We all love the famous power struggle series in the fictional Seven Kingdoms, but few know who wrote The Game of Thrones. Its creator is George Martin - a popular American writer, winner of many prestigious literary awards, producer and screenwriter.
early years
The creator of Game of Thrones was born back in 1948 in New Jersey, USA. His parents were typical middle class. Father worked as a loader in the port, and his mother was engaged in children. According to the stories of George Martin himself, he began to create from an early age. In his youth, Martin wrote short scary stories, and then sold them to other children. With the proceeds, I bought myself something tasty.
From childhood, the one who wrote The Game of Thrones is a fan of another cult science fiction writer, John Tolkien. Martin himself does not deny that he was largely inspired by his works. And the most attentive readers even find many references from the world of Middle-earth. Martin is also fond of comics and science fiction.
The first successes in literature
George Martin published his first story in 1971 in a science fiction magazine. At the same time, because of his own convictions, he refuses to serve in Vietnam (in those years the USA fought a war in this country), replaces it with alternative civilian employment.
He graduated from the Faculty of Journalism, for some time taught in this specialty.
In 1975 he received the first serious literary award - the Hugo Prize for "Song of Leah" - a story dedicated to the first mutual love. Martin's stories are successful: they often receive nominations at literary awards. In 1977, he released his first novel, dubbed "Dying Light."
By the end of the 70s, Martin gained great fame as a science fiction writer. Having published his best works in this genre, the writer switched to horrors. The first work written in this genre was the novel about vampires "Dreams of February." He received rave reviews from critics, a warm praise from readers, but his sales were not too great.
Creative failures
George Martin, the one who wrote The Game of Thrones, was on the brink of ruin in the 80s. In 1984, his new novel, The Noise of Armageddon, was released, the failure of which nearly ruined the career of a writer. Sales were so low that many publishers refused to print Martin’s next novel, Everything Is Black, White, and Red. As a result, this work was never published.
After a failure in writing, the author turns his attention to Hollywood. A fan of the failed “Armageddon Noise” buys from the writer the rights to film adaptation of the work and invites Martin to work on the script. The film never came out, but the writer was able to get useful connections in the film industry. As a screenwriter, he was able to take part in the projects Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and Portals.
“Song of Ice and Fire” - the most popular work of the writer
George Martin began the creation of the Song of Ice and Fire series in early 1991. He returned to writing after the failure of the series Portals, in which Martin worked not only as a screenwriter, but also as a producer. Already in 1993, he provided the publisher with a short plot of all books, as well as several chapters ready for publication. After 3 years, in 1996, the first book of the Game of Thrones series was published.
Who wrote the book? This is the first question that arose among readers, because it was amazing. A realistic plot, prescribed heroes, unexpected twists in the story made it popular not only in America but throughout the world. Along with the work, George Martin himself gained fame. Over the next few years, the following books of the cycle are published: “The Battle of the Kings” and “The Storm of Swords”.
In 2007, George Martin gives the green light to the film adaptation of his brainchild. Screenwriters David Benioff and Dan Weiss became the ones who wrote The Game of Thrones for the television screen. The writer himself also took an active part in the development of the series and even wrote a script for several series.
The series itself started in 2011, at the same time a new book of the series “Dance with the Dragons” was published, which broke all sales records. Martin himself became popular again. He not only helps in the work on the series, but also attends all kinds of conventions for fans of the series and books.
The series was a huge success, becoming one of the best fantasy film adaptations in the history of television. In addition to camera work and acting, they also provide high-quality sound. Who wrote the music for Game of Thrones? This question is often of interest to fans. The title theme of the series, written by Ramin Javadi, has become the most recognizable soundtrack.
Modern period
Now George Martin is busy working on "Winds of Winter" - the penultimate book of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire." Its publication was expected back in 2014, but the writer did not finish work on it. For the sake of an early publication of the book, he stopped writing scripts for TV shows, as well as attending most of the social events. In addition to writing, Martin's only hobby is a small movie theater, which he bought to show retro films there.
The Game of Thrones is moving toward its logical conclusion. The premiere of the penultimate season is expected next year. However, the film adaptation has long ceased to be a copy of the book. "Winds of Winter" did not come out on time, so the scriptwriters of the series were forced to think out and close the storylines themselves. Therefore, it is difficult to answer the question of who wrote the Game of Thrones. The author of the original work is not against such amateur performances, he claims that the book and the series will end the same way anyway.