Michael Marshall Smith
Encyclopedia
Michael Marshall Smith (born May 3, 1965) is a British
novelist, screenwriter
and short story
writer
who also writes as Michael Marshall.
, Cheshire
, he moved with his family at an early age to first Illinois
and then Florida
. At the age of seven he moved again, this time to South Africa
, and then to Australia
before eventually returning home to England in the early 70s.
He was educated at Chigwell School
, where he was in 'Swallows House', and King's College, Cambridge, where he studied Philosophy
, Social and Political Science
, and became involved with the Cambridge Footlights
. Under the pseudonym of Michael Rutger, he moved on to become a comedy writer and performer on the BBC Radio 4
series And Now, in Colour which has been described as a 'cult hit' and ran for three series. Between 2002 and 2004 he also co-wrote material for 2 series of surreal comedy Dare To Believe
.
in 1991 for "Best Short Story". He has been published in Postscripts
. His first novel, Only Forward, was published in 1994 and won the August Derleth Award
for Best Novel in 1995, and then the Philip K. Dick Award in 2000. The plot involves the lead character, Stark, having to find a missing man he believes to have been kidnapped, and travel through the strange zones of his city. In 1996 his second novel, Spares, was released, a novel in which the lead character, Jack, goes on the run with clones who are used for spare body parts for rich people, when he realises they are people with feelings. Steven Spielberg
's DreamWorks
purchased the film rights for Spares, but a film was never made. When the rights lapsed, DreamWorks did produce The Island
, whose plot had strong similarities to Spares, though Smith did not consider it worthwhile to pursue legal action over the similarities. He now considers it unlikely a Spares film will ever be made.http://www.michaelmarshallsmith.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=123
The novel The Straw Men was the first to be written under the shortened name "Michael Marshall". This change of name was originally due to the publishing of another book of the same name in 2001 by Martin J. Smith. However, Michael then decided to use the split to offer the possibility of publishing different genres of books under the two names - "modern day" novels as Michael Marshall, and horror
/science fiction
as Michael Marshall Smith (cf. Iain (M.) Banks
).
On 1 September 2006, it was announced on his official website that the horror short story Hell Hath Enlarged Herself was in development as a feature film by Cuba Productions and Lightworks Films, financed by the UK Film Council
. Smith will be a producer and co-screenwriter on the film.
In an interview for MSN UK in April http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4949601, Michael Marshall Smith revealed that his latest book The Intruders had been picked up by the BBC for a major new drama series - with the novel being made into a feature length pilot.
As Michael Marshall:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
novelist, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who also writes as Michael Marshall.
Biography
Born in KnutsfordKnutsford
Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in North West England...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, he moved with his family at an early age to first Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and then Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. At the age of seven he moved again, this time to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and then to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
before eventually returning home to England in the early 70s.
He was educated at Chigwell School
Chigwell School
Chigwell School is an English co-educational independent school/public school in Chigwell, in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It was founded in 1629 by Samuel Harsnett, a former Archbishop of York . There are around 730 pupils aged between 7 and 18 years...
, where he was in 'Swallows House', and King's College, Cambridge, where he studied Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Social and Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, and became involved with the Cambridge Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
. Under the pseudonym of Michael Rutger, he moved on to become a comedy writer and performer on the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
series And Now, in Colour which has been described as a 'cult hit' and ran for three series. Between 2002 and 2004 he also co-wrote material for 2 series of surreal comedy Dare To Believe
Dare To Believe
Dare To Believe is a surreal TV sketch show that was shown on ITV in the UK. The programme was shown during the early hours of the mornings, and ran for 2 series between 2002 and 2004, each with thirteen 30 minute episodes...
.
Writing career
His first published story was The Man Who Drew Cats which won the British Fantasy AwardBritish Fantasy Award
The British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. The membership of the BFS vote to determine recommendations, short-lists and winners of the awards...
in 1991 for "Best Short Story". He has been published in Postscripts
Postscripts
Postscripts is a quarterly Britishmagazine of science fiction, fantasy, horror and crime fiction, first published in June 2004.Each issue is published in two editions: a regular newsstand-type edition and a signed, numbered, 150-copy hardcover edition. Beginning with Postscripts #14, it is a...
. His first novel, Only Forward, was published in 1994 and won the August Derleth Award
August Derleth Award
The August Derleth Award is an annual award given out by members of the British Fantasy Society for best novel of the year. The award is named after American writer and editor August Derleth.-Winners of the August Derleth Award:...
for Best Novel in 1995, and then the Philip K. Dick Award in 2000. The plot involves the lead character, Stark, having to find a missing man he believes to have been kidnapped, and travel through the strange zones of his city. In 1996 his second novel, Spares, was released, a novel in which the lead character, Jack, goes on the run with clones who are used for spare body parts for rich people, when he realises they are people with feelings. Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
purchased the film rights for Spares, but a film was never made. When the rights lapsed, DreamWorks did produce The Island
The Island (2005 film)
The Island is a 2005 American science fiction/thriller film directed by Michael Bay and starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. It was released on July 22, 2005 in the United States, and was nominated for three awards including the Teen Choice Award....
