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Timothy Thomas Powers

ティム・パワーズ

Timu Pawāzu

Pen Names: William AshblessFictional poet devised jointly with James P. Blaylock (used as a playful/shared persona)

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1952-02-29 (Buffalo, New York, United States)
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Catholicism Baptized in 1959
Residence History
Buffalo, New York, USA (birthplace) → California, USA (raised) → Muscoy, San Bernardino, California, USA (current)

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1979-
Influenced By
Philip K. Dick, James P. Blaylock, K. W. Jeter

Education

California State University, Fullerton
English Literature / Department of English
Country: United States
Met James P. Blaylock and K. W. Jeter while a student

Awards

Philip K. Dick Award
Work: The Anubis Gates
Organization: Philip K. Dick Award committee
Result: 受賞
Philip K. Dick Award
Work: Dinner at Deviant's Palace
Organization: Philip K. Dick Award committee
Result: 受賞
World Fantasy Award
2001
Work: Declare
Organization: World Fantasy Award organization
Result: 受賞
World Fantasy Award
Work: Last Call
Organization: World Fantasy Award organization
Result: 受賞
Locus Award
Work: Last Call
Category: ファンタジイ長篇部門
Organization: Locus Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Drawing of the Dark

1979 Fantasy

An early novel blending historical elements with fantastical themes.

historyfantasy

The Anubis Gates

1983 Historical fantasy / Time travel

A time-traveling adventure set in 18th-century London involving magic and historical figures; one of Powers' best-known works.

time travelhistorymagic

On Stranger Tides

1987 Pirate adventure / Fantasy

A pirate tale of magic and legend; widely known as one of the sources for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).

pirateslegendmagic
Adaptations
  • [Film] Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides / Rob Marshall (2011)

The Stress of Her Regard

1989 Gothic / Fantasy

A fantastical story involving vampire legend and poets; blends history with the uncanny.

vampirespoetshistory

Declare

2001 Spy-inflected fantastical fiction

A novel that ties real Cold War history to supernatural elements; winner of the World Fantasy Award.

Cold Warspy fictionoccult

Bibliography

  • The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
  • The Anubis Gates (1983)
  • Dinner at Deviant's Palace (1985)
  • On Stranger Tides (1987)
  • The Stress of Her Regard (1989)
  • Last Call (1992)
  • Declare (2001)
  • Three Days to Never (2006)
  • Hide Me Among the Graves (2012)

Adaptations

  • On Stranger Tides → Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (film, 2011)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
historically rooted fantasydetailed descriptive proseblending of uncanny/fantastic elements with real-world settings
Recurring Motifs
time travelancient legends and mythologypoets and artistsmagic

Legacy

Tim Powers is known for fantastical novels that deftly incorporate historical elements; he has won major awards such as the World Fantasy Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. Close ties with fellow 'steampunks' influenced aspects of contemporary fantasy and weird fiction.

In Popular Culture

  • On Stranger Tides is known as one of the source novels for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Trivia

  • Co-created the fictional poet William Ashbless with James P. Blaylock while at university.
  • Was on friendly terms with Philip K. Dick; a later edition of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (tied to the film) includes a dedication to Powers and his wife.
  • He and his friends sometimes referred to themselves as 'steampunks' in contrast to the then-dominant cyberpunk movement.