Robert Jordan
James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan,[1] was an American author of epic fantasy. He is best known for the Wheel of Time series (finished by Brandon Sanderson upon Jordan's death) which comprises 14 books and a prequel novel. He is one of several writers to have written original Conan the Barbarian novels; his are highly acclaimed to this day.[2] Jordan also wrote historical fiction under his pseudonym Reagan O'Neal, a western as Jackson O'Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung. Rigney claimed to have ghostwritten an "international thriller" that is still believed to have been written by someone else.[3]
Robert Jordan | |
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Jordan in 2005 | |
Born | James Oliver Rigney Jr. October 17, 1948 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
Died | September 16, 2007 58) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Novelist |
Genre | Fantasy |
Notable works | The Wheel of Time |
Spouse | Harriet McDougal |
Signature |
Early life
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner.[4] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm.[5] After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel, where he received an undergraduate degree in physics; after graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer.[6] He began writing in 1977.
Personal life
Jordan was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe-collecting. He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian[6] and received communion more than once a week.[7] He lived with his wife, Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.[8]
Illness and death
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years.[9] In a separate blog post, he encouraged his fans not to worry about him and stated that he intended to lead a long and creative life.[10]
He began chemotherapy at Mayo Clinic in early April 2006.[11] He was enrolled in a study of Revlimid, which had recently been approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.[12]
Jordan died on September 16, 2007,[13] and his funeral service was held on September 19, 2007.[14] He was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston, South Carolina.[15][16]
Jordan's papers can be found in the special collections of the College of Charleston.[17]
Selected works
The Wheel of Time
- New Spring (2004); prequel set 20 years before the events of the first novel
- The Eye of the World (1990)
- The Great Hunt (1990)
- The Dragon Reborn (1991)
- The Shadow Rising (1992)
- The Fires of Heaven (1993)
- Lord of Chaos (1994)
- A Crown of Swords (1996)
- The Path of Daggers (1998)
- Winter's Heart (2000)
- Crossroads of Twilight (2003)
- Knife of Dreams (2005)
- The Gathering Storm (2009); co-authored by Brandon Sanderson
- Towers of Midnight (2010); co-authored by Brandon Sanderson
- A Memory of Light (2013); co-authored by Brandon Sanderson
Conan the Barbarian
- Conan the Invincible (1982)
- Conan the Defender (1982)
- Conan the Unconquered (1983)
- Conan the Triumphant (1983)
- Conan the Magnificent (1984)
- Conan the Destroyer (1984)
- Conan the Victorious (1984)
References
- "Robert Jordan" was the name of the protagonist in the 1940 Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, though this is not how the name was chosen according to a 1997 interview he did on the DragonCon SciFi Channel Chat.
- "Walking Through the Valley..: What I'm Reading - 8/26/10". August 31, 2010.
- Ross (September 2005). "Radio Dead Air Interview with Robert Jordan". Radio Dead Air. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- McQueeney, W. Thomas (2017). The Rise of Charleston: Conversations with Visionaries, Luminaries & Emissaries of the Holy City. The History Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-1625858597. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- "Robert Jordan". Obituaries. The Daily Telegraph. September 21, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- Jordan, Robert (June 1, 2007). "(untitled)". Dragonmount, the Robert Jordan blog. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007.
- Denzel, Jason (September 27, 2007). "My Journey to Robert Jordan's Funeral". Dragonmount, the Robert Jordan blog. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
- "Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- "Letter from Robert Jordan". Locus Online. March 23, 2006.
- Jordan, Robert (March 24, 2006). "Sorry about the premature announcement". Dragonmount.
- Jordan, Robert (March 25, 2006). "Important note". Tor Books.
- "Important note from Robert Jordan". March 25, 2005. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006.
- "Jordan's death". Dragonmount. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- "James Oliver Rigney Jr". The Post and Courier. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012.
- "Robert Jordan (1948 - 2007)". Find a Grave. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ""The Stone" - Entry in Robert Jordan's Blog at Dragonmount, dated October 6, 2008". Dragonmount.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- "Inventory of the James Oliver Rigney, Jr., Papers, 1905-2012". archives.library.cofc.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
Further reading
- "Robert Jordan". The Times. September 19, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Robert Jordan |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Wheel of Time |
- Robert Jordan's Official Blog (hosted by dragonmount.com)
- Robert Jordan at Tor Books
- Robert Jordan at the Internet Book List
- Reviews at FantasyLiterature.net
- Robert Jordan at Worlds Without End
- Robert Jordan at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database