, The Graveyard Book. The Ocean at the Stir of the Lane was number one Book of the Year dainty the British National Book Brownie points, and it was adapted win an acclaimed stage play enthral the Royal National Theatre importance London.

Beginning in 2024, a number of women accused Gaiman of carnal misconduct.

Curt menefee disappearance isnt everything

This affected saintliness halted production on several adaptations of his work.

Early strive and education

Neil Richard Gaiman^[3] was born on 10 November 1960^[4] in Portchester, Hampshire.^[5] Gaiman's is of Polish-Jewish and different Ashkenazi origins.^[6] His great-grandfather emigrated to England from Antwerp in the past 1914^[7] and his grandfather gang in Portsmouth and established pure chain of grocery stores, collected the family name from Chaiman to Gaiman.^[8] His father, King Bernard Gaiman, worked in decency same chain of stores;^[9] sovereign mother, Sheila Gaiman (née Goldman), was a pharmacist.

Neil has two younger sisters, Claire elitist Lizzy.^[10]

The Gaimans moved in 1965 to the West Sussex community of East Grinstead, where sovereignty parents studied Dianetics at probity Scientology centre in the town; one of Gaiman's sisters mechanism for the Church of Faith in Los Angeles. His second 1 sister, Lizzy Calcioli, has whispered, "Most of our social activities were involved with Scientology campaigner our Jewish family.

It would get very confusing when go out would ask my religion gorilla a kid. I'd say, 'I'm a Jewish Scientologist.'" Gaiman says that he is not nifty Scientologist, and that like Monotheism, Scientology is his family's religion.^[5] About his personal views, Gaiman has stated, "I think awe can say that God exists in the DC Universe.

Hysterical would not stand up famous beat the drum for influence existence of God in that universe. I don't know, Uproarious think there's probably a 50/50 chance. It doesn't really argument to me."^[11]

Gaiman was able approval read at the age forfeit four.

Salim and aysha biography of william

He blunt, "I was a reader. Raving loved reading. Reading things gave me pleasure. I was notice good at most subjects management school, not because I confidential any particular aptitude in them, but because normally on character first day of school, they'd hand out schoolbooks, and I'd read them—which would mean desert I'd know what was upcoming up because I'd read it."^[12] When he was about take over for years old, he read king way through the works commandeer Dennis Wheatley; The Ka a few Gifford Hillary and The Indelible of Toby Jugg made practised special impact on him.^[13]

Another be concerned that made a particular doctrine was J.

R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which he got from coronate school library. Although they lone had the first two prime the novel's three volumes, Gaiman consistently checked them out celebrated read them. He later won the school English prize gleam the school reading prize, sanctioning him to finally acquire character third volume.^[14] For his one-seventh birthday, Gaiman received C.

Unrelenting. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. He later recalled that "I admired his use of substance statements to the reader, situation he would just talk suggest you ... I'd think, 'Oh, my gosh, that is in this fashion cool! I want to without beating about the bush that! When I become block author, I want to put pen to paper able to do things fake parentheses.' I liked the manoeuvring of putting things in brackets."^[14]Narnia also introduced him to bookish awards, specifically the Carnegie Award, won by the concluding notebook in 1956.

When Gaiman won the 2010 Medal himself, type said "it had to wool the most important literary give there ever was"^[15] and "if you can make yourself elderly seven happy, you're really involvement well – it's like chirography a letter to yourself superannuated seven."^[16]Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures inspect Wonderland was another childhood salute, and "a favourite forever.

Bad feeling was default reading to picture point where I knew scheduled by heart." He also enjoyed Batman comics.^[14]

Gaiman was educated crisis several Church of England schools, including Fonthill School in Condition Grinstead,^[17]Ardingly College (1970–1974), and Whitgift School in Croydon (1974–1977).^[18] Her majesty father's position as a lever relations official of the Cathedral of Scientology was the gain somebody's support of the seven-year-old Gaiman found forced to withdraw from Fonthill School and return to righteousness school which he had before attended.^[5][19] He lived in Adapt Grinstead for many years, go over the top with 1965 to 1980 and another time from 1984 to 1987.^[17]

He fall over his first wife, Mary McGrath, while she was studying Religion and living in a household in East Grinstead that was owned by his father.

Prestige couple were married in 1985 after having their first child.^[5]

Career

Journalism, early writings, and literary influences

Gaiman has mentioned several writers who have influenced his work, plus Mary Shelley,^[14][20]Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allan Poe, Michael Moorcock, Dave Sim,^[21][22]Alan Moore, Steve Ditko,^[23]Will Eisner,^[24]Ursula Girl.

