Charles de Lint

Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer.

Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull, and John Crowley, de Lint during the 1980s pioneered and popularized the subgenre of urban fantasy. He writes novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, and lyrics. His most famous works include: the Newford series of books (Dreams Underfoot, Widdershins, The Blue Girl, The Onion Girl, Moonlight and Vines, Someplace to be Flying, etc.), as well as Moonheart, The Mystery of Grace, The Painted Boy and A Circle of Cats (children's book illustrated by Charles Vess). His distinctive style of fantasy uses American folklore and European folklore; de Lint was influenced by many authors of mythology, folklore, and science fiction, including

As an essayist/critic/folklorist he writes book reviews for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, has judged several literary awards, and has been a writer-in-residence for two public libraries.

Personal life Charles de Lint was born in 1951 in Bussum, in North Holland in the Netherlands. His family emigrated to Canada when he was four months old. He grew up in Canada, as well as overseas, but has lived in Ottawa since he was age eleven.

In 1974, he met MaryAnn Harris, and they married in 1980. They lived in Ottawa. Harris was first editor of de Lint's fiction and also his business manager.

MaryAnn Harris was hospitalized on September 6, 2021 for Powassan virus, a rare and debilitating tick-borne disease. On his author Facebook page, de Lint announced that MaryAnn passed away as a result of the disease on June 3, 2024. Her obituary noted that she had been de Lint's inspiration, co-musician, first editor, business manager, and artist for many of his published works. The Bruyère Foundation was suggested for memorial donations made in her name as well as to other causes that were important to her, including groups devoted to aiding youth, Indigenous peoples, animal shelters, and the environment.

Career During his late twenties to early thirties, de Lint worked in a record store and played with a Celtic musical band during weekends.

Writing Charles de Lint started writing in 1983 and has been a full-time writer ever since, publishing about forty books between 1984 and 1997, and 71 books (excluding foreign editions and reprints), in total, thus gaining a reputation as a master of fantasy.

Charles de Lint was one of the contributors to the 1984 Citybook II: Port O' Call role-playing game supplement from Flying Buffalo.

He published three horror novels using the pseudonym Samuel M. Key

Style and settings His main genre, that of contemporary fantasy, which combines the real world with the "otherworld", allows the co-existence of the natural and the supernatural. This has been termed a metaphor for the lack of indigenous folklore in most of Canada living side-by-side with the living oral traditions of the Native Americans. De Lint, however, draws upon not only North American Aboriginal culture, but also the folklore of other cultures. For example, his novel, Moonheart, uses elements of both Native American and Welsh folklore. Other awards include the 2000 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection for Moonlight and Vines, the Ontario Library Association's White Pine Award, as well as the Great Lakes Great Books Award for his young adult novel The Blue Girl (Viking, 2004). In 1988, he won the Canadian SF/Fantasy Award, the Casper (now known as the Aurora) for his novel Jack, the Giant-killer (Ace 1987). He also received the award for Under My Skin in 2013 and Out of This World in 2015. His 1984 urban fantasy novel, Moonheart, was a best-selling trade paperback for Tor's Orb line and won a Crawford Award. which was released alongside his wife MaryAnn Harris's album, Crow Girls in which he also contributes.

Awards Work !! Year & Award!! Category!! Result !! Ref.

1980 Balrog Awards Short Fiction

1981 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional 1981 Balrog Awards Amatur Achievement

1983 Balrog Awards Short Fiction

1985 Locus Award First Novel

1985 Locus Award Fantasy Novel 1985 Mythopoeic Awards Fantasy 1985 Crawford Award

1986 Locus Award Fantasy Novel 1986 Aurora Awards Novel

1987 Locus Award Fantasy Novel 1987 Aurora Awards Novel

1988 Locus Award Novelette

1988 Aurora Awards Novel

1989 Locus Award Fantasy Novel

1989 Readercon Awards Short Work

Fantasy Novel

Fantasy Novel

Short Fiction

Short Fiction

Long Fiction

Fantasy Novel 1992 Locus Award Fantasy Novel 1992 Aurora Awards Novel 1992 World Fantasy Award Novel 1994 Mythopoeic Awards Fantasy 1994 Premio Ignotus Foreign Novel

Novella 1992 World Fantasy Award Novella

Short Fiction

Short Fiction

Short Fiction

1993 World Fantasy Award Short Fiction

Collection

Novella

Short Story

Collection 1994 World Fantasy Award Collection

Short Fiction

Fantasy Novel

Collection 1996 World Fantasy Award Collection

Foreign Short story/Collection of Foreign Short Stories

Fantasy Novel 1998 World Fantasy Award Novel 1998 Mythopoeic Awards Adult Literature 1998 Aurora Awards Novel

Fantasy Novel 1999 British Fantasy Award August Derleth Award 1999 Aurora Awards Novel 1999 World Fantasy Award Novel 1999 Mythopoeic Awards Adult Literature

Short Fiction

Collection 2000 Locus Award Collection 2000 British Fantasy Award Collection

Collection

Fantasy Novel 2001 Nebula Award Novel 2001 Mythopoeic Awards Adult Literature

Fantasy Novel 2002 World Fantasy Award Novel 2017 Aurora Awards Best of the Decade

Related Work

Collection 2003 World Fantasy Award Collection

Novella 2003 World Fantasy Award Novella

Short Fiction

Young Adult Book 2006 White Pine Award Fiction

Young Adult

Adult Book

Young Adult

YA Novel

Young Adult

YA Novel

2018 World Fantasy Award Lifetime Achievement