Peter Straub (writer)
Peter Francis Straub (born March 2, 1943 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , USA ) is an American writer , who became known for his horror novels. Like Stephen King , with whom he wrote two novels, he is one of the most important representatives of modern fantasy .
Life
Born in Milwaukee, Peter Straub grew up with two younger brothers in the US state of Wisconsin. His father was a salesman, his mother worked as a nurse. His mother would have liked to see him become a doctor or a pastor, while his father would have liked to see him as a professional athlete. Even in pre-school age, however, Straub was primarily interested in reading. He spent hours in public libraries reading stories about pirates, soldiers, detectives, criminals, and other colorful characters.
A decisive childhood experience as a first grader was a serious car accident, which, in addition to a near-death experience , brought him numerous broken bones, various operations and a year off from school. He was also dependent on a wheelchair for a long time and developed some behavioral peculiarities, for example a severe stuttering, which he persisted into early adulthood.
After studying English at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Columbia University , he worked briefly as an English teacher before moving to Dublin to work on a doctorate. Here and in London , where he lived from 1972 to 1979, he began to write professionally. He celebrated his first major success in 1979 with the novel Ghost Story ( Witching Hour ). Straub lives in Manhattan. His daughter Emma Straub is also a successful writer.
Straub's novels have received several awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Koko as best novel in 1989 and 1993 , the British Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award . In 2010 he received the World Fantasy Award for life's work.
Works (selection)
- Novels
- The talisman . ("The Talisman"). Hoffmann & Campe 1986, ISBN 3-453-02523-7 (together with Stephen King).
- Julia. A scary novel. ("Julia"). 7th edition Heyne, Munich 1991, ISBN 3-453-02328-5 .
- Koko. Novel. ("Koko"). 5th edition Heyne, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-453-00373-X .
- Mystery. Novel. ("Mystery"). Heyne, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-453-06105-5 .
- The strange woman. Novel. ("Marriages"). Heyne, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-453-00292-X .
- If you only knew Psychological thriller. ("If You Could See Me Now"). 4th edition Dtv, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-423-12052-5 .
- Journey into the night. Novel. ("The Hellfire Club"). Heyne, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-453-13649-7 .
- Shadow brothers. ("Mr. X"). Heyne, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-453-17754-1 (different title “Mr. X”).
- The breath of the dragon. Novel. ("Floating Dragon"). Heyne, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-453-87351-3 .
- Shadowland. Novel. ("Shadowland"). Heyne, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-453-87958-9 .
- The black house . ("Talisman II - Black House"). Heyne, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-453-87370-X (together with Stephen King ).
- The mysterious girl. Novel. ("Under Venus"). 8th edition Heyne, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-453-09967-2 .
- Witching hour. Novel. ("Ghost Story"). Heyne, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-453-56501-0 .
- The throat. ("The Throat"). Heyne, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-453-56503-7 .
- Magic terror. Novel. ("Magic terror"). Pavillon-Verlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-453-77089-8 .
- House of Blind Windows. Novel. ("Lost Boy Lost Girl"). Heyne, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-453-43306-9 .
- Shadow voices. Novel. ("In the Night Room"). Heyne, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-453-72181-4 .
- Occult. Novel. ("A dark matter"). Heyne, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-453-43590-2 .
- Volumes of poetry
- Ishmael. Turet, London 1972, ISBN 0-85469-037-9 (Turet Booklets / 2; 14).
- Leeson Park and Belsize Square. Poems. Underwood Books, San Francisco, Calif. 1984, ISBN 0-934438-91-9 .
- Open Air. Irish University Press, Shannon 1972, ISBN 0-7165-2176-8 .
- Anthologies
- 5 stories. Borderlands Press, Baltimore, Md. 2008, ISBN 978-1-880325-03-2 .
- House without doors. Short stories. ("House Without Doors"). Heyne, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-453-07551-X .
- Magic terror. Stories. ("Magic Terror"). Heyne, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-453-17408-9 .
- Wild Animals. Three novels. Putnam, New York 1984, ISBN 0-399-13013-6 (content: "Under Venus", "If you could see me now" and "Julia").
Movies
- 1976: Julia's Eerie Return ( Full Circle ) - directed by Richard Loncraine (based on the novel Julia )
- 1981: Fear Remains ( Ghost Story ) - directed by John Irvin (based on the novel Witching Hour )
literature
- Uwe Anton : Schattenland , in: The Science Fiction Year 1987 (Vol. 2), edited by Wolfgang Jeschke , Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-453-31365-8 , pp. 579-581.
- Usch Kiausch: A conversation with Peter Straub. In: The Science Fiction Year 1999 (Vol. 14), edited by Wolfgang Jeschke, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-14984-X , pp. 744-753.
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Literature by and about Peter Straub in the catalog of the German National Library
- Full information on fantasticfiction.co.uk
- Peter Straub in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Straub, Peter |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Straub, Peter Francis (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American writer |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 2, 1943 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Milwaukee , Wisconsin , USA |