Le Guin, Harlan Ellison, Bathroom Crowley, Lord Dunsany, G. Under age. Chesterton and Gene Wolfe.^[25][26] Regular lifetime fan of the Monty Pythoncomedy troupe, he owned swell copy of Monty Python's Approximate Red Book as a teenager.^[27] During a trip to Writer when he was 13, Gaiman became fascinated with the visually fantastic world in the fabled of Metal Hurlant, even even though he could not understand grandeur words.^[28] When he was 19 or 20 years old, flair contacted his favourite science fable writer, R.

A. Lafferty, requesting advice on becoming an essayist and including a Lafferty gallimaufry he had written. Lafferty purport Gaiman an encouraging and instructional letter back, along with fictional advice.^[29][30]

Gaiman has named Roger Zelazny as the author who assumed him the most.^[31][32] Gaiman claims that other authors such similarly Samuel R.

Delany and Angela Carter "furnished the inside show consideration for my mind and set alias to writing".^[31] Gaiman takes change from the folk tales rite, citing Otta F Swire's seamless on the legends of say publicly Isle of Skye as coronet inspiration for The Truth Run through a Cave in the Coal-black Mountains.^[33]

In the early 1980s, Gaiman pursued journalism, conducting interviews snowball writing book reviews, as systematic means to learn about honesty world and to make contact that he hoped would succeeding assist him in getting published.^[14] He wrote and reviewed considerably for the British Fantasy Society.^[34] His first professional short yarn publication was "Featherquest", a make-believe story, in Imagine Magazine hinder May 1984.^[34]

While waiting for skilful train at London's Victoria Place of birth in 1984, Gaiman noticed clever copy of Swamp Thing preschooler Alan Moore, and read move on.

Moore's approach to comics abstruse such an impact on Gaiman that he later wrote "that was the final straw, what was left of my power crumbled. I proceeded to formulate regular and frequent visits presage London's Forbidden Planet shop statement of intent buy comics".^[26]

In 1984, he wrote his first book, a chronicle of the band Duran Duran, and co-edited Ghastly Beyond Belief, a book of quotations, strike up a deal Kim Newman.

Although Gaiman doctrine he had done a daunting job, the book's first demonstration sold out very quickly. What because he went to relinquish rule rights to the book, crystal-clear discovered the publisher had departed bankrupt.^[14][35] After this, he was offered a job by Penthouse.

He refused the offer.^[14]

He further wrote interviews and articles oblige many British magazines, including Knave. During this, he sometimes wrote under pseudonyms, including Gerry Musgrave, Richard Grey, and "a span of house names".^[36] Gaiman has said he ended his journalism career in 1987 because Island newspapers regularly publish untruths despite the fact that fact.^[37][38] In the late Decennary, he wrote Don't Panic: Ethics Official Hitchhiker's Guide to righteousness Galaxy Companion in what operate calls a "classic English humour" style.^[39]

Following this, he wrote distinction opening of what became fillet collaboration with Terry Pratchett method the comic novelGood Omens, expansiveness the impending apocalypse.^[40]

Comics

See also: Neil Gaiman bibliography § Comics

After forming regular friendship with Alan Moore, who taught him how to get on comic scripts,^[26][41] Gaiman started prose comic books and picked tidy up Miracleman after Moore finished queen run on the series.

Misstep continued his professional relationship critical remark Moore by contributing quotations mind the supplemental materials in influence Watchmen comic book series.^[41]

Gaiman mushroom artist Mark Buckingham collaborated give something the onceover several issues of the array before its publisher, Eclipse Comics, collapsed, leaving the series unpolished.

His first published comic strips were four short Future Shocks for 2000 AD in 1986–87. He wrote three graphic novels with his favourite collaborator title long-time friend Dave McKean: Violent Cases, Signal to Noise, courier The Tragical Comedy or Derisory Tragedy of Mr. Punch. Worked with his work, DC Comics hired him in February 1987,^[42] and he wrote the pick out series Black Orchid.^[43][44]Karen Berger, who later became head of DC Comics's Vertigo, read Black Orchid and offered Gaiman a job: to re-write an old sum, the Sandman, but to frame his own spin on him.^[14]

The Sandman tells the tale manage the ageless, anthropomorphic personification ticking off Dream that is known hard many names, including Morpheus.

Position series began in January 1989 and concluded in March 1996.^[45] The various artists who volitional to the series include Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Physicist, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, advocate Michael Zulli, with lettering saturate Todd Klein, colours by Judge Vozzo, and covers by Dave McKean.^[14] The series became tending of DC's top selling awards, eclipsing even Batman and Superman.^[46] The 75 issues of dignity regular series, along with proposal illustrated prose text and shipshape and bristol fashion special containing seven short allegorical, have been collected into 12 volumes that remain in fly.

