Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay (born November 7, 1954) is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid. His work is an example of historical fantasy.

Biography

He was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a student at the University of Manitoba, Kay came into contact with Christopher Tolkien, the son of J. R. R. Tolkien. When Christopher Tolkien needed an assistant to edit his father's unpublished work, he contacted Kay, who subsequently moved to Oxford University in 1974 to work with Tolkien on the editing of The Silmarillion.

He returned to Canada in 1976 to finish a law degree at the University of Toronto, and became interested in fiction writing.

Kay became Principal Writer and Associate Producer for a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio series, The Scales of Justice.

In 1984, Kay's first fantasy work, The Summer Tree, the first volume of the trilogy The Fionavar Tapestry, was published.

The Fionavar Tapestry, the travails of five people from Earth in another dimension, in three parts:
- The Summer Tree (1984)
- The Wandering Fire (1986), winner of the 1987 Aurora Award.
- The Darkest Road (1987)
Tigana (1990), winner of the 1991 Aurora Award. A sorcerer-oppressed city-state in a medieval almost-Italy.
A Song For Arbonne (1992). A modification of the Albigensian Crusade in a medieval almost-Provence.
The Lions of Al-Rassan, (1995). The story of two military strategists (one an almost-El Cid) in a medieval almost-Spain.
The Sarantine Mosaic, a mosaicist under emperor Valerius II (an almost-Justinian I) in Sarantium (an almost-Constantinople), in two parts:
- Sailing to Sarantium (1998)
- Lord of Emperors (2000)
Beyond This Dark House (2003). A collection of poetry.
The Last Light of the Sun (2004). A story based on the Viking invasions of England and Wales during the rule of Alfred the Great.