About
Octavia E. Butler, born June 22, 1947 in Pasadena, California, and died February 24, 2006 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, was an African American science fiction writer. She was the first Black woman to achieve national prominence in the genre. Her work explores themes of race, gender, power, and survival. Major novels include Kindred (1979), the Xenogenesis trilogy (1987-1989), and the Parable series (1993-1998). She won two Hugo Awards and two Nebula Awards, and received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995. Her papers are archived at the Huntington Library.
* 1947-06-22 — † 2006-02-24
Major works
- Kindred (1979)novel
- Patternist series (1976-1984)novel series
- Xenogenesis / Lilith's Brood (1987-1989)trilogy
- Parable of the Sower (1993)novel
- Parable of the Talents (1998)novel
Key milestones
- 1995Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, the first science fiction writer to receive this honor.
- 2000Received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 2010Posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Themes
Race and identityGender and sexualityPower and hierarchySurvival and adaptationOtherness and empathy
Sources: oac.cdlib.org · mopop.org