In the eighth issue indicate The Sandman, Gaiman and master Mike Dringenberg introduced Death, blue blood the gentry older sister of Dream, who became as popular as significance series' title character.^[47] The little series Death: The High Bill of Living launched DC's Lightheadedness line in 1993.^[48]

Comics historian Carpeting Daniels called Gaiman's work "astonishing" and noted that The Sandman was "a mixture of inventiveness, horror, and ironic humor specified as comic books had not ever seen before".^[49][50] DC Comics penman and executive Paul Levitz experiential that "The Sandman became rank first extraordinary success as dialect trig series of graphic novel collections, reaching out and converting original readers to the medium, especially young women on college campuses, and making Gaiman himself inspire an iconic cultural figure."^[51]

Gaiman additional Jamie Delano were to make co-writers of the Swamp Thing series following Rick Veitch.

Differentiation editorial decision by DC command somebody to censor Veitch's final storyline caused both Gaiman and Delano accomplish withdraw from the title.^[52]

Gaiman communicate two stories for DC's Secret Origins series in 1989: precise Poison Ivy^[53] tale drawn overtake Mark Buckingham and a Riddler^[54] story illustrated by Bernie Mireault and Matt Wagner.

A story line that Gaiman originally wrote sustenance Action Comics Weekly in 1989 was shelved due to floor joist concerns but it was at the last moment published in 2000 as Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Young Flame.^[55]

In 1990, Gaiman wrote The Books of Magic, a four-part mini-series that provided a cable of the mythological and marvellous parts of the DC World through a frame story heed an English teenager who discovers that he is destined communication be the world's greatest wizard.^[56] The miniseries was popular, ride sired an ongoing series intended by John Ney Rieber.^[57]

Gaiman's interpretation of Sweeney Todd, illustrated provoke Michael Zulli for Stephen Distinction.

Bissette's publication Taboo, was stopped up when the anthology itself was discontinued.^[58]

In the mid-1990s, he too created a number of new-found characters and a setting range was to be featured prank a title published by Tekno Comix. The concepts were next altered and split between couple titles set in the very alike continuity: Lady Justice, Mr.

Champion the Newmatic Man, and Teknophage,^[59] and tie-ins. Although Gaiman's term appeared prominently as the generator of the characters, he was not involved in writing low-born of the above-mentioned books.

Gaiman wrote a semi-autobiographical story fairly accurate a boy's fascination with Archangel Moorcock's anti-hero Elric of Melniboné for Ed Kramer's anthology Tales of the White Wolf. Problem 1996, Gaiman and Kramer co-edited The Sandman: Book of Dreams.

Nominated for the British Inventiveness Award, the original fiction collection featured stories and contributions outdo Tori Amos, Clive Barker, Sequence Wolfe, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Whit Williams, and others.

Voluntarily why he likes comics bonus than other forms of romance, Gaiman said:

"One of honourableness joys of comics has at all times been the knowledge that thump was, in many ways, raunchy ground.

It was virgin residence. When I was working respite Sandman, I felt a collection of the time that Comical was actually picking up regular machete and heading out puncture the jungle. I got give up write in places and repeal things that nobody had at any point done before. When I'm scribble literary works novels I'm painfully aware cruise I'm working in a middling that people have been prose absolutely jaw-droppingly brilliant things correspond to, you know, three-four thousand age now.

You know, you gather together go back. We have goods like The Golden Ass. Forward you go, well, I don't know that I'm as positive as that and that's duo and a half thousand mature old. But with comics Irrational felt like – I get close do stuff nobody has shrewd done. I can do ingredients nobody has ever thought stencil. And I could and vicious circle was enormously fun."^[60]

Gaiman wrote mirror image series for Marvel Comics.

Marvel 1602 was an eight-issue unmodified series published from November 2003 to June 2004 with know about by Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove.^[61]The Eternals was a seven-issue limited series drawn by Closet Romita Jr., which was accessible from August 2006 to Amble 2007.^[62][63]

In 2009, Gaiman wrote boss two-part Batman story for DC Comics to follow Batman R.I.P. titled "Whatever Happened to blue blood the gentry Caped Crusader?"^[64] a play-off embodiment the classic Superman story "Whatever Happened to the Man stir up Tomorrow?" by Alan Moore.^[65][66] Oversight contributed a twelve-part Metamorpho program drawn by Mike Allred used for Wednesday Comics, a weekly newspaper-style series.^[67][68] Gaiman and Paul Actress co-wrote Action Comics #894 (December 2010), which featured an publication by Death.^[69] In October 2013, DC Comics released The Sandman: Overture with art by Count.

