George R.R. Martin

Born

in Bayonne, New Jersey, The United States

September 20, 1948

Website

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/

Twitter

GRRMspeaking

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror

Influences

J.R.R. Tolkien, Walter Scott, Robert E. Howard, Robert A. Heinlein, St ...more

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George Raymond Richard "R.R." Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: "The Hero," sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received George Raymond Richard "R.R." Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: "The Hero," sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.

As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.

In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.

Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.

Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george... ...more

2186 posts
George R.R. Martin's Blog

George R.R. Martin isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but he does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from his feed.

The Amazing Wanda June

Wanda June Alexander died on Sunday morning, at her daughter’s house in Santa Fe, up the street from my own places.

Her health had been failing for some time, going back a couple of years at least, so all of us who loved her knew that we were going to lose her soon. We thought she had another three or four months, though, maybe longer… and of course one cannot help but hope, even when the docs te

Combine Editions
George R.R. Martin’s books

Average rating: 4.37 · 5,832,938 ratings · 202,018 reviews · 1,017 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) 4.44 avg rating — 2,068,672 ratings — published 1996 — 397 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2) 4.41 avg rating — 808,107 ratings — published 1998 — 289 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) 4.53 avg rating — 682,256 ratings — published 2000 — 231 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4) 4.14 avg rating — 643,788 ratings — published 2005 — 277 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) 4.32 avg rating — 572,159 ratings — published 2011 — 176 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3: Part 2 of 2) 4.50 avg rating — 85,813 ratings — published 2000 — 67 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3: Part 1 of 2) 4.43 avg rating — 74,266 ratings — published 2000 — 76 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1-3) by George R.R. Martin, Gary Gianni (Illustrator) 4.18 avg rating — 69,686 ratings — published 2013 — 112 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Song of Ice and Fire (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1-4) 4.63 avg rating — 45,201 ratings — published 2011 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Song of Ice and Fire (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1-5) 4.55 avg rating — 55,195 ratings — published 2000 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by George R.R. Martin…

Series by George R.R. Martin

A Targaryen History (2 books)
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Dreamsongs (2 books)
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Leslie Kay Swigart (Checklist)

4.00 avg rating — 7,230 ratings

Game of Thrones / Das Lied von Eis und Feuer (Audible) (20 books)
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George R.R. Martin,

Reinhard Kuhnert (Sprecher)

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Dangerous Women (3 books)
by

George R.R. Martin (Editor),

Gardner Dozois (Editor/Introduction),

Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Diana Rowland (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Sherrilyn Kenyon (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Joe Abercrombie (Contributor),

Melinda M. Snodgrass (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Pat Cadigan (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

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3.41 avg rating — 1,359 ratings

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Get ready for some out-of-this-world reading and some insane near-realities with the science fiction and fantasy books that are catching the...

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Quotes by George R.R. Martin

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

tags: read, readers, reading, reading-books

33755 likes

“... a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

tags: books, mind

16331 likes

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

tags: identity

12486 likes

See all George R.R. Martin's quotes »

Polls

July 2017 - Horror

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler, 320p

13 votes, 48.1%

Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, 334p

9 votes, 33.3%

The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp, 336p

4 votes, 14.8%

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due, 346p

1 vote, 3.7%

Insomnia by Stephen King, 760p

0 votes, 0.0%

27 total votes

8 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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SciFi and Fantasy...: best book you've read this year?	61	1750	Dec 26, 2008 08:00AM
Beyond Reality: "Series Discussion" - nominations and poll	28	249	Apr 30, 2009 09:33AM
Amazon Kindle: What kind of book fits the Kindle best?	26	749	May 31, 2009 06:59AM
Challenge: 50 Books: Kez's 50 Books in a Year	22	458	Jun 03, 2009 05:54AM

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George R.R. Martin

2186 posts
George R.R. Martin's Blog

The Amazing Wanda June

Combine Editions
George R.R. Martin’s books

Series by George R.R. Martin

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Upcoming Events

Quotes by George R.R. Martin

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

George R.R. Martin’s Followers (97,584)

Add NewVideos

George R.R. Martin

2186 postsGeorge R.R. Martin's Blog

The Amazing Wanda June

Combine EditionsGeorge R.R. Martin’s books

Series by George R.R. Martin

Related News

Upcoming Events

Quotes by George R.R. Martin

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

2186 posts
George R.R. Martin's Blog

Combine Editions
George R.R. Martin’s books