, whose plot had strong similarities to Spares, though Smith did not consider it worthwhile to pursue legal action over the similarities. He now considers it unlikely a Spares film will ever be made.http://www.michaelmarshallsmith.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=123
The novel The Straw Men was the first to be written under the shortened name "Michael Marshall". This change of name was originally due to the publishing of another book of the same name in 2001 by Martin J. Smith. However, Michael then decided to use the split to offer the possibility of publishing different genres of books under the two names - "modern day" novels as Michael Marshall, and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
/science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
as Michael Marshall Smith (cf. Iain (M.) Banks
Iain Banks
Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
).
On 1 September 2006, it was announced on his official website that the horror short story Hell Hath Enlarged Herself was in development as a feature film by Cuba Productions and Lightworks Films, financed by the UK Film Council
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...
. Smith will be a producer and co-screenwriter on the film.
In an interview for MSN UK in April http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4949601, Michael Marshall Smith revealed that his latest book The Intruders had been picked up by the BBC for a major new drama series - with the novel being made into a feature length pilot.
Novels
- Only ForwardOnly ForwardOnly Forward is the debut novel of author Michael Marshall Smith. First published in 1994 by HarperCollins,it was the winner of the August Derleth Award and Philip K. Dick Award .-Synopsis:...
(Harpercollins 1994 ISBN 0-586-21774-6) - Spares (1996)
- One of UsOne of Us (novel)One of Us is a novel by Michael Marshall Smith first published in 1998.It was the third novel Smith had published, and is similar in style to his earlier works, Only Forward and Spares, written as it is in sardonic first person prose, and set in a near future version of west coast America where...
(1998) - The ServantsThe Servants (novel)The Servants is a young adult contemporary fantasy novel by British author M. M. Smith. It tells the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Mark who, against his wishes, moves away from his home town of London to the wintry Brighton seaside, and the resulting misadventures...
(2007)
As Michael Marshall:
- The Straw MenThe Straw MenThe Straw Men is a 2002 crime novel by the British writer Michael Marshall.Marshall has previously published some well-received SF titles under the name Michael Marshall Smith, but following in the footsteps of Iain Banks and Brian Aldiss, Marshall has decided to swap names to denote a switch in...
(2001) - The Lonely Dead (2004) - Released in the US under the title The Upright Man
- Blood of Angels (2005)
- The Intruders (2007)
- Bad Things (2009)
- Killer Move (2011)
Collections
- When God Lived in Kentish Town (1998) - a small paperback containing four stories, distributed for free by W H SmithW H SmithWHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
at tubeThe TubeThe Tube may refer to:*The London Underground* "The Tube", slang for Television, from the term cathode ray tube*The Tube , an ITV/Sky programme featuring the work of staff on the London Underground...
and rail stations around LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Heathrow airportLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
to promote the publication of One of Us. 5,000 copies were produced. - What You Make ItWhat You Make ItThe short story collection What You Make It by Michael Marshall Smith was first published in 1999, and represents the first time that the author's short stories had been collected...
(1999) - Cat Stories (2001)
- More Tomorrow & Other StoriesMore Tomorrow & Other StoriesThe collection More Tomorrow & Other Stories by Michael Marshall Smith draws together 30 of the author's short stories, including several written specifically for the collection. Smith's short stories had been partially collected in 1999's What You Make It, but this had only been published in the UK...
(2003) - This is Now (2007)
Awards
- British Fantasy SocietyBritish Fantasy SocietyThe British Fantasy Society began in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres....
award for Short Fiction, The Man Who Drew Cats (1991) - British Fantasy Society Icarus Award for Best Newcomer (1991)
- British Fantasy Society award for Short Fiction, The Dark Land (1992)
- British Fantasy Society August DerlethAugust DerlethAugust William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
Award (Best Novel), Only Forward (1995) - British Fantasy Society award for Short Fiction, More Tomorrow (1996)
- Philip K. Dick Award - Norwescon, Only Forward (2000)
External links
- Official Michael Marshall Smith Web site
- This is Now A short story at the BBC's Cult website
- LibraryThing author profile
- Interview with Michael Marshall Smith for MSN UK Tech & Gadgets
- Dark Party Review Michael Marshall Smith Interview About the Art of the Thriller