Una Persson
Encyclopedia
Una Persson is a recurring character in many of Michael Moorcock
's 'multiverse' novels. She has also been used as a character in stories by other writers. She was the character Moorcock chose to start a round-robin story
in The Guardian
Often appearing as a cool, anarchistic revolutionary in the many alternate histories, futures and worlds created by Moorcock, she is bisexual in her private life, having been the lover of both Jerry and Catherine Cornelius. In some ways a more dedicated, less dissolute female version of Jerry Cornelius
, she is revealed in The Condition of Muzak
as playing the role Harlequin
. In 'The End of All Songs' she appears as a member of the "Guild of Temporal Adventurers".
She has appeared in the Jerry Cornelius novels A Cure for Cancer
, The English Assassin
, The Condition of Muzak
and The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the Twentieth Century. She was in all three of the Nomad of the Time Streams trilogy - The Warlord of the Air, The Land Leviathan
and The Steel Tsar
, appeared in the Elizabethan alternative history novel Gloriana
as Una of Scaith, and in the later Elric novel The Fortress of the Pearl she appeared as Oone the Dreamthief. As Oone she has a child with Elric of Melniboné
she names Oona, who eventually becomes the parent of Oona Von Bek with Ulrich Von Bek
in The Dreamthief's Daughter
She also features as a character in Dancers at the End of Time, Elric at the End of Time, The Alchemist's Question
, The Entropy Tango
and in the books Second Gibraltar by Chris Reed and The Great Counterfeit Memory Sin-Drome by Andrew Darlington. She appears in The Murderer's Song, The Gangrene Collection, The Roumanian Question and in Everything Blowing Up: An Adventure of Una Persson by Hilary Bailey
.
She appears in several of The Metatemporal Detective
stories including The Mystery of the Texas Twister, The Affair of the Bassin Les Hivers and The Flaneur des Arcades de l’Opera. Persson is also a protagonist in The White Wolf's Son, The Spencer Inheritance, The Camus Referendum and Firing the Cathedral
.
She is also mentioned, although does not appear in her own right, in stories and novels such as Pale Roses, White Stars, The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming, Blood, The War Amongst the Angels by Moorcock as well as Giants in the Earth by Caitlin R. Kiernan
and Angel of War by James Lovegrove
. In the The Revenge of the Rose Onna Peerthorn is the name of a boat. Naturally her name was on the guest list in the The Reunion Party.
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
's 'multiverse' novels. She has also been used as a character in stories by other writers. She was the character Moorcock chose to start a round-robin story
Round-robin story
A round-robin story, or simply "round robin," is a type of collaborative fiction or storytelling in which a number of authors each write chapters of a novel or pieces of a story, in rounds. Round-robin novels were invented in the 19th century, and later became a tradition particularly in science...
in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Often appearing as a cool, anarchistic revolutionary in the many alternate histories, futures and worlds created by Moorcock, she is bisexual in her private life, having been the lover of both Jerry and Catherine Cornelius. In some ways a more dedicated, less dissolute female version of Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius is a fictional secret agent and adventurer created by science fiction / fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous sexuality. Many of the same characters feature in each of several Cornelius books, though the individual books...
, she is revealed in The Condition of Muzak
The Condition of Muzak
The Condition of Muzak is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is the final novel of his long running Jerry Cornelius series. It was first published in its revised form in 1979...
as playing the role Harlequin
Harlequin
Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
. In 'The End of All Songs' she appears as a member of the "Guild of Temporal Adventurers".
She has appeared in the Jerry Cornelius novels A Cure for Cancer
A Cure for Cancer
A Cure for Cancer is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock . It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series ....
, The English Assassin
The English Assassin
The English Assassin: A Romance of Entropy is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock . Subtitled "A romance of entropy" it was the third part of his long running Jerry Cornelius series ....
