Curated playlist
English fantasy writers
- J. R. R. TolkienOn his 21st birthday, Tolkien proposed by letter to a woman who was already engaged.
- Lewis CarrollOn a rowing trip in July 1862, Lewis Carroll invented a story for three sisters.
- Jonathan SwiftJonathan Swift once announced that a living almanac maker had died. Swift wrote as Isaac Bickerstaff in 1708.
- Neil GaimanNeil Gaiman is the first author to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for the same book.
- William MorrisWilliam Morris despised industrial capitalism yet decorated the homes of the rich.
- Graeme Davis (game designer)Graeme Davis studied archaeology, then became a game designer. He co-designed Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay in 1986.
- John Russell, 1st Earl RussellLord John Russell was barely five feet five, and cartoonists mocked him for it. He still reshaped British democracy.
- Clive BarkerUnhappy with how others filmed his screenplays, Clive Barker directed Hellraiser himself. It opened in 1987.
- John RuskinA jury awarded painter Whistler one farthing in his libel suit against critic John Ruskin.
- Michael MoorcockMichael Moorcock created Elric as a reversal of the comfort fantasy that followed Tolkien.
- Diana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne Jones began writing mostly to keep her sanity. Her first book was a farce for adults, not a fantasy.
- Pauline BaynesPauline Baynes drew all seven Narnia books for a flat £100 each. She was too unworldly to negotiate royalties.