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==Biography==
==Biography==
Eddings claimed to be part [[Cherokee]]<ref name="starlog.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.starlog.com/franchises/fantasy-worlds/256-recalling-the-late-david-eddings-lord-of-creation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815062441/http://www.starlog.com/franchises/fantasy-worlds/256-recalling-the-late-david-eddings-lord-of-creation|title=Recalling the late David Eddings, Lord of Creation|archive-date=15 August 2009|work=starlog.com|access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref> and was born in [[Spokane, Washington]], to George Wayne Eddings and Theone (Berge) Eddings,<ref>[http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~cjwatson/eddings/faq/archive/text/1.1-19960707 The alt.fan.eddings David Eddings Frequently Asked Questions List]</ref> in 1931. Eddings grew up near [[Puget Sound]] in the City of Snohomish.<ref>[[The Malloreon#Sorceress of Darshiva|Sorceress of Darshiva]]</ref> After graduating from [[Snohomish High School]] in 1949, he worked for a year before majoring in speech, drama and English at junior college.<ref>David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, {{ISBN|0006483496}}, p. 9</ref> Eddings displayed an early talent for drama and literature, winning a national oratorical contest, and performing the male lead in most of his drama productions. He graduated with a BA from [[Reed College]] in 1954. He wrote a novel for a thesis at Reed College, ''How Lonely Are The Dead'', before being drafted into the U.S. Army.<ref name="auto">David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, {{ISBN|0006483496}}, p. 10</ref> (He had also previously served in the National Guard.)<ref name="starlog210">{{cite magazine |last=Nicholls |first=Stan |author-link=Stan Nicholls |date=January 1995 |editor-last=McDonnell |editor-first=David |title=Ring Bearer |url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-210 |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=210 |page=76-81 |issn=0191-4626}}</ref> After being discharged in 1956, Eddings attended the graduate school of the [[University of Washington| University of Washington in Seattle]] for four years, graduating with an MA in 1961 after submitting a novel in progress, ''Man Running'', for his thesis.<ref>David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, {{ISBN|0006483496}}, p. 3</ref> Eddings then worked as a purchaser for [[Boeing]], where he met his future wife, then known as Judith Leigh Schall.<ref name="auto" /> They married in 1962, and through most of the 1960s, Eddings worked as an Assistant Professor at [[Black Hills State College]] in South Dakota.
Eddings claimed to be part [[Cherokee]]<ref name="starlog.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.starlog.com/franchises/fantasy-worlds/256-recalling-the-late-david-eddings-lord-of-creation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815062441/http://www.starlog.com/franchises/fantasy-worlds/256-recalling-the-late-david-eddings-lord-of-creation|title=Recalling the late David Eddings, Lord of Creation|archive-date=15 August 2009|work=starlog.com|access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref> and was born in [[Spokane, Washington]], to George Wayne Eddings and Theone (Berge) Eddings,<ref>[http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~cjwatson/eddings/faq/archive/text/1.1-19960707 The alt.fan.eddings David Eddings Frequently Asked Questions List]</ref> in 1931. Eddings grew up near [[Puget Sound]] in the City of Snohomish.<ref>[[The Malloreon#Sorceress of Darshiva|Sorceress of Darshiva]]</ref> After graduating from [[Snohomish High School]] in 1949, he worked for a year before majoring in speech, drama and English at junior college.<ref>David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, {{ISBN|0006483496}}, p. 9</ref> Eddings displayed an early talent for drama and literature, winning a national oratorical contest, and performing the male lead in most of his drama productions. He graduated with a BA from [[Reed College]] in 1954, writing his first novel, ''How Lonely Are The Dead'', as his senior thesis. After graduating Reed College, Eddings was drafted into the U.S. Army,<ref name="auto">David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, {{ISBN|0006483496}}, p. 10</ref> having also previously served in the National Guard.<ref name="starlog210">{{cite magazine |last=Nicholls |first=Stan |author-link=Stan Nicholls |date=January 1995 |editor-last=McDonnell |editor-first=David |title=Ring Bearer |url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-210 |magazine=[[Starlog]] |issue=210 |page=76-81 |issn=0191-4626}}</ref> After being discharged in 1956, Eddings attended the graduate school of the[[University of Washington| University of Washington in Seattle]] for four years, graduating with an MA in 1961 after submitting a novel in progress, ''Man Running'', for his thesis.<ref>David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, {{ISBN|0006483496}}, p. 3</ref> Eddings then worked as a purchaser for [[Boeing]], where he met his future wife, then known as Judith Leigh Schall.<ref name="auto" /> They married in 1962, and through most of the 1960s, Eddings worked as an Assistant Professor at [[Black Hills State College]] in South Dakota.


