Author - Norton, Andre

Birth: February 17, 1912.

Death: March 17, 2005.

Comments: Andre Norton was an American science fiction author, librarian, and cat lover. Born Mary Alice Norton, the pervasive anti-woman bias in the science fiction publishing world of the era resulted in her legally changing her name to Andre Alice Norton and writing under the pen names Alan North and Andre Norton, with the changed names being intended to occlude her gender. She was extremely prolific, authoring or co-authoring well over two hundred books in her career.

Despite the many excellent books she published, recognition of her abilities was only grudgingly bestowed by her peers. Norton was one of the women who was probably most screwed by the pervasive bias against women displayed by the various science fiction and fantasy awards. She was only nominated for the Hugo award twice, and never for a Nebula or World Fantasy Award. Perhaps because they were embarrassed by the decades long slights of Norton, late in her career she was showered with awards for lifetime achievement becoming the first woman to be recognized as a Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy, the first woman recognized as an SFWA Grand Master, and the first woman inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. These awards, though well-deserved, seem to me to highlight the injustice of the anti-woman bias that she faced throughout her career. She was good enough to be inducted in to the Hall of Fame, but only one of her novels and one of her works of short fiction was worthy of a Hugo nomination? SFWA was ready to acknowledge her as a grand master, but couldn't bring itself to honor her works with some Nebula nominations? Something doesn't add up here, and I'm not thinking that it was the career awards that were the mistake. Sometimes I imagine there is an alternate reality in which sexism was not as rampant as it is in ours, and in that reality, Andre Norton is remembered for her multiple Hugo and Nebula wins and her dozens of nominations.

Andre Norton has a website dedicated to her named Andre Norton Books. There is also a seemingly defunct fan community website dedicated to Norton named the Andre Norton Forum.

My reviews of Andre Norton's books:
None

Other books by Andre Norton that I have read but not reviewed:
Dark Piper
Exiles of the Stars
Huon of the Horn
Ice Crown
Iron Cage
Judgment on Janus
Key Out of Time
Lord of Thunder
Moon of 3 Rings
No Night Without Stars
Secret of the Lost Race
Spell of the Witch World
Star Gate
Star Guard
Star Rangers
Storm Over Warlock
Three Against the Witch World
Trey of Swords
Uncharted Stars
Victory on Janus
Voorloper
Web of the Witch World
Witch World
The Zero Stone

Short fiction by Andre Norton appearing in works that I have reviewed:

None

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