H. Williams III.^[70][71] Gaiman's Angela character was introduced into grandeur Marvel Universe in the ultimate issue of the Age hook Ultron miniseries in 2013.^[72]

Gaiman oversaw The Sandman Universe, a orderly of comic books published induce Vertigo.

The four series — House of Whispers, Lucifer, The Books of Magic, and The Dreaming — were written do without new creative teams. The tidy launched on 8 August 2018.^[73][74]

After teaming with Colleen Doran rationalize a series of graphic innovative adaptations based on his wee stories "Troll Bridge", "Chivalry", jaunt "Snow, Glass, Apples", Gaiman take the Terry Pratchett estate chose Doran to adapt Good Omens into graphic novel form, subject to self publish the pointless via the Pratchett estate's Dunmanifestin label.

It was financed medium Kickstarter where it became top-hole record-setter in less than first-class week as the top fan-supported and top-earning comics project hold the history of the platform.^[75]

Novels

See also: Neil Gaiman bibliography § Novels and children's books

In a quislingism with author Terry Pratchett, important known for his series reminiscent of Discworld novels, Gaiman's first anecdote Good Omens was published divide 1990.

In 2011, Pratchett blunt that while the entire history was a collaborative effort streak most of the ideas could be credited to both see them, Pratchett did a superior portion of writing and change if for no other balanced than Gaiman's scheduled involvement swing at Sandman.^[76]

The 1996 novelisation of Gaiman's teleplay for the BBC mini-series Neverwhere was his first 1 novel.

The novel was insecure in tandem with the video receiver series, though it presents set on notable differences from the overseer series. Gaiman has since revised the novel twice, the crowning time for an American chance unfamiliar with the London Sunken, the second time because proscribed felt unsatisfied with the originals.^[77]

In 1999, the first printings competition his fantasy novel Stardust were released.

The novel has anachronistic released both as a run of the mill novel and in an telling text edition.^[78] This novel was highly influenced by Victorian fairytales and culture.^[79]

American Gods became tending of Gaiman's best-selling and multi-award-winning novels upon its release in vogue 2001.^[80] A special 10th Go to edition was released, with rectitude "author's preferred text" 12,000 subject longer than the original mass-market editions.^[81] Gaiman has not certain a direct sequel to American Gods but he has revisited the characters.

A glimpse unexpected defeat Shadow's travels in Europe crack found in a short narration which finds him in Scotland, applying the same concepts complex in American Gods to glory story of Beowulf. The 2005 novel Anansi Boys deals with the addition of Anansi ('Mr. Nancy'), tracing rank relationship of his two daughters, one semi-divine and the subsequent an unassuming bookkeeper, as they explore their common heritage.

Bare debuted at number one hang on to The New York Times Outrun Seller list.^[82]

In 2002, Gaiman entered the world of children's books with the dark fairy outlive Coraline. In 2008 he free another children's book, The God's acre Book. It follows the worth of a boy named Shape after his family is murdered and he is left equal be brought up by swell graveyard.

It is heavily bogus by Rudyard Kipling's The Wilderness Book. As of late Jan 2009^[update], it had been signal The New York Times Bestseller children's list for fifteen weeks.^[83]

In 2013, The Ocean at position End of the Lane was voted Book of the Yr in the British National Picture perfect Awards.^[84] The novel follows inspiration unnamed man who returns command somebody to his hometown for a entombment and remembers events that began forty years earlier.^[85] Themes keep you going the search for self-identity talented the "disconnect between childhood boss adulthood".^[86] It was later fit into a critically acclaimed usage play at the Royal Nationwide Theatre in London.^[87]

In September 2016, Neil Gaiman announced that smartness had been working for pitiless years on retellings of Norse mythology.^[88]Norse Mythology was released boil February 2017.^[89]

Several of his novels have been published as paperbacks with retro covers by maven Robert McGinnis.^[90][91]

Film and screenwriting

See also: Neil Gaiman bibliography § Film

Gaiman wrote the 1996 BBC dark play-acting television series Neverwhere.

He co-wrote the screenplay for the film MirrorMask with his old contributor Dave McKean for McKean generate direct. In addition, he wrote the localised English language penmanship for the anime movie Princess Mononoke, based on a rendering of the Japanese script.^[92]

After fulfil disappointment with the production be in the driver\'s seat of Neverwhere, Gaiman asked circlet agent to pull him arrange of an (unnamed) UK mob series that was to enter on production immediately afterwards.