The couple adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old.<ref name="queencitymail-1966mar"/><ref name="queencitymail-1970may"/> They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969.<ref name="queencitymail-1970may"/> In 1970 they lost custody of both children and each were sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to [[physical abuse|physical]] [[child abuse]].<ref name="blackhillsweekly-1970feb"/> Though the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as fantasy authors beginning in the 1980s. The abuse only returned to public attention several years after both had died.
The couple adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old.<ref name="queencitymail-1966mar"/><ref name="queencitymail-1970may"/> They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969.<ref name="queencitymail-1970may"/> In 1970 they lost custody of both children and each were sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to [[physical abuse|physical]] [[child abuse]].<ref name="blackhillsweekly-1970feb"/> Though the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as authors, only returning to public attention several years after both had died.


After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.<ref name="themodernistreview.co.uk">{{cite web|last=Gifford|first=James|date=2016-09-30|url=https://gifford.mla.hcommons.org/2017/08/26/a-frightful-hobgoblin//|title=A Frightful Hobgoblin Stalks Through Modernism?|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref>
After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.<ref name="themodernistreview.co.uk">{{cite web|last=Gifford|first=James|date=2016-09-30|url=https://gifford.mla.hcommons.org/2017/08/26/a-frightful-hobgoblin//|title=A Frightful Hobgoblin Stalks Through Modernism?|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref>

Revision as of 20:50, 22 December 2021

David Eddings
BornDavid Carroll Eddings
(1931-07-07)July 7, 1931
Spokane, Washington
DiedJune 2, 2009(2009-06-02) (aged 77)
Carson City, Nevada
OccupationNovelist
Alma materReed College (BA)
University of Washington (MA)
GenreFantasy
Years active1973–2006
Notable works
SpouseLeigh Eddings (1962–2007)

David Carroll Eddings (July 7, 1931 – June 2, 2009[1]) was an American fantasy writer. With his wife Leigh, he authored several best-selling epic fantasy novel series, including The Belgariad (1982–84), The Malloreon (1987–91), The Elenium (1989–91), The Tamuli (1992–94), and The Dreamers (2003–06).

Biography

Eddings claimed to be part Cherokee[2] and was born in Spokane, Washington, to George Wayne Eddings and Theone (Berge) Eddings,[3] in 1931. Eddings grew up near Puget Sound in the City of Snohomish.[4] After graduating from Snohomish High School in 1949, he worked for a year before majoring in speech, drama and English at junior college.[5] Eddings displayed an early talent for drama and literature, winning a national oratorical contest, and performing the male lead in most of his drama productions. He graduated with a BA from Reed College in 1954, writing his first novel, How Lonely Are The Dead, as his senior thesis. After graduating Reed College, Eddings was drafted into the U.S. Army,[6] having also previously served in the National Guard.[7] After being discharged in 1956, Eddings attended the graduate school of the University of Washington in Seattle for four years, graduating with an MA in 1961 after submitting a novel in progress, Man Running, for his thesis.[8] Eddings then worked as a purchaser for Boeing, where he met his future wife, then known as Judith Leigh Schall.[6] They married in 1962, and through most of the 1960s, Eddings worked as an Assistant Professor at Black Hills State College in South Dakota.

