Stephan Grundy

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Stephan Grundy (*  1967 in New York , USA ) is an American writer . Well versed in the Germanic world of myths and cultural history, Grundy is best known for his modern treatment of mythical legends .

life and work

Grundy grew up mainly in Dallas in the US state of Texas on. Even during his school days he wrote numerous stories - some purely fictional, some already strongly oriented towards mythological topics or legends such as the Arthurian legend.

Under the pseudonym "Kveldulf Gundarsson", Neuheide Grundy, temporarily a member of the North American "Ring of Troth" and other neo-pagan organizations, published two non-fiction books before his first novel, which deal with Germanic religion and magic and which has a good reputation among connoisseurs to this day enjoy.

Rheingold

Grundy began work on his first full novel in his freshman year at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he studied English and German philology . If the novel was initially based on the Anglo-Saxon heroic epic Beowulf , Grundy asked his then Professor Dr. Stephen Flowers (author of Fire and Ice ) convince that the Nibelungenlied and the Wälsungen saga would be a more suitable basis for a first novel due to Grundy's strong interest in Richard Wagner's “Ring” cycle .

Grundy wrote most of this novel in a student apartment in St. Andrews , Scotland , where he spent a year as an exchange student. He also spent a year as an exchange student - practically at the foot of the Drachenberg - in Bonn , which he combined with his research for the novel (which Grundy also took across Scandinavia ).

When the novel finally appeared in 1992 - with dedications to Richard Wagner and John Ronald Reuel Tolkien  , among others - under the title Rheingold (Original: Rhinegold ), it quickly developed into an international bestseller . The Spiegel had the novel on its bestseller list for months.

In the same year Grundy received his doctorate at Cambridge University on the Germanic god of war Wotan ( The Cult of Óðinn: God of Death? ).

Wodan's curse

In 1996 the novel Wodan's Curse (Original: Attila's Treasure ) was published, the focus of which is not so much on Attila, the king of the Huns, but more on Grundy's favorite figure in Germanic legends, Hagen . This novel also became an international success, albeit to a lesser extent than its predecessor Rheingold .

Gilgamesh, Lord of Mesopotamia

Gilgamesh, Lord of the Mesopotamus , followed in 1999 - a modern version of the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh . The reactions of the readership to this publication were very divided, and overall, Grundy's third novel is considered less successful than its two predecessors.

"Falcon Trilogy"

Grundy wrote the "Falcon Trilogy" around the figure of the young Countess Margerite von Hirschenberg together with his wife Melodi. The story, first published in German, takes place in the 14th century and moves between the frequent motifs of love stories, chivalry and conspiracies of a secret order that entangles Marguerite's son in dark pseudo-religious machinations. The first volume of the trilogy, Adler und Falke ( Eagle and Falcon ), appeared in 1999. In the following year, the sequel was published The Flucht des Falken ( Falcon's Flight ). The conclusion of the series is The Night of the Falcon ( Falcon's Night ) from 2001 onwards.

Beowulf

Beowulf appeared in 2010 . So far this novel has not been published in German.

Trivia

After Stephan Grundy and his wife Melodi Lammond Grundy lived in a restored castle (Emmel Castle) in Shinrone ( Southern Ireland ) for a year in 1995 , they now live with three Norwegian Forest Cats in a Gregorian house from the 18th century, also in Southern Ireland . Grundy understands classical singing, brewing beer , fencing and playing the harp , among other things .

bibliography

As Kveldulf Gundarsson

As Stephan Grundy

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stephan Grundy. Eagle and falcon. lovelybooks.de, accessed on February 16, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Grundy, Stephan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gundarsson, Kveldulf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , USA