, The Condition of Muzak
The Condition of Muzak
The Condition of Muzak is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is the final novel of his long running Jerry Cornelius series. It was first published in its revised form in 1979...
and The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the Twentieth Century. She was in all three of the Nomad of the Time Streams trilogy - The Warlord of the Air, The Land Leviathan
The Land Leviathan
The Land Leviathan is a sci-fi/alternate history novel by Michael Moorcock, first published in 1974. Originally subtitled A New Scientific Romance, it has been seen as an early steampunk novel, dealing with an alternative British Imperial history dominated by airships and futuristic warfare. It is...
and The Steel Tsar
The Steel Tsar
The Steel Tsar is a sci-fi/alternate history novel by Michael Moorcock, first published in 1981 by Granada. Being a sequel to Warlord of the Air and The Land Leviathan , it is the final part of Moorcock's A Nomad of the Time Streams trilogy regarding the adventures of Cpt...
, appeared in the Elizabethan alternative history novel Gloriana
Gloriana
Gloriana is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Elizabeth and Essex by Lytton Strachey...
as Una of Scaith, and in the later Elric novel The Fortress of the Pearl she appeared as Oone the Dreamthief. As Oone she has a child with Elric of Melniboné
Elric of Melniboné
Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by Michael Moorcock, and the antihero of a series of sword and sorcery stories centering in an alternate Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné...
she names Oona, who eventually becomes the parent of Oona Von Bek with Ulrich Von Bek
Ulrich von Bek
Graf Ulrich von Bek is a fictional character created by Michael Moorcock. He and his descendants are a somewhat unusual family in Moorcock's works, as they function both as an aspect of his Eternal Champion and as a companion to him. The family is considered to be the current Keeper of the Holy...
in The Dreamthief's Daughter
She also features as a character in Dancers at the End of Time, Elric at the End of Time, The Alchemist's Question
The Alchemist's Question
The Alchemist's Question is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is part of his long running Jerry Cornelius series. It was also published in his collection The Opium General and other stories and the compilation The Cornelius Chronicles, Vol. III....
, The Entropy Tango
The Entropy Tango
The Entropy Tango is a novel by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock . It is part of his long running Jerry Cornelius series....
and in the books Second Gibraltar by Chris Reed and The Great Counterfeit Memory Sin-Drome by Andrew Darlington. She appears in The Murderer's Song, The Gangrene Collection, The Roumanian Question and in Everything Blowing Up: An Adventure of Una Persson by Hilary Bailey
Hilary Bailey
Hilary Bailey is a British writer and editor, born in 1936. She is the former wife of Michael Moorcock.She edited volumes 7-10 of the New Worlds Quarterly series....
.
She appears in several of The Metatemporal Detective
The Metatemporal Detective
The Metatemporal Detective is a collection of short fiction by the prolific award winning British fantasy writer Michael Moorcock .The stories chart the adventures of the Holmesian detective Sir Seaton Begg, his trusty sidekick Dr. Taffy Sinclair and his complex relationship with his cousin,...
stories including The Mystery of the Texas Twister, The Affair of the Bassin Les Hivers and The Flaneur des Arcades de l’Opera. Persson is also a protagonist in The White Wolf's Son, The Spencer Inheritance, The Camus Referendum and Firing the Cathedral
Firing the Cathedral
Firing the Cathedral is a novella by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock . It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius series....
.
She is also mentioned, although does not appear in her own right, in stories and novels such as Pale Roses, White Stars, The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming, Blood, The War Amongst the Angels by Moorcock as well as Giants in the Earth by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Caitlin R. Kiernan
Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan is the author of many science fiction and dark fantasy works, including seven novels, many comic books, more than one hundred published short stories, novellas, and vignettes, and numerous scientific papers.- Overview :Born in Dublin, Ireland, she moved to the United States...
and Angel of War by James Lovegrove
James Lovegrove
James Lovegrove is a British writer of speculative fiction. His first novel was The Hope, published by Macmillan in 1990. He was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1998 for his novel Days and for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2004 for his novel Untied Kingdom...
. In the The Revenge of the Rose Onna Peerthorn is the name of a boat. Naturally her name was on the guest list in the The Reunion Party.