Christopher Moore
Encyclopedia
Christopher Moore is an America
n writer of comic fantasy
. He grew up in Mansfield, Ohio
, and attended Ohio State University
and Brooks Institute of Photography
in Santa Barbara
, California
.
Moore was an only child, and learned to amuse himself with his imagination. He loved reading as a child, and his father brought him plenty of books back from the library every week. He started writing around the age of twelve, and realised that this was his talent by the time he was 16, and he began to consider making it his career.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman
characters struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. His humanism is inherited from his love of John Steinbeck
and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut
. With the exception of Fool
, all his books take place in the same universe and characters appear interchangeably from novel to novel.
Moore has a characteristic view of the world; the randomness of life amuses but frightens him. This is reflected in most of his books, especially the ones about supernatural whimsy horror.
According to his interview in the June 2007 issue of Writer's Digest, the film rights to Moore's first novel, Practical Demonkeeping
(1992), were purchased by Disney even before the book had a publisher. In answer to repeated questions from fans over the years, Moore stated that all of his books have been optioned or sold for films, but that as yet "none of them are in any danger of being made into a movie."
As of June 2006, Moore has been living in San Francisco
, California
, after a few years' residence on the island of Kauai
, Hawaii
.
9781841494470
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n writer of comic fantasy
Comic fantasy
Comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Usually set in imaginary worlds, comic fantasy often includes puns on and parodies of other works of fantasy. It is sometimes known as Low fantasy in contrast to High fantasy, which is primarily serious in intent...
. He grew up in Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
, and attended Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and Brooks Institute of Photography
Brooks Institute of Photography
Brooks Institute is a system of two for-profit private arts colleges based in Santa Barbara, California and Ventura, California, owned by Career Education Corporation. Formally known as "Brooks Institute of Photography," Brooks Institute offers four majors, two certificate programs and two...
in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Moore was an only child, and learned to amuse himself with his imagination. He loved reading as a child, and his father brought him plenty of books back from the library every week. He started writing around the age of twelve, and realised that this was his talent by the time he was 16, and he began to consider making it his career.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
characters struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. His humanism is inherited from his love of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
. With the exception of Fool
Fool (novel)
Fool is the eleventh novel by Christopher Moore, released on February 10, 2009.The novel takes the premise for the plot from the story of Shakespeare's play King Lear, but is narrated from the perspective of the character of the Fool, whose name in the novel is Pocket.In the course of the novel are...
, all his books take place in the same universe and characters appear interchangeably from novel to novel.
Moore has a characteristic view of the world; the randomness of life amuses but frightens him. This is reflected in most of his books, especially the ones about supernatural whimsy horror.
According to his interview in the June 2007 issue of Writer's Digest, the film rights to Moore's first novel, Practical Demonkeeping
Practical Demonkeeping
Practical Demonkeeping, published in 1992, is Christopher Moore's first novel. It deals with a demon from Hell and his master. The novel has been translated and published in German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian.-Plot summary:...
(1992), were purchased by Disney even before the book had a publisher. In answer to repeated questions from fans over the years, Moore stated that all of his books have been optioned or sold for films, but that as yet "none of them are in any danger of being made into a movie."
As of June 2006, Moore has been living in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, after a few years' residence on the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Novels
- Practical DemonkeepingPractical DemonkeepingPractical Demonkeeping, published in 1992, is Christopher Moore's first novel. It deals with a demon from Hell and his master. The novel has been translated and published in German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian.-Plot summary:...
(1992) St. Martin'sSt. Martin's PressSt. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
ISBN
9781841494470
- Coyote BlueCoyote BlueCoyote Blue is the second novel by Christopher Moore, published in 1994.The plot concerns a salesman in Santa Barbara, California named Sam Hunter who, as a teenager, fled his home when he was involved in the death of a law officer...
(1994) Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
ISBN 0-06-073543-0 - Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story (1995) Simon & Schuster ISBN 0-684-81097-2
- Island of the Sequined Love NunIsland of the Sequined Love NunIsland of the Sequined Love Nun is the fourth novel by absurdist author Christopher Moore, published in 1997. It is based partly on the author's personal experiences in Micronesia.-Plot:...
(1997) Avon ISBN 0-06-073544-9 - The Lust Lizard of Melancholy CoveThe Lust Lizard of Melancholy CoveThe Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is the fifth novel by author Christopher Moore, published in 1999. It is set in the same fictional town of Pine Cove, California, as his first novel, Practical Demonkeeping, and also brings back some of the same characters.-Plot summary:Pine Cove suffers a major...
(1999) Spike/Avon ISBN 0-06-059027-0 - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood PalLamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood PalLamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal is the sixth novel by absurdist author Christopher Moore, published in 2002. In this work the author seeks to fill in the "lost" years of Jesus through the point of view of Jesus' childhood pal, "Levi bar Alphaeus who is called Biff".The...
(2002) William Morrow ISBN 0-380-81381-5 - Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale SingsFluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale SingsFluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings is the seventh novel by Christopher Moore. Published in 2003, it combines elements of absurdist and fantasy fiction, as well as the author's own brand of social commentary and humor...
(2003) William Morrow ISBN 0-380-97841-5 - The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror (2004) William Morrow ISBN 0-06-084235-0
- The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, v. 2.0 (2005) -- contains the same text as the above, with an additional 35-page short story at the end
- A Dirty JobA Dirty JobA Dirty Job is the ninth novel by Christopher Moore, published in 2006. While reflecting the author's absurdist tendencies, the content of the novel draws in no small part from his own experiences in tending to the needs of close family and friends who were in the stages of dying.- Plot :The story...
(2006) (awarded The Quill Book Award for General Fiction for 2006) William Morrow ISBN 0-06-059027-0 - You Suck: A Love Story (2007) William Morrow ISBN 0-06-059029-7
- FoolFool (novel)Fool is the eleventh novel by Christopher Moore, released on February 10, 2009.The novel takes the premise for the plot from the story of Shakespeare's play King Lear, but is narrated from the perspective of the character of the Fool, whose name in the novel is Pocket.In the course of the novel are...
(2009) William Morrow ISBN 0-06-059031-9 - Bite Me: A Love Story (2010) William Morrow ISBN 978-0-06-177972-5
- Sacré Bleu (2012)
Short stories
- "Our Lady of the Fishnet Stockings" (1987)
- "Cat's Karma" (1987)
Other works
- The Griff (a graphic novelGraphic novelA graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
co-written with Ian Corson and illustrated by Jennyson Rosero)