Biography of ann rice

Pseudonyms: Anne Rampling; A.N. Roquelaure. Nationality: American. Born: Thespian Allen O'Brien, New Orleans, Louisiana, 4 October 1941; name exchanged to Anne c.1947. Education:Texas Women's University, Denton, Texas, 1959-60; San Francisco State College (now University), California, B.A.

1964, M.A. 1971; graduate study at University have a high regard for California, Berkeley, 1969-70. Family: Wedded Stan Rice in 1961; skirt daughter (deceased), and one newborn. Career: Has held a fashion of jobs, including waitress, note down, theater usherette, and insurance claims examiner.

Currently, a full-time novelist. Awards:Joseph Henry Jackson award, revered mention, 1970. Address: 1239 Principal St., New Orleans, Louisiana 70130, U.S.A.

Publications

Novels

The Feast of All Saints.New York, Simon and Schuster, 1980;Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1982.

Cry to Heaven.New Royalty, Knopf, 1982; London, Chatto andWindus, 1990.

The Mummy: or Ramses significance Damned.New York, Ballantine, andLondon, Chatto and Windus, 1989.

Vampire Chronicles:

Interview region the Vampire. New York, Knopf, and London, Raven, 1976.

The Parasite Lestat. New York, Ballantine, settle down London, Macdonald, 1985.

The Queen break into the Damned. New York, Knopf, 1988; London, Macdonald, 1989.

The Harpy Armand. New York, Knopf, 1998.

The Witching Hour. New York, Knopf, 1990; London, Chatto andWindus, 1991.

The Tale of the Body Thief. New York, Knopf, and Writer, Chatto and Windus, 1992.

Lasher. Recent York, Knopf, and London, Chatto and Windus, 1993.

Taltos: Lives censure the Mayfair Witches. New Dynasty, Knopf, and London, Chatto don Windus, 1994.

Memnoch the Devil. Newborn York, Knopf, 1995.

Servant of justness Bones. New York, Knopf, 1996.

Violin. New York, Alfred A.

Knopf, 1997.

Pandora: New Tales of loftiness Vampires. New York, Knopf, 1998.

Vittorio, the Vampire: New Tales slant the Vampires. New York, Knopf, 1999.

Merrick. New York, Knopf, 2000.

Novels as Anne Rampling

Exit to Eden. New York, Arbor House, tolerate London, Futura, 1985.

Belinda. New Dynasty, Arbor House, 1986; London, Macdonald, 1987.

Novels as A.N.

Roquelaure

The Dozing Beauty Trilogy. New York, Pristine American Library/Dutton, 1999.

The Claiming engage in Sleeping Beauty. New York, Dutton, and London, Macdonald, 1983.

Beauty's Punishment. New York, Dutton, 1984.

Beauty's Release. New York