Conversations with Neil Gaiman - Paperback

by Joseph Michael Sommers (Author), Neil Gaiman (Interviewee)

Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) currently reigns in the literary world as one of the most critically decorated and popular authors of the last fifty years. Perhaps best known as the writer of the Harvey, Eisner, and World Fantasy-award-winning DC/Vertigo series, The Sandman, Gaiman quickly became equally renowned in literary circles for works such as Neverwhere, Coraline, American Gods, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie Medal-winning The Graveyard Book. For adults, for children, for the comics reader to the viewer of the BBC's Doctor Who, Gaiman's writing has crossed the borders of virtually all media and every language, making him a celebrity on a worldwide scale.

The interviews presented here span the length of his career, beginning with his first formal interview by the BBC at the age of seven and ending with a new, unpublished interview held in 2017. They cover topics as wide and varied as a young Gaiman's thoughts on Scientology and managing anger, learning the comics trade from Alan Moore, and being on the clock virtually 24/7.

What emerges is a complicated picture of a man who seems fully assembled from the start of his career, but only came to feel comfortable in his own skin and voice far later in life. The man who brought Morpheus from the folds of his imagination into the world shares his dreams and aspirations from different points in his life, including informing readers where he plans to take them next.

Author Biography

Joseph Michael Sommers is professor of English at Central Michigan University, where he teaches courses on comics, children's literature, and popular culture. His work has been published in academic journals, anthologies, and encyclopedias alike. His books include Sexual Ideology in the Works of Alan Moore; Game On, Hollywood!; Critical Insights: The American Comic Book; and The Artistry of Neil Gaiman, published by University Press of Mississippi.