The couple adopted one boy in 1966, Scott David, then two months old.[9][10] They adopted a younger girl between 1966 and 1969.[10] In 1970 they lost custody of both children and each were sentenced to a year in jail in separate trials after pleading guilty to physical child abuse.[11] Though the abuse, the trial, and the sentencing were all extensively reported in South Dakota newspapers at the time, these details did not resurface in media coverage of the couple during their successful joint career as authors, only returning to public attention several years after both had died.

After both served their sentences, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Denver in 1971, where David found work in a grocery store.[12]

Eddings had completed the first draft of his first published novel, High Hunt, in March 1971 while serving his jail term.[13] High Hunt was a contemporary story of four young men hunting deer, and like many of his later novels, it explores themes of manhood and coming of age. Convinced that being an author was his future career, after a short period in Denver, David and Leigh Eddings moved to Spokane where he once again relied on a job at a grocery shop for his funds. High Hunt was published in early 1972 by G.P. Putnam's Sons to modestly positive reviews.[14] Eddings continued to work on several unpublished novels, including Hunseeker's Ascent, a story about mountain climbing, which was later burned as Eddings claimed it was "a piece of tripe so bad it even bored me."[15] Most of his attempts followed the same vein as High Hunt: adventure stories and contemporary tragedies. None were sold or published, with the eventual exception of The Losers which tells the story of God and the Devil, cast in the roles of a one-eyed Indian and Jake Flood. Though written in the 1970s, The Losers was not published until June 1992, well after Eddings' success as an author was established.[7]

Eddings doodled a fantasy map one morning before work. According to Eddings, several years later, upon seeing a copy of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, in a bookshop, he muttered, "Is this old turkey still floating around?", and was shocked to learn that it was in its 78th printing. However, he had already included Tolkien's work in the syllabuses for at least three sections of his English Literature survey courses in the summer of 1967 and the Springs of 1968 and 1969.[12] Eddings subsequently began to annotate his previous doodle, which became the geographical basis for the country of Aloria.[15] Over the course of a year he added names to various kingdoms, races, and characters, and invented various theologies and a mythology, all of which counted about 230 pages. Because the Lord of the Rings had been published as three books, Eddings believed fantasy in general was supposed to be trilogies. He initially laid out The Belgariad as a trilogy as well, until his editor Lester del Rey told him the booksellers would refuse to accept 600-page books. Instead del Rey suggested the series should be published as five books. Eddings at first refused, but having already signed the contract, and with Del Rey's promise that he would receive advances for five books instead of three, eventually agreed.[16] Pawn of Prophecy, the first volume in the series, was issued in April 1982.

The Belgariad series of books (published in five volumes between 1982 and 1984) were popular, and Eddings would continue to produce fantasy material for the rest of his life, usually producing a book every year or two. By 1995, new books were credited jointly to David and Leigh Eddings; Eddings explained in a brief foreword that their working together as authors "had been the case from the beginning." This is generally accepted to be broadly accurate,[17][18][19] although Eddings scholar James Gifford notes that collaboration would have been "impossible" with Eddings' first published novel High Hunt, as David Eddings' own notes show that the first draft was completed while he and Leigh were both in different jails, about half-way through their terms.[20]

The Eddings' final work, the novel series The Dreamers, was published in four volumes between 2003 and 2006.

