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Adam Roberts

b. 1965

British writer known for speculative fiction and parody novels; literature and writing academic

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About Adam Roberts

Born 1965. Adam Roberts is a British writer, university teacher, literary critic, novelist, science fiction writer and literary scholar.

Adam Charles Roberts (born 30 June 1965) is a British science fiction and fantasy novelist. In 2018 he was elected vice-president of the H. G. Wells Society.

Career

Born in London, Roberts has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Adam Roberts has been nominated three times for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001 for his debut novel, Salt, in 2007 for Gradisil and in 2010 for Yellow Blue Tibia. He won both the 2012 BSFA Award for Best Novel, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, for Jack Glass. It was further shortlisted for The Kitschies Red Tentacle award. His short story "Tollund" was nominated for the 2014 Sidewise Award. On his website, Roberts states that an ongoing project of his is to write a short story in every science fiction sub-genre.

In May 2014, Roberts gave the second annual Tolkien Lecture at Pembroke College, Oxford, speaking on the topic of women in The Lord of the Rings. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.

Published works

Novels Salt (2000, ) On (2001, ) Stone (2002, ) Polystom (2003, ) The Snow (2004) Gradisil (2006) Land of the Headless (2007) Splinter (2007) Swiftly: A Novel (2008) Yellow Blue Tibia: A Novel (2009, ) New Model Army (2010) By Light Alone (2011) Jack Glass (2012, ) Twenty Trillion Leagues Under the Sea (2014) Bête (2014, ) The Thing Itself (2015) The Real-Town Murders (2017)

Haven (2018) The Black Prince (2018) Purgatory Mount (2021) The This (2022) The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate (2023) Lake of Darkness (2024) Frankenstein Rex (2026, )

Novellas Park Polar (2002) Jupiter Magnified (2003) Anticopernicus (2011) Bethany (2016) The Lake Boy (2018) The Man Who Would Be Kling (2019) The Compelled (2020) Stealing for the Sky (2022) The Midas Rain (2023) High (2024) The Swoon (2024)

Short stories and short story collections "S-Bomb" in Riffing on Strings: Creative Writing Inspired by String Theory (2008, ) "Trademark Bugs: A Legal History", Reach for Infinity (2014) Swiftly: Stories (2004) Adam Robots (2013) Saint Rebor (2015) "The Martian Waste Land", Scarlet Traces (2019) "Chrononavirus", Cwej: Springs Eternal (2026)

Parodies The Soddit (2003, The Hobbit) The McAtrix Derided (2004, The Matrix) The Sellamillion (2004, The Silmarillion) Star Warped (2005, Star Wars) The Va Dinci Cod (2005, The Da Vinci Code) Doctor Whom: E.T. Shoots and Leaves (2006, Doctor Who) I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas (2009, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol). The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo (2010, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) I, Soddit: The Autobiography (2013, The Hobbit)

Criticism Silk and Potatoes: Contemporary Arthurian Fantasy (1998) Science Fiction (The New Critical Idiom) (2000, second edition 2005) Fredric Jameson (2000) Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings (original version by Lin Carter) (Roberts updated the text for the 2003 edition) The History of Science Fiction (Palgrave Histories of Literature) (2006, second edition 2016) The Riddles of The Hobbit (Palgrave Macmillan) (2013) Sibilant Fricative: Essays and Reviews (2014) Rave and Let Die: The SF and Fantasy of 2014 (2015) (Won the BSFA Award for Best Non-Fiction.) H G Wells: A Literary Life (2019) It's the End of the World: But What Are We Really Afraid Of (2020) (Won the BSFA Award for Best Non-Fiction.)

Poetry Wodwo Vergil (2018)

Other non-fiction Get Started in: Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (2014, )

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
University of Cambridge, University of Aberdeen, Cambridge University
Employers
Royal Holloway, University of London
Awards
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel; BSFA Award for Best Novel; Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; Yellow Blue Tibia
Also known as
A3R Roberts, Robertski Brothers, A.R.R.R. Roberts, Don Brine

People in Adam Roberts's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Adam Roberts's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Adam Roberts?

British writer known for speculative fiction and parody novels; literature and writing academic

When was Adam Roberts born?

Adam Roberts was born on 30 June 1965 in London.

What is Adam Roberts's occupation?

Adam Roberts is a writer, university teacher, literary critic, novelist, science fiction writer and literary scholar.

What nationality is Adam Roberts?

Adam Roberts is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Adam Roberts

· Wikidata: Q350734

· DBpedia: Adam Roberts (British writer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Adam Roberts. https://biography.guide/adam-roberts/

MLA: "Adam Roberts." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/adam-roberts/.

Chicago: "Adam Roberts." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/adam-roberts/.

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