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The Creator: Robert Jordan
Essay by Kariada Kunai James O. Rigney, also known as Robert Jordan, is the writer of the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Born in 1948, he is a native of South Carolina, where he lives now with his wife and publisher Harriet. Jordan has been writing since his late twenties and has published in many other genres, for which he uses different names: among them, Reagan O'Neal, Jackson O'Reilly, and Chang Lung. Under the name Jordan he has also written a series on Conan. Robert Jordan first got interested in writing at an early age. While growing up, his older brother often baby-sat and read to him. Rather than reading children's books, his brother chose authors who interested him, such as Mark Twain and H.G. Wells. Jordan was so captivated by the stories that he would often puzzle out the words to be able to finish the books by himself instead of stopping where his brother left off. Learning from these great authors, Jordan decided that one day he too would create stories of his own. Though he knew at an early age that he would someday be a writer, Jordan did not actually start writing until much later in his life. He knew that he lacked the life experience to be able to write fiction as he read growing up. And so he waited, and kept telling himself that someday he would indeed write. During that time, Jordan gained quite a few experiences. He joined the U.S. Army and served for two tours of Vietnam. In his time there, he acquired decorations such as the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with V, and two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry. Jordan also earned a degree in physics from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, and went on to become a nuclear engineer. Finally, in his late twenties, Jordan was hospitalized for an injury, and he decided that life was too short to wait for “someday.” Jordan began thinking of the story for The Wheel of Time long before he ever began writing. He let it sit in his mind and grow until he felt ready to put anything down. As it was, he was not as prepared as he thought, for it took him four years to complete The Eye of the World. He kept finding that there was more he had to establish within the world before being able to continue the main story, resulting in an environment so dynamic and complex it seems almost real. Since the publishing of The Eye of the World, Jordan has become an internationally acclaimed fantasy writer. His Wheel of Time series has been translated into many languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Japanese. In 2002 The Eye of the World was separated into two young adult books, entitled From the Two Rivers and To the Blight. From the Two Rivers includes a new prologue, Ravens, written by Robert Jordan. Also in the works is New Spring: the Novel. When not writing, Jordan enjoys hunting and fishing, as well as playing poker, chess, and shooting pool. He also collects antique weapons, swords, old muskets, and Asian and African art. Jordan considers himself a history buff, and plans on continuing writing in the years to come. |
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