Graham Joyce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Graham William Joyce
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Joyce signing books at Imagicon 2: Swecon 2009
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| Born | 22 October 1954 Keresley, England, UK |
| Died | 9 September 2014 (aged 59) |
| Occupation | Writer and teacher |
| Genre | Speculative Fiction |
Graham William Joyce (born October 22, 1954 – died September 9, 2014) was a British writer known for his amazing stories. He wrote a type of fiction called speculative fiction, which includes fantasy, science fiction, and horror. He won many awards for his novels and short stories, like the O. Henry Award and the World Fantasy Award.
Contents
About Graham Joyce
Early Life and Education
Graham Joyce grew up in a small mining village near Coventry, England. He came from a working-class family. He went to college and earned a degree from Bishop Lonsdale College (now part of the University of Derby) in 1977. Later, he got another degree from the University of Leicester in 1980.
Career as a Writer and Teacher
After finishing his studies, Graham worked with young people until 1988. Then, he decided to follow his dream of becoming a writer. He moved to the beautiful Greek islands of Lesbos and Crete to write his first novel, Dreamside.
In 1991, after his first book was sold, Graham moved back to England. He became a full-time writer. He also earned a special PhD degree from Nottingham Trent University. From 1996 until he passed away, he taught creative writing there, helping new writers find their voice.
Graham Joyce lived in Leicester with his wife and their two children.
His Love for Football
Graham was a big football fan! He was the main goalkeeper for the England Writers football team. He played in international matches against teams from Germany, Italy, Sweden, and other countries. He even wrote a non-fiction book about his football experiences called Simple Goalkeeping Made Spectacular.
He also supported his local team, Coventry City FC, and sometimes wrote for their fan magazines.
His Final Years
Graham Joyce passed away on September 9, 2014. He had been diagnosed with a type of cancer called lymphoma in 2013. When he learned about his illness, he wrote several essays. He shared how the news gave him a "shocking clarity" about life and death. He said that facing such a challenge felt like a "great mythical journey."
His Writing Style
What Kind of Stories Did He Write?
It was sometimes hard for publishers and critics to put Graham Joyce's books into just one category. His novels have been called fantasy, science fiction, horror, and even just regular literature. Some of his books even mixed different types of stories together!
Graham used many different places and characters in his books. His stories could be set in Scotland, the English Midlands, Greece, the Middle East, or even the jungles of Thailand. He wrote for both adult and young main characters, often focusing on strong female characters. The main ideas in his books, however, were always about deeper meanings and philosophical topics.
Magic and Mystery in His Books
Mystical or supernatural things often played a big part in Graham's stories. He would use myths and folklore from the places his stories were set. What made his books special was how he treated these magical experiences. For Graham, the supernatural wasn't just a problem to solve. Instead, it was a natural part of the world that his characters had to understand and accept. Often, there was also a chance that these strange events could have a normal, scientific, or psychological explanation.
Some people thought his writing was like magic realism, a style used by writers like Gabriel García Márquez. But Graham didn't agree. He felt his style was more like older English "weird tales" by authors such as Arthur Machen. He even called his own unique style "Old Peculiar."
Graham Joyce's Work in Other Media
Films
In 2012, a short film called Black Dust was released. Graham Joyce helped write the script for it. So far, none of his novels have been made into full-length movies. However, the film rights for his books Dreamside, The Tooth Fairy, and Dark Sister have been bought, meaning they might become movies in the future. Other projects like The Silent Land and Some Kind of Fairy Tale are also being developed.
Music
Graham Joyce also helped write song lyrics for a French singer and composer named Emilie Simon. He worked on her albums The Big Machine (2009) and Franky Knight (2011).
Video Games
In 2009, it was reported that Graham Joyce was hired by a company called id Software. He was going to help create the story for a video game called Doom 4. After he passed away in 2014, another writer took over his role.
