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Orson Scott Card: About the Author
Orson Scott Card was born in Richland, Washington, on August 24, 1951. He grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah.
Orson Scott Card attended Brigham Young High School. At the age of sixteen, he got the idea for a futuristic battle school.
This idea inspired the short shory and subsequently the novel ENDER'S GAME.
Orson Scott Card attended (and later graduated from) Brigham Young University. He switched his major from archaeology
to theatre. He wanted to be a playwright. He graduated in 1975. He later attended the University of Utah for his master's
degree. He graduated with his master's degree in 1981. While pursuing graduate work, he wrote an epic poem entitled "Prentice
Alvin and the No-Good Plow." This poem was the basis for his Alvin Maker series: SEVENTH SON, RED PROPHET, PRENTICE ALVIN,
ALVIN JOURNEYMAN, HEARTFIRE, and THE CRYSTAL CITY.
Orson Scott Card was a volunteer Mormon missionary in Brazil for two years (1971-1973). In his time there he discovered
what *real* chocolate tasted like. He wrote his first play STONE TABLES during this time. He later adapted it to a novel.
In 1975, Orson Scott Card began writing the short story (or novelette) "Ender's Game." One of his friends had
asked him to join a group going to the circus. Since he hated the circus--didn't like clowns--he skipped the show and sat
outside and wrote this story that had long been culminating in his mind. The story was published in ANALOG in August of 1977.
The short story also earned Orson Scott Card with the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer.
Orson Scott Card married Kristine Allen on May 17, 1977. They have five children: Michael Geoffrey, Emily Janice, Charles
Benjamin, Zina Margaret, and Erin Louisa. (Charles Benjamin and Erin Louisa are deceased.) Each child was named after a favorite
author. They live in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Orson Scott Card won consecutive awards (both Hugo and Nebula) for ENDER'S GAME and SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD. (1986 and 1987).
Orson Scott Card has written four major series: Alvin Maker (see above), Homecoming (THE MEMORY OF EARTH, THE CALL OF
EARTH, THE SHIPS OF EARTH, EARTHFALL, EARTHBORN), the Ender series (ENDER'S GAME, SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD, XENOCIDE, and CHILDREN
OF THE MIND), and the Shadow series (ENDER'S SHADOW, SHADOW OF THE HEGEMON, SHADOW PUPPETS, and THE SHADOW OF THE GIANT).
Orson Scott Card has written the screenplay for the upcoming film ENDER'S GAME which combines plot elements of both ENDER'S
GAME and ENDER'S SHADOW.
Orson Scott Card has written many books in many genres. He's a writer of science fiction, fantasy, mainstream or contemporary
novels, and religious fiction. For example, ENCHANTMENT is a modern-day Sleeping Beauty. He's written novels about Moses,
Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel and Leah.
Orson Scott Card is a weekly columnist for a newspaper, The Rhinoceros Times, in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.
The first column is "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything." In that column, he reviews movies, cds, plays, restaurants,
tv shows--basically everything. His second weekly column is "World Watch" in which he discusses world events and
politics. Both of these columns can be read from his official site.
Read my review of ENDER'S GAME.
Ender's Game Review
Read my author study of Orson Scott Card. (Examines Card's life and provides in depth discussion of several of his works).
Author Study Paper and Selected Bibliography
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