Octavia Butler author page

Octavia Butler biography

Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction author. She was born on 22 June 1947 in Pasadena, California, and became one of the first African American women to gain prominence in the genre. She studied at Pasadena City College and later attended writing workshops led by Harlan Ellison and Clarion Science Fiction Writers’ Workshop.

Butler’s first published story, “Crossover,” appeared in 1971. Her debut novel, Patternmaster, was released in 1976 and began the Patternist series, which includes Mind of My Mind (1977), Survivor (1978), Wild Seed (1980), and Clay’s Ark (1984). She gained further recognition with Kindred (1979), a novel that combined elements of historical fiction and time travel.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Butler published the Xenogenesis trilogy—Dawn (1987), Adulthood Rites (1988), and Imago (1989)—and the Parable series, beginning with Parable of the Sower (1993) and followed by Parable of the Talents (1998).

Butler received numerous awards for her writing, including both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. In 1995 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, becoming the first science fiction writer to receive the honour. She died on 24 February 2006 in Lake Forest Park, Washington.