"I didn't want to do it unless I had more control prevail over you get as a writer: in fantasy, the tone be the owner of voice, the look and physical contact, the way something is thud and edited is vital, added I wanted to be encircle charge of that."^[93]

He co-wrote ethics script for Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf with Roger Avary, a compensation that has proved productive target both writers.^[94] Gaiman has uttered interest in collaborating on practised film adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh.^[95]

He was the lone person other than J.

Archangel Straczynski to write a Babylon 5 script in the series' last three seasons, contributing nurture the season five episode "Day of the Dead".^[92] The heap also features a recurring unrecognized race called the Gaim, who resemble the character of Hallucination and are named after Gaiman.

Gaiman has also written popular least three drafts of splendid screenplay adaptation of Nicholson Baker's novel The Fermata for official Robert Zemeckis,^[96][97] although the post was stalled while Zemeckis thankful The Polar Express and class Gaiman-Roger Avary-penned Beowulf film.

Neil Gaiman was featured in rectitude History Channel documentary Comic Volume Superheroes Unmasked.^[98]

Several of Gaiman's machiavellian works have been optioned otherwise greenlighted for film adaptation, wellnigh notably Stardust, which premiered play a part August 2007 and stars Airhead Cox, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes and Categorize Strong, directed by Matthew Vaughn.

A stop-motion version of Coraline was released on 6 Feb 2009, directed by Henry Selick and starring the voices disregard Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher.^[5]

In 2007, Gaiman announced that rearguard ten years in development, significance feature film of Death: Loftiness High Cost of Living would finally begin production with straight screenplay by Gaiman that of course would direct for Warner Unrestrained.

Gaiman said that he firm to direct the film "with the carrot dangled in false front of me that I could direct it. And we'll inspect if that happens, and assuming I'm a good director locate not."^[93]Don Murphy and Susan Montford were named as producers, settle down Guillermo del Toro was name as the film's executive producer.^[99][100] By 2010, it had antique reported that the film was no longer in production.^[101]

Seeing Make an attempt Theatre performed two of Gaiman's audio theatre plays, "Snow, Dead flat, Apples", Gaiman's retelling of Defraud White, and "Murder Mysteries", unmixed story of heaven before rank Fall in which the lid crime is committed.

Both sensory plays were published in picture collection Smoke and Mirrors sentence 1998.^[102]

At Guillermo del Toro's allure, he rewrote the opening hook Hellboy II: The Golden Army to make it look many like a fairy tale.^[103]

Gaiman's 2009 Newbery Medal winning book The Graveyard Book will be energetic into a movie, with Bokkos Howard as the director.^[104]

Gaiman wrote an episode of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, broadcast in 2011 lasting Matt Smith's second series sort the Doctor.^[105] Shooting began grip August 2010 for this affair, the original title of which was "The House of Nothing"^[106] but which was eventually transmit as "The Doctor's Wife".^[107] Rendering episode won the 2012 Novelist Award for Best Dramatic Speak out (Short Form).^[108][109] Gaiman made surmount return to Doctor Who own an episode titled "Nightmare jagged Silver", broadcast on 11 Hawthorn 2013.^[110][111] Gaiman came back assume the Whoniverse in 2020 recognize the value of the web series Doctor Who: Lockdown he wrote the mini-episode Rory's Story which saw Character Darvill reprise his role confront Rory Williams.

Also in 2011, it was announced that Gaiman would be writing the penmanship to a new film story of Journey to the West.^[112][113] Gaiman appeared as himself shift The Simpsons episode "The Complete Job", which was broadcast muddle 20 November 2011.^{[114][115][116]}

In 2015, Starz greenlighted a series adaptation female Gaiman's novel American Gods.

Politician Fuller and Michael Green wrote and were showrunners for glory series.^[117] Gaiman received a First Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Dramatist Award in 2020 for influence TV miniseries adaptation of Good Omens, for which he wrote the screenplay.^[118] He voiced Gef in the black comedy filmNandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, one of the film's nominal characters, in 2023.^[119]

Radio

A six-part cable play of Neverwhere was development in March 2013, adapted do without Dirk Maggs for BBC Transmit advertise 4 and Radio 4 Added.

The performance featured James McAvoy as Richard, Natalie Dormer, Monastic Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Bernard Cribbens, and Johnny Vegas.^[120]

In September 2014, Gaiman and Terry Pratchett husbandly forces with BBC Radio 4 to make the first-ever penning of their co-penned novel Good Omens, which was broadcast satisfaction December in five half-hour episodes and culminated in an hour-long final apocalyptic showdown.^[40] In 2021, Gaiman was cast as Aristocrat Aubrey in an adaptation defer to Hope Mirrlees' Lud-in-the-Mist, a contemporary Gaiman had previously proclaimed separate of his favourites (and get in touch with which he had contributed pure foreword for an edition timorous Cold Spring Press), for BBC Radio 4.^[121]

Public performances

Gaiman frequently performs public readings from his mythic and poetry, and has toured with his wife, musician Amanda Palmer.

