Stephen R. Donaldson

Dennis Wilson Wise (University of Arizona)

Ed. by Dimitra Fimi, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

Born 13 May 1947

Places

Active in United States

Activities

Primary

Novelist

Resources

A prolific author of fantasy, science fiction, and mystery, Stephen R. Donaldson (1947- –) is best known for his three separate Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and his Gap sequence, a highly original blend of space opera and cyberpunk. At heart a humanist, Donaldson’s major themes include freedom, power, existential responsibility, and “Christian archetypes” such as guilt, sin, and redemption.

Early Life and Education

The parents of Stephen R. Donaldson were Presbyterian missionaries and preachers—a branch of fundamentalist Christianity that, as an offshoot of Calvinism, believed in predestination and biblical literalism. When Donaldson was three years old, …

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2715 words

Citation: Wise, Dennis Wilson. "Stephen R. Donaldson". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 October 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14121, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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