China Miéville facts for kids

Quick facts for kids China Miéville
Miéville at Utopiales (2010)
Born	China Tom Miéville (1972-09-06) 6 September 1972 (age 52) Norwich, Norfolk, England
Occupation	Short-story writer, novelist, essayist and comic book author
Education	Clare College, Cambridge (BA) London School of Economics (PhD)
Period	1998–present
Genre	Urban fantasy Weird fiction Steampunk
Literary movement	New Weird
Notable works	Perdido Street Station (2000) The City & the City (2009) October: The Story of the Russian Revolution (2017)

China Tom Miéville (born September 6, 1972) is a British writer. He writes exciting stories that are often called "speculative fiction" or "weird fiction". He is part of a group of writers known as the New Weird movement.

Miéville has won many awards for his books. These include the Arthur C. Clarke Award, British Fantasy Award, Hugo Award, and World Fantasy Awards. He has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award three times, which is a record! His novel Perdido Street Station was named the 6th best fantasy novel of the 20th century by Locus magazine. In 2015, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Miéville is also active in left politics in the UK. He helped start a political group called Left Unity in 2013.

Early Life and Education

Miéville was born in Norwich, England. He grew up in London with his sister Jemima and his mother Claudia. His mother was a translator, writer, and teacher. Miéville's parents chose his first name, China, because they thought it was beautiful. He has both American and British citizenship because his mother was born in New York City.

When he was 18, in 1990, Miéville taught English in Egypt for a year. There, he became interested in Arab culture and Middle Eastern politics. He later studied social anthropology at Clare College, Cambridge. He also earned a master's degree and a PhD in international law from the London School of Economics.

Writing Style and Influences

Miéville's books often describe amazing or supernatural worlds. He has said he wants to write a novel in every type of story! His works include stories like a Western (Iron Council), a sea adventure (The Scar), and a detective story (The City & the City). His writing is known as "new weird" fiction.

Miéville looks up to many writers. Some of his "heroes" include M. John Harrison and Michael Moorcock. He also gets ideas from H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Gene Wolfe. He has mentioned that his books have hints of Russian writers too.

When he was younger, Miéville played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games. He thinks this helped him create detailed magic systems in his books. In his novel Perdido Street Station, he even mentions characters who care "only in gold and experience," which is a nod to these games. The Player's Handbook for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons even said his novel Perdido Street Station was an inspiration.

In 2010, Miéville wrote for a roleplaying game called Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. He contributed to their Guide to the River Kingdoms book.

Politics and Other Work

Miéville has been involved in politics for a long time. In 2001, he ran for a seat in the UK Parliament. He was a candidate for the Socialist Alliance.

In 2013, Miéville helped start a new political group called Left Unity. He and other people, like filmmaker Ken Loach, wrote a letter about it. They wanted to create a new party that was socialist, focused on the environment, supported women's rights, and was against all forms of unfair treatment.

In 2015, he became one of the first editors for a new magazine called Salvage. This magazine focuses on revolutionary arts and letters.

In 2017, Miéville published a book called October. This book tells the story of the Russian Revolution. A reviewer from The Guardian newspaper said Miéville wrote it with great excitement.

Personal Life

China Miéville lives in London. He is married to artist Season Butler. In the early 2000s, he and his partner Emma Bircham were extras in the 1999 movie Notting Hill. He joked that the movie showed a "dystopian" (bad future) version of London.

Writings

Miéville has written many books and stories. Here are some of them:

Bas-Lag Series

These are a series of fantasy novels set in a unique world.

• Perdido Street Station (2000)
• The Scar (2002)
• Iron Council (2004)

Stand-alone Novels

These are novels that are not part of a series.

• King Rat (1998)
• Un Lun Dun (2007)
• The City & the City (2009)
• Kraken (2010)
• Embassytown (2011)
• Railsea (2012)
• The Book of Elsewhere (2024), with Keanu Reeves

Novellas

These are shorter novels.

• The Tain (2002)
• This Census-Taker (2016)
• The Last Days of New Paris (2016)

Short Story Collections

• Looking for Jake (2005)
• Three Moments of an Explosion: Stories (2015)

Children's Picture Books

• The Worst Breakfast (2016), co-written and illustrated by Zak Smith

Comic Books

Miéville has also written for comic books.

• Hellblazer (2009)
• Justice League (2013)
• Dial H (2012–2013 series)

Nonfiction Books

• Between Equal Rights: A Marxist Theory of International Law (2005)
• Red Planets: Marxism and Science Fiction (2009), with Mark Bould
• October: The Story of the Russian Revolution (2017)
• A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto (2022)

Adaptations

Some of Miéville's stories have been turned into other forms of media.

• In 2006, his short story "Details" was made into a screenplay.
• In 2013, his novel The City and the City was adapted for the stage in Chicago. Miéville even attended a performance!
• A TV show based on The City & the City was shown on BBC 2 in 2018.
• His short story "Estate" was made into a 25-minute movie in 2020.

Awards and Honours

Miéville just after winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2010

Miéville has won many awards for his fantasy and science fiction books. He holds the record for winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award three times. His book Perdido Street Station was ranked 6th among the best 20th-century fantasy novels by Locus magazine.

• Miéville's first novel, King Rat (1998), was nominated for two horror awards.
• The Scar received a special mention for the Philip K. Dick Award.
• His short story "Reports of Certain Events in London" was nominated for a World Fantasy Award in 2005.
• The City & the City won the Kitschies Award in 2009.
• Miéville has been a special guest at several science fiction conventions.
• In 2018, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship for his fiction writing.

Images for kids

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  Miéville at Utopiales (2010)

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  Miéville just after winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2010

See also

In Spanish: China Miéville para niños