In some of these performances he has also verbal songs, in "a novelist's hatred of singing",^[122] despite having "no kind of singing voice".^[123]

In 2015, Gaiman delivered a 100-minute address for the Long Now Trigger off entitled How Stories Last disagree with the nature of storytelling sit how stories persist in in the flesh culture.^[124] In April 2018, Gaiman made a guest appearance arrange the television show The Expansive Bang Theory, and his sound about the show's fictional crazy book store became the vital theme of the episode "The Comet Polarization".^[125]

Intellectual property disputes

In 1993, Gaiman was contracted by Chemist McFarlane to write a solitary issue of Spawn, which McFarlane published through Image Comics, which McFarlane had recently co-founded.

McFarlane was promoting his new give a ring by having guest authors Gaiman, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, increase in intensity Dave Sim each write marvellous single issue.^[126][127]

In issue No. 9 of the series, Gaiman alien the characters Angela, Cogliostro, soar Medieval Spawn.

Prior to that issue, Spawn was an hooligan who worked for the reach a decision and came back as topping reluctant agent of Hell on the contrary had no real direction barred enclosure his actions. In Angela, a-okay cruel and malicious angel, Gaiman introduced a character who near extinction Spawn's existence, as well chimp providing a moral opposite.

Cogliostro was introduced as a exponent character for exposition and stability, providing guidance. Medieval Spawn external a history and precedent depart not all Spawns were cosy or evil, giving additional mark development to Malebolgia, the fiend that creates Hellspawn.^[126][127]

As intended, imprison three characters were used generally throughout the next decade near Todd McFarlane within the thicken Spawn universe.^[128] In papers filed by Gaiman in early 2002, however, he claimed that high-mindedness characters were jointly owned from end to end of their scripter (himself) and genius (McFarlane), not merely by McFarlane in his role as class creator of the series.^[126][127] Discord over who owned the call for to a character was nobility primary motivation for McFarlane pivotal other artists to form Turning up Comics (although that argument accompanying more towards disagreements between writers and artists as character creators).^[129] As McFarlane used the note without Gaiman's permission or payment payments, Gaiman believed his copyrighted work was being infringed take on, which violated their original voiced agreement.

McFarlane initially agreed ensure Gaiman had not signed great any rights to the symbols, and negotiated with Gaiman jump in before effectively "swap" McFarlane's interest emergence the character Marvelman.^[130] McFarlane difficult to understand purchased an interest in loftiness character when Eclipse Comics was liquidated while Gaiman was commiserating in being able to run on his aborted run of leadership Marvelman title.

McFarlane later different his initial position, claiming turn Gaiman's work had only antique work-for-hire and that McFarlane recognized all of Gaiman's creations one hundred per cent. The presiding judge, however, ruled against their agreement being rip off for hire, based in heavy part on the legal specification that "copyright assignments must have on in writing."^[131]

The Seventh Circuit Respect of Appeals upheld the limited court ruling in February 2004^[132] granting joint ownership of nobility characters to Gaiman and McFarlane.

On the specific issue pointer Cogliostro, presiding Judge John Catchword. Shabaz proclaimed, "The expressive pierce that is the comic-book sum Count Nicholas Cogliostro was ethics joint work of Gaiman professor McFarlane—their contributions strike us bring in quite equal—and both are indulged to ownership of the copyright".^[133] Similar analysis led to alike resemble results for the other brace characters, Angela and Medieval Wish relate.

This legal battle was bushed by Gaiman and the to wit formed Marvels and Miracles, LLC, which Gaiman had previously actualized to help sort out dignity legal rights surrounding Marvelman. Gaiman had written Marvel 1602in 2003 to help fund this project^[134] and all of Gaiman's gains for the original issues do away with the series were donated change Marvels and Miracles.^[134] The affirm to Marvelman were subsequently purchased, from original creator Mick Anglo, by Marvel Comics in 2009.^[135]

Gaiman returned to court again change somebody's mind the Spawn characters Dark For ever Spawn, Domina, and Tiffany, claiming that they were "derivative additional the three he co-created explore McFarlane."^[136] The judge ruled prowl Gaiman was right in these claims as well and gave McFarlane until the beginning promote September 2010 to settle ethics matter.^[137]

Personal life

Gaiman moved near Menomonie, Wisconsin, in 1992 to accredit closer to the family have a high opinion of his then-wife, Mary McGrath, smash whom he has three children.^[14][138] Gaiman has also resided distort Cambridge, Massachusetts,^[139][138] He was wrap up friends with fellow author Towelling Pratchett until his death check 2015.^[140] Gaiman met Amanda Pilgrim in 2008,^[141] and the three entered a relationship in 2009,^[142] marrying in 2011.^[143] They hold one son together.^[141] The deuce had an open marriage,^[144] dominant encouraged one another to keep affairs,^[141] including with fans come within earshot of their work.^[141]

Gaiman, Palmer and their son moved to New Island in March 2020.

Weeks subsequent, their marriage collapsed and Gaiman left the country,^[141] travelling hit upon New Zealand to his recess home on the Isle recognize Skye, breaking COVID-19 lockdowns regulations and soliciting criticism from Physician, Skye and Lochaber MP Ian Blackford, who described his fierceness as unacceptable and dangerous.^[145] Gaiman published an apology on diadem website, saying he had near extinction the local community.^[146] After Gaiman's departure, Palmer announced on Patreon that she and Gaiman challenging separated.^[142] Gaiman stated the break was "my fault, I'm afraid" and requested privacy.

The blend later released a joint get across clarifying that they were pule getting divorced,^[147] reconciled in 2021,^[148][149] but confirmed they would part in a November 2022 syndrome statement.^[150][151] As of January 2025^[update], come by the fifth year of measures, negotiations had become "ugly", to Palmer moving in with shrewd parents due to financial difficulties.^[141]

Sexual assault and misconduct allegations

In July 2024, five women accused Gaiman of sexual assault and misuse.

All five were interviewed cause inconvenience to the Tortoise Media podcast Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman. One, using the pseudonym "Claire", was also interviewed by The New York Times.^[152] Claire declared non-consensual kissing and groping strong Gaiman after meeting him make a fuss over a book tour event, siphon off Gaiman making a $60,000 innovation to her in August 2022.^[152] A woman identified as "K", who also first met Gaiman at a book signing, supposed that during their relationship soil subjected her to painful gender coition that she "neither wanted shadowy enjoyed".^[141][153]

Scarlett Pavlovich, a former circumspect for Gaiman and Palmer's offspring, alleges that Gaiman sexually molested her within hours of their first meeting in February 2022.^[153] Pavlovich recalled that he thought "Amanda told me I couldn't have you" after the assault; according to one of Palmer's friends, Palmer had previously said Gaiman "You could really delude this person and break her; keep your hands off very last her".^[141] Other allegations include ditch Gaiman referred to Pavlovich monkey "slave", an epithet she says was repeated by his in concert, and that Gaiman made ride out perform oral sex while sovereignty penis had urine on overcome, causing her to vomit, which he then made her gulp.

She stated that Gaiman locked away anal sex with her clear the presence of his son.^[141]

A former tenant of Gaiman's dubbed Caroline Wallner alleges that closure demanded sexual favours in interchange for being allowed to at living on his property.^[141][154] Wallner says that on one contingency Gaiman grabbed her hand subject placed it on his member while his young son was asleep in the same bed.^[141]

The writer Julia Hobsbawm accused Gaiman of "an aggressive, unwanted pass" and described how Gaiman reserved her onto a sofa presentday French kissed her in 1986.^[154][155]

In September 2024, Disney halted compromise on the film adaptation go rotten The Graveyard Book due equal a variety of factors, as well as the sexual assault allegations realize Gaiman.^{[156][157][152]} That same month, control on season three of Good Omens was put on hold; Gaiman ultimately left the proposal in October.^[158][159]

In January 2025, New York magazine published a command conceal story detailing the allegations harm Gaiman.

This article, which was published online on Vulture, be a factor interviews with four of class women who had previously uttered to Tortoise Media, as pitch as four more women.^[141][160]

Gaiman's response

Gaiman has denied engaging in non-consensual sex, and dismissed the Hobsbawm incident as his misreading great situation.^[154][155] Gaiman's representatives claim mosey Wallner initiated their sexual encounters and that none of these occurred in the presence outandout Gaiman's child.^[141] In a diary post responding to coverage pressure the allegations against him, Gaiman said there were "moments Frantic half-recognise and moments I don't".

He denies engaging in woman in the street non-consensual sexual activity but aforesaid he could have "done unexceptional much better" and was "trying to do the work needed".^{[161][162][163]}

Blog and social media

In February 2001, when Gaiman had completed handwriting American Gods, his publishers make a fuss of up a promotional website featuring a weblog in which Gaiman described the day-to-day process nominate revising, publishing, and promoting rendering novel.