On January 26, 2007 Eddings accidentally burned about a quarter of his office, next door to his house, along with his Excalibur sports car. He was flushing the fuel tank of the car with water when he lit a piece of paper and threw it into the puddle to test if it was still flammable. When asked to explain it to the firefighter he said "One word comes to mind. Dumb."[21]

On February 28, 2007, David Eddings' wife, Leigh Eddings, who he married in 1962, died following a series of strokes that left her unable to communicate. She was 69.[22] Eddings cared for her at home with her mother after her first stroke, which occurred three years before he finished writing The Dreamers.[12]

Eddings resided in Carson City, Nevada, where he died of natural causes on June 2, 2009.[23][24]

Dennis, Eddings' brother, said that he had been ill with dementia for a long time, but his health had been on a very fast downhill slide since September, and he required 24-hour care. He also confirmed that in his last months, his brother had been working on a manuscript that was unlike any of his other works, stating "It was very, very different. I wouldn't call it exactly a satire of fantasy but it sure plays with the genre". The unfinished work, along with his other manuscripts, went to his alma mater, Reed College,[25] along with a bequest of $18 million to fund "students and faculty studying languages and literature."[26] Eddings also bequeathed $10 million to the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver for pediatric asthma treatment and research; Eddings' wife Leigh had asthma throughout her life.[27]

Bibliography

Main article: David Eddings bibliography

References

  1. ^ Robb, P. Bradley (2009-06-03). "David Eddings, Dead at 77". Fiction Matters. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  2. ^ "Recalling the late David Eddings, Lord of Creation". starlog.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  3. ^ The alt.fan.eddings David Eddings Frequently Asked Questions List
  4. ^ Sorceress of Darshiva
  5. ^ David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, ISBN 0006483496, p. 9
  6. ^ a b David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, ISBN 0006483496, p. 10
  7. ^ a b Nicholls, Stan (January 1995). McDonnell, David (ed.). "Ring Bearer". Starlog. No. 210. p. 76-81. ISSN 0191-4626.
  8. ^ David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, ISBN 0006483496, p. 3
  9. ^ "Mr. and Mrs. David Eddings Adopt First Child, Scott David". Queen City Mail. 1966-03-10. p. 5. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Separate Trials Set for Eddings". Queen City Mail. 1970-05-07. Retrieved 3 May 2019. In other action Friday, Mattson and Judge Richard A. Furze were served with papers calling for a hearing May 14 on a petition by the Eddings to regain custody of their two adopted children, Scott David, 4, upon whom the abuse was allegedly inflicted, and a younger daughter.
  11. ^ "Witnesses Tell of 'Child Abuse'". The Black Hills Weekly. 1970-02-11. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Gifford, James (2016-09-30). "A Frightful Hobgoblin Stalks Through Modernism?". Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  13. ^ https://gifford.mla.hcommons.org/2020/02/03/on-reading-monsters/#13n
  14. ^ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-eddings/high-hunt/
  15. ^ a b David and Leigh Eddings, The Rivan Codex, ISBN 0006483496, p. 11
  16. ^ "Guardians of the West: An Interview with David Eddings - Chiark". Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  17. ^ "The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of the Belgariad and the Malloreon". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 25 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ D'Ammassa, Don (11 August 2020). Masters of Fantasy: Volume II. Independently Published. ISBN 979-8-6730-5251-8.
  19. ^ Palmer-Patel, Charul. The Shape of Fantasy : Investigating the Structure of American Heroic Epic Fantasy. [New York]. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-429-19926-4. OCLC 1125007425.
  20. ^ https://gifford.mla.hcommons.org/2020/02/03/on-reading-monsters/#13
  21. ^ F.T. Norton (2007). "Novelist accidentally burns down office". Nevada Appeal. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  22. ^ "Décès de Leigh Eddings". Elbakin.net. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
  23. ^ Neill, Graeme (2009-06-03). "Fantasy writer David Eddings dies". Bookseller.com. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  24. ^ "Fantasy writer Eddings dies". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2009-06-05. [dead link‍]
  25. ^ "Fantasy writer David Eddings dies in Carson City home". The Nevada Appeal. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  26. ^ "Fantasy writer David Eddings leaves Reed College $18 million". The Oregonian. 2009-07-15.
  27. ^ Trageser, Claire (2009-07-17). "Late author leaves $10 million to National Jewish". Denver Post. Archived from the original on 2009-07-18.
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