Described by Forbes Magazine as "the best-selling author you've never heard of," Neil Gaiman has been among the top comics authors for more than two decades.
With a deep respect for the critical importance of storytelling, his work probes the worlds of imagination and creativity to explore the metaphors by which we live our lives. Indeed, his mastery of myth and legend—and each's respective role in the contemporary world—make his work as both a writer and a speaker unique.
Gaiman is the creator and writer of the monthly cult DC Comics series Sandman (Vertigo), which is winner of 12 Eisner Comic Industry Awards and a World Fantasy Award for best short story-making it the first comic ever to receive a literary award. Introduced in 1988, Sandman ran 75 issues before the author ended the series in 1996 (while reigning as DC Comics' best-selling monthly). Re-introduced in 2003, the graphic novel Sandman: Endless Nights continues the saga and reaches an even wider audience. Norman Mailer called Sandman "a comic strip for intellectuals," and The Los Angeles Times wrote of the series, "The greatest epic in the history of comic books."
His best-selling 2008 release The Graveyard Book tells the story of an orphan named "Bod." In serial-like episodes, the story follows Bod's progress as he grows from baby to teen, learning life's lessons amid a cadre of the long-dead, ghouls, witches and intermittent human interlopers. The Graveyard Book was the recipient of the 2008 Newbery Award, the top prize for children's literature.
Gaiman's book Fragile Things (William Morrow, 2006) contains short stories set in the worlds of The Matrix, as well as Gothic fiction and children's fiction. This extraordinary collection showcases his storytelling brilliance and his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. His No. 1 New York Times best-seller Anansi Boys (HarperTorch, 2006) tells the story of "Fat Charlie," who learns his dad wasn't just any father—he was Anansi, the spider-god who encompasses the spirit of rebellion and overturns social order, creating wealth out of thin air and baffling the devil. Gaiman's best-selling novel American Gods (Au Diable Vauvert)—winner of the 2002 Bram Stoker Award, Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for best novel—is a dark and kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth that is both eerily familiar and utterly alien.
Gaiman has made quite a splash in film, having co-written with Roger Avary the script for the 2007 motion picture Beowulf, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie. The author also co-penned the script for 2007 major motion picture Stardust, starring Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes and narrated by Ian McKellan. An animated movie version of Gaiman's highly popular novel Coraline, directed by Harry Selick, was released to rave reviews in 2009.
His website, NeilGaiman.com has won several awards including the Weblog Awards Best Literature Blog of 2008. A comprehensive guide to all things Neil Gaiman, he describes his day to day writing process as well as interacts with his many fans.
Neil Gaiman was born in England and currently lives outside of Minneapolis. An avid reader from a young age, he has always loved comics. His website, www.neilgaiman.com, was heralded by CNN for "reinventing the marketing of a novel."
Gaiman serves on the Board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, an organization striving to protect the First Amendment rights of comic book creators, publishers and retailers. Between 1993 and 2000, he did a series of reading in theaters across America dubbed the "Guardian Angel Tour"; through it, he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
At the podium, the best-selling author shares stories that have shaped the past, providing audiences the critical wisdom and inspiration to strive in both business and life.