My favourite British or American writer

Orson Scott Card was born in Richland, Washington, in 1951. Card’s family comes from the ancient Mormon family. Later Card’s family bought a house in the little town of Santa Clara. To young Scott, living in Santa Clara meant hopping on his bicycle and riding down to the Santa Clara library, where he devoured all the books in the children’s section and then sneaked into the adult section to discover the then-new genre of science fiction. At eight years of age, he read The Prince and the Pauper, which first attracted him to English history. Other historical novels about the Civil War and French and Indian War drew Card into American history, and when his parents gave him Bruce Catton’s three-volume The Army of the Potomac for his tenth birthday, he had his first experience of the reality of war at every level. At about the same age, his older sister passed the book The Rise and fall of the Third Reich down to Scott. The account of the political and diplomatic manoeuvring and of the war itself was fascinating for him. Alongside fiction and history, Card also read scripture — the Book of Mormon and the Bible — and collections of sermons by Mormon prophets. He was also fascinated by histories of medicine.

Card inherited a love of performing from his mother. Card grew up in a house filled with music. Card had played French horn and tuba in California, and marched in school bands in Arizona.

The family later moved to Arizona, just in time for the 1964 presidential election. This was where Scott was first initiated into political activism. In Arizona had also the first acquaintance with Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Plutarch, and many other writers of the ancient world.

During his studies Card left for Brazil on a two-year mission. Serving in the cities of the state of São Paulo, Card became fluent in Portuguese and fell in love with Brazilian culture. He returned home to his family and quickly finished up the remaining work for his bachelor’s degree in theatre. At this time Card set his hand to writing science fiction. The result was „Ender’s Game.“

Card got also married in 1977 and he had many children. Card got offered two jobs, one at Coleco in Connecticut, and the other with Compute! Magazine in Greensboro, North Carolina, they chose the second one and thus began their sojourn in the American South. Greensboro is only home base, because they often travel throughout America and Europe.

Card has won many awards, including Hugo and Nebula awards in 2 sequent years. Card continues to ply his trade as a writer, including efforts to get good films made of some of his books. Ender’s Game was shot by Warner Brothers, and other film projects are at various stages. Meanwhile, Card remains a watcher and critic of film and television, as well as books and music.

Among his most popular books belongs Ender’s cycle and Ender’s Shadow cycle, but he also writes biblical novels, fantasies, poetry or comic series. His books are partly influenced by his life, especially by reading history books, books about war and political system. In the books Card shows even his love for Brazilian culture and Portuguese and in many books he is even solving religious issues. I would emphasize especially his philosophy, which makes us, readers, think of life, friendship and love.

Structure:

• His childhood- reading a lot (history, war, scripture)
• Music
• Political activism, mission (Brazilian culture), theatre, sci-fi
• Marriage, children, travelling
• Awards, his books- influence by his life