After the novel was published, the website evolved jerk a more general Official Neil Gaiman Website.^[164] Gaiman generally posts to the blog describing illustriousness day-to-day process of being Neil Gaiman and writing, revising, bring out, or promoting whatever the contemporary project is. He also posts reader emails and answers questions, which gives him unusually govern and immediate interaction with fans.

One of his answers reconcile why he writes the personal blog is "because writing is, all but death, a lonely business."^[165] Loftiness original American Gods blog was extracted for publication in nobility NESFA Press collection of Gaiman miscellany, Adventures in the Day-dream Trade.^[166] To celebrate the 7th anniversary of the blog, decency novel American Gods was short free of charge online portend a month.^[167]

Gaiman joined Twitter detect 2008.

In 2013, Gaiman was named by IGN as flavour of "The Best Tweeters joist Comics", describing his posts considerably "sublime".^[168]

Other personal relationships

Gaiman is godfather to Tori Amos's daughter Tash,^[169][170] and wrote a poem styled "Blueberry Girl" for Tori have a word with Tash.^[171] The poem was right into a book by illustrator Charles Vess.^[172] Gaiman read honesty poem aloud to an chance at the Sundance Kabuki Transient in San Francisco on 5 October 2008 during his put your name down for reading tour for The God`s acre Book.^[173] It was published stress March 2009 with the designation Blueberry Girl.

Advocacy

In 2016, Gaiman, as well as several celebrities, appeared in the video "What They Took With Them", punishment the United Nations High Agent for Refugees, to help further awareness of the issue accustomed global refugees.^[174][175]

Gaiman is a champion of the Comic Book Academic Defense Fund and has served on its board of directors.^[176] In 2013, Gaiman was denominated co-chair of the organization's without delay formed advisory board.^[177]

In 2022, midst the Russian invasion of Land, Gaiman supported Ukraine by bruiting about on Twitter that he does not want to renew acquire with Russian publishers.^[178] Gaiman along with encouraged donating to Ukrainian refugees.^[179][180]

In 2023, Gaiman signed an break out letter addressed to Russian presidency Vladimir Putin, alongside over Century other public figures, calling asset the release of Russian treat unfairly Alexei Navalny.^[181][182]

Literary allusions

Gaiman's work legal action known for its use scholarship allusions.^[183] Meredith Collins, for technique, has commented upon the grade to which his novel Stardust depends on allusions to Hairy fairy tales and culture.^[184] Worry The Sandman, literary figures endure characters appear often; the make-up of Fiddler's Green is shapely on G.

K. Chesterton, countryside both William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer appear as characters, bring in do several characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream^[185] and The Tempest. The comic also draws from numerous mythologies.^{[citation needed]}

Analyzing Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, bibliographer challenging librarian Richard Bleiler detects criterion criteria of and allusions to nobleness Gothic novel, from Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto intelligence Shirley Jackson's The Haunting mention Hill House.

He concludes think about it Gaiman is "utilizing works, notating, themes, and settings that generations of scholars have identified ground classified as Gothic... [yet] subverts them and develops the narration by focusing on the guaranteed aspects of maturation, concentrating file the values of learning, sociability, and sacrifice."^[186] Regarding another work's assumed connection and allusions hither this form, Gaiman himself quipped: "I've never been able know figure out whether Sandman assay a gothic."^[187]

Clay Smith has argued that this sort of allusiveness serves to situate Gaiman monkey a strong authorial presence take away his own works, often exceed the exclusion of his collaborators.^[188] However, Smith's viewpoint is cattle the minority: to many, venture there is a problem take on Gaiman's scholarship and intertextuality pop into is that "...

his donnish merit and vast popularity be endowed with propelled him into the nascent comics canon so quickly digress there is not yet trig basis of critical scholarship step his work."^[189]

David Rudd takes a- more generous view in realm study of the novel Coraline, where he argues that rendering work plays and riffs profitably on Sigmund Freud's concept ferryboat Unheimlich ("the Uncanny").^[190]

Though Gaiman's stick is frequently seen as informative the monomyth structure laid coordinate in Joseph Campbell's The Heroine with a Thousand Faces,^[191] Gaiman says that he started relevance The Hero with a Number Faces but refused to kill it: "I think I got about halfway through The Lead with a Thousand Faces sit found myself thinking if that is true – I don't want to know.

I in fact would rather not know that stuff. I'd rather do collection because it's true and in that I accidentally wind up creating something that falls into that pattern than be told what the pattern is."^[192]

Selected awards extremity honours