Gene Wolfe
author profile
born
May 07, 1931
gender
male
place of birth
New York, New York, The United States
genre
Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
about this author
Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying a Catholic. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the field.
While attending Texas A&M University Wolfe published his first speculative fiction in The Commentator, a student literary journal. Wolfe dropped out during his junior year, and was drafted to fight in the Korean War. After returning to the United States he earned a degree from the University of Houston and became an industrial engineer. He edited the journal Plant Engineering for many years before retiring to write full-time, but his mos...more
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avg rating: 4.04
| 11,001 ratings
| 1,019 reviews
| 75 distinct works
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61 fans
More books by Gene Wolfe…
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Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun, #1-2) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.25 — 1,191 ratings — published 1994 2 editions |
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Sword & Citadel (The Book of the New Sun, #3-4) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.42 — 899 ratings — published 1994 3 editions |
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The Knight (The Wizard Knight, Book 1) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 3.74 — 553 ratings — published 2005 10 editions |
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The Shadow of the Torturer (The Book of the New Sun, #1) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.08 — 498 ratings — published 1980 12 editions |
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The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe avg rating 3.96 — 430 ratings — published 1987 6 editions |
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The Wizard (The Wizard Knight, Book 2) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 3.90 — 381 ratings — published 2004 9 editions |
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Litany of the Long Sun (The Book of the Long Sun, #1-2) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.20 — 309 ratings — published 1994 2 editions |
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The Claw of the Conciliator (The Book of the New Sun, #2) by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.23 — 266 ratings — published 1980 11 editions |
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Latro in the Mist by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.18 — 267 ratings — published 2003 |
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The Fifth Head of Cerberus: Three Novellas by Gene Wolfe avg rating 4.15 — 267 ratings — published 1972 13 editions |
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"My definition of good literature is that which can be read by an educated reader, and reread with increased pleasure."
— Gene Wolfe
— Gene Wolfe
tags:
literature
20 people liked it
"We believe that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges. When soldiers take their oath they are given a coin, an asimi stamped with the profile of the Autarch. Their acceptance of that coin is their acceptance of the special duties and burdens of military life--they are soldiers from that moment, though they may know nothing of the management of arms. I did not know that then, but it is a profound mistake to believe that we must know of such things to be influenced by them, and in fact to believe so is to believe in the most debased and superstitious kind of magic. The would-be sorcerer alone has faith in the efficacy of pure knowledge; rational people know that things act of themselves or not at all.
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— Gene Wolfe (Shadow & Claw)
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— Gene Wolfe (Shadow & Claw)
"Year followed struggling year for me, and all that time I read--I suppose few have ever read so. I began, as most young people do, by reading the books I enjoyed. But I found that narrowed my pleasure..."
— Gene Wolfe (Shadow & Claw)
— Gene Wolfe (Shadow & Claw)
topics mentioning this author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SciFi and Fantasy...: February Theme: Historically inspired fantasy ! | 75 | 278 | Jan 13, 2009 07:13AM | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: Recommendations? | 12 | 53 | Feb 23, 2009 04:59PM | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: Nomination Thread for June Fantasy Theme Pick - Sci-Fantasy | 71 | 407 | Apr 22, 2009 03:37PM | |
| Beyond Reality: Didn't read our Books of the Month? | 19 | 89 | May 02, 2009 11:35AM | |
| Fantasy Book Club: * Overall Impressions (no spoilers please) | 39 | 166 | Aug 21, 2009 12:56PM | |
| The Next Best Boo...: Author Alphabet | 2938 | 1882 | Aug 28, 2009 06:59AM | |
| 50 Books A Year: Evan's 50 for 2009 | 42 | 243 | Sep 08, 2009 11:24AM |
