Harry Norman Turtledove was born in Los Angeles, CA on 14 June 1949. After
failing out of his freshman year at Caltech, he attended UCLA, where he received
a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977. His dissertation was on The Immediate
Successors of Justinian: A Study of the Persian Problem and of Continuity and
Change in Internal Secular Affairs in the Later Roman Empire During the Reigns
of Justin II and Tiberius II Constantine (A.D. 565-582).
In 1979, Turtledove published his first two novels, Wereblood and
Werenight, under the pseudonym "Eric G. Iverson". Turtledove later explained
that his editor at Belmont Towers did not think people would believe the
author's real name was "Turtledove" and suggested that he come up with something
more Nordic. He continued to use the "Iverson" name until 1985 when he published
his "Herbig-Haro" and "And So to Bed" under his real name.
Throughout the later '70's and early '80's, In the 1980's, Turtledove worked as
a technical writer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. In 1991, he
left the LACOE and turned to writing full time. From 1986-1987, he served as the
Treasurer for the Science Fiction Writers of America.
He is married to mystery writer Laura Frankos. They have three daughters:
Alison, Rachel, and Rebecca. His brother-in-law is fantasy author Steven Frankos.
Turtledove won the HOMer Award for Short Story in 1990 for "Designated Hitter",
John Esthen Cook Award for Southern Fiction in 1993 for Guns of the South, the
Hugo Award for Novella in 1994 for Down in the Bottomlands. "Must and Shall" was
nominated for the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, the 1996 Nebula Award for
Best Novelette and received an honorable mention for the 1995 Sidewise Award for
Alternate History. The Two Georges also received an honorable mention for
the 1995 Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The Worldwar series received a
Sidewise Award for Alternate History Honorable Mention in 1996. On August 1,
1998, Turtledove was named honorary Kentucky Colonel while Guest of Honor at
Rivercon XXIII in Louisville, KY.
Harry Turtledove's website
This bio was last updated on 08/10/2016. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.
If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people... but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.