Mike Resnick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Resnick
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Resnick in 2016
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| Born | Michael Diamond Resnick March 5, 1942 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 2020 (aged 77) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Genre | Science fiction |
| Years active | 1957–2020 |
| Spouse | Carol L. Cain (m. 1961) |
| Children | Laura Resnick |
Michael Diamond Resnick (born March 5, 1942 – died January 9, 2020) was an American writer and editor. He was famous for his amazing science fiction stories. He won five Hugo Awards and a Nebula Award. These are super important awards in the world of science fiction! He also helped create and edit magazines like Galaxy's Edge.
Contents
Mike Resnick's Life Story
Mike Resnick was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 5, 1942. He started writing and selling his stories when he was still in high school in 1957. He went to the University of Chicago where he met his future wife, Carol L. Cain. They got married in 1961.
Mike and Carol worked together on many projects. Carol helped him with his science fiction stories. They even sold two movie scripts based on his books, Santiago and The Widowmaker. Their daughter, Laura Resnick, is also a science fiction and fantasy author.
For over ten years, Mike wrote about horse racing every week. He also wrote a monthly column about collie dogs. He and his wife raised and showed these dogs. Mike lived in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1976 until he passed away on January 9, 2020, after a battle with cancer.
What Mike Resnick Wrote About
Mike Resnick's science fiction often had two main ideas. He loved to use fables and legends in his stories. His other big topic was Africa, especially the Kikuyu people of Kenya. He wrote about their history, traditions, and how colonialism affected them.
Mike visited Kenya many times. He used his experiences there to make his stories feel real. Some of his science fiction tales were like allegories (stories with a hidden meaning) about Kenyan history. Other stories were actually set in Africa or had African characters.
Mike's writing was also known for its humor. He really enjoyed working with other writers. He teamed up with over 50 different authors on short stories! Later in his life, he started writing mystery novels too. These stories featured a detective named Eli Paxton.
His books have been translated into many languages around the world. This shows how popular his stories were!
Mike Resnick as an Editor
Besides writing, Mike Resnick was also a busy editor. He worked for different magazines and publishers. From 1966 to 1969, he was an editor for National Insider. He also led National Features Syndicate for a while.
Starting in 1988, Mike edited more than 40 collections of stories called anthologies. From 2007 to 2010, he was the main editor for Jim Baen's Universe magazine. In 2013, he became the editor of Galaxy's Edge, a magazine that publishes both famous and new science fiction writers.
Mike Resnick and Science Fiction Fans
Mike Resnick and his wife, Carol, were very involved in science fiction fandom since 1962. This means they were part of the community of people who love science fiction. Mike was a special guest at about 42 science fiction conventions. He was also the main speaker, or "toastmaster," at many others.
Carol Resnick was very creative. She made amazing costumes for herself and Mike. They wore these costumes at five Worldcon masquerades (costume contests) in the 1970s. They won four out of five times!
Mike Resnick's Awards and Honors
Mike Resnick won many awards for his writing. In 2012, he was the special guest of honor at Chicon 7. This is a very big science fiction convention called the 70th World Science Fiction Convention.
Hugo Awards
Mike Resnick was nominated for the Hugo Award 37 times! This was a record for a writer at the time. He won the Hugo Award five times:
- 1989: For his short story "Kirinyaga"
- 1991: For his novelette "The Manamouki"
- 1995: For his novella "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge"
- 1998: For his short story "The 43 Antarean Dynasties"
- 2005: For his short story "Travels with My Cats"
In 1995, he was the first person ever to be nominated for four Hugo Awards in one year!
Other Important Awards
Mike Resnick won one Nebula Award out of eleven nominations. He also won many other awards from countries like France, Japan, Spain, and Poland.
His story "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" was very popular. It won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and several other awards. He also won the Locus Award in 1996 for "When the Old Gods Die." In 1995, he received the Skylark Award for his lifetime achievements in science fiction. In 2017, he won the Writers and Illustrators of the Future's Lifetime Achievement Award.
International Awards
Mike Resnick's stories were loved all over the world. "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" won awards in Spain, France, and Croatia. He also won awards in Japan for Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia and "For I Have Touched the Sky." In Poland, his stories "Kirinyaga" and "When the Old Gods Die" also won awards.
Mike Resnick Memorial Award
After Mike Resnick passed away, the Mike Resnick Award for Short Fiction was created in 2021. This award helps new writers who haven't published before. Winners get a trophy and a cash prize. The first winner was Z.T. Bright for his story, "The Measure of a Mother's Love."
See also
In Spanish: Mike Resnick para niños
