The Unemployed Writer

I saw this news the other day and can’t for the life of me remember why I didn’t post it then. I started writing the Wheel of Time novels when I was 16 and feel as though I know the characters within as well as any group of fictional beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending my time with. Here is a repost of the well written post written by Jeff at the Amazon.com book blog.

After a long and brave fight with amyloidosis, international bestselling fantasy author Robert Jordan (born James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) passed on Sunday afternoon. Jordan’s Wheel of Time series had spawned a legion of fans, along with music, websites, and all of the other trappings that come from the kind of success in which an author’s imagination transfers itself to his fans. (See a sample YouTube tribute from one fan below.)

Jordan had first disclosed his condition through a letter posted on Locus Online and elsewhere in March 2006. In it, he had expressed his determination to beat the disease: “I have thirty more years’ worth of books to write even if I can keep from thinking of any more, and I don’t intend to let this thing get in my way.” Jordan’s honest and open approach about his condition helped bring needed attention to amyloidosis, a rare blood disease.

According to Wikipedia and his publisher bio, Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and served two tours in Vietnam, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with “V” and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. He later received a degree in physics from The Citadel and worked for the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer.

Jordan began writing in 1977 and was first published in 1980 with The Fallon Blood under the pen name Reagan O’Neal. He then cut his teeth on a series of Conan novels, before turning in the 1990s to the Wheel of Time novels that earned him his reputation.

Jordan’s heroic fantasy had a truly epic scope and his readership similarly transcended the fantasy genre. Over the years, I can recall hearing about Jordan from a multitude of people and settings–on racquetball courts, in shopping malls, at dinner parties, on boats, in pool halls, and in a number of different countries.

Galley Cat has reported on the reaction of fans worldwide, and his official blog has over 700 comments from readers who loved his work. Wrote one fan, “Thank you for making a world where we could enter into and indulge our imagination and fantasies.”

But it wasn’t just fans who adored Jordan. His publisher, Tor Books, had a special relationship with Jordan. Tom Doherty, founder of Tor, had long been close friends with the author, and Jordan’s wife Harriet McDougal works for Tor. Tor editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden noted on his blog, “He was a doer of quiet kindnesses, which counts for a very great deal.”

“Brother/cousin” Wilson posted the following message on the official Robert Jordan blog site yesterday: “Thank each and everyone of you for your prayers and support through this ordeal. He knew you were there. Harriet reminded him today that she was very proud of the many lives he had touched through his work. We’ve all felt the love that you’ve been sending my brother/cousin.”