Peter S. Beagle

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Peter S. Beagle

Peter Soyer Beagle (born in 1939) is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. He is also a talented guitarist and folk singer. He wrote his first novel, A Fine and Private Place, when he was only 19 years old. Today he is best known as the author of The Last Unicorn, which routinely polls as one of the top ten fantasy novels of all time, and at least two of his other books (A Fine and Private Place and I See By My Outfit) are considered modern classics.

He wrote the teleplay for episode 71 of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, titled "Sarek." He also wrote the screenplay for the 1978 Ralph Bakshi-animated version of The Lord of the Rings, the film which first inspired a teenaged Peter Jackson to read J.R.R. Tolkien's original trilogy.

His work as a screenwriter interrupted his early career direction as a novelist, magazine nonfiction author, and short-story writer. But in the mid-'90s he returned to prose fiction of all lengths, and has produced new works at a steady pace since.

In addition to his own body of work, he is sole heir to the literary estates of science fiction author Edgar Pangborn, Edgar's sister and sometime collaborator Mary, and their mother Georgia Wood Pangborn. Since 2003 he has been working to bring the best of these three authors' fiction back into print.

In 2005 he finally published a coda to The Last Unicorn, a novelette entitled "Two Hearts," and began work on a full-novel sequel. In 2006, "Two Hearts" won the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novelette and was nominated as a short fiction finalist for the World Fantasy Award.

Peter S. Beagle now lives in Oakland, California.

Contents

[edit] Dispute with Granada Media

Peter S. Beagle's book The Last Unicorn was made into an animated film in 1982, based on a screenplay written by Beagle himself. Since 1999 this film has been controlled by a British company, Granada Media International (a subsidiary of ITV plc). Peter S. Beagle is now involved in a financial dispute with Granada Media over nonpayment of contractually-due profit and merchandising shares. The total amount due might total as much as several hundred thousand dollars.[1]

[edit] Books

  • A Fine and Private Place, 1960 (novel)
  • I See By My Outfit: Cross-Country by Scooter, an Adventure, 1965 (nonfiction)
  • The Last Unicorn, 1968 (novel)
  • The California Feeling, 1969 (with photographer Michael Bry, nonfiction)
  • Lila the Werewolf, 1974 (chapbook edition of previously-published novelette)
  • American Denim, 1975 (nonfiction art book)
  • The Lady and Her Tiger, 1976 (with Pat Derby, nonfiction)
  • The Fantasy Worlds of Peter S. Beagle, 1978 (omnibus collection including A Fine and Private Place, The Last Unicorn, "Come Lady Death," and "Lila the Werewolf")
  • The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1982 (nonfiction art book)
  • The Folk of the Air, 1986 (novel, currently being rewritten and expanded for new release)
  • The Innkeeper's Song, 1993 (novel)
  • In the Presence of the Elephants, 1995 (nonfiction photo book)
  • Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn, 1995 (co-editor, original story anthology)
  • Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn 2, 1995 (co-editor, original story anthology)
  • The Unicorn Sonata, 1996 (young adult novel, currently being rewritten and expanded into a 4-book series)
  • Giant Bones, 1997 (collection of original stories set in the world of The Innkeeper's Song)
  • The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances, 1997 (collection of fiction and nonfiction essays)
  • The Magician of Karakosk and Other Stories, 1999 (foreign edition title for Giant Bones collection)
  • Tamsin, 1999 (novel)
  • A Dance for Emilia, 2000 (hardcover giftbook edition of novella)
  • The Line Between, 2006 (story collection)
  • Your Friendly Neighborhood Magician: Songs and Early Poems, 2006 (limited edition chapbook collection of song lyrics and poetry)


[edit] Audiobooks

  • The Last Unicorn, 1990 (severely abridged, cassette only, read by Peter)
  • A Fine and Private Place, 2002 (unabridged CD & cassette, read by Peter)
  • Giant Bones, 2002 (unabridged CD & cassette, read by Peter)
  • Tamsin, 2002 (unabridged CD & cassette, read by Peter)
  • The Last Unicorn, 2005 (unabridged CD & download, read by Peter, with original music by Jeff Slingluff)

[edit] Produced screenplays

[edit] Upcoming books

  • The Last Unicorn: The Lost Version, 2006 (limited collector's edition for Subterranean Press)
  • Two Hearts, 2007 (limited chapbook edition of novelette sequel to The Last Unicorn)
  • Writing Sarek, 2007 (Star Trek nonfiction with annotated "Sarek" teleplay)[2]
  • I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons, 2007 (YA novel for Firebird Books)
  • Smeagol, Deagol, and Beagle: Essays From the Headwaters of My Voice, 2007 (nonfiction essay collection)
  • Strange Roads, 2007 (chapbook collaboration with Lisa Snellings-Clark for Dreamhaven Books)
  • Summerlong, 2007 (novel)
  • The First Last Unicorn and Other Beginnings, 2007 (story collection with additional essay material)
  • Three Faces of The Lady, 2007 (collection centered on "Come Lady Death")

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cochran, Connor (July 2006). A Call to Action in Support of Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn. Conlan Press. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
  2. ^ Hennessey-DeRose, Cristopher. Peter S. Beagle goes back to his fine and private place to continue the saga of The Last Unicorn. Science Fiction Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.

[edit] External links

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