Octavia Butler Biography

One of the first African-American woman writers to receive critical-acclaim as a major writer in the genre of science-fiction, Octavia Butler is popularly called the ‘Grand Dame Of Science Fiction’. She is also the first science-fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship and is also the recipient of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards. She was born into a humble family and lost her father while still an infant. Her mother worked as a maid to support the family financially. As a child, she was rather shy but developed a love for reading and writing science fiction. Most of her books contain a blend of both science fiction and elements of African-American spirituality. Her first published novel, ‘Patternmaster’ resulted in a volume of novels called, ‘Patternist series’. Some of her other acclaimed books include, 'Parable of the Sower', 'Kindred', 'Parable of the Talents', the ‘Lilith's Brood' science fiction trilogy and the award winning short story collection, 'Bloodchild and Other Stories'. She attended the Screenwriter's Guild Open Door Program and the Clarion Science Fiction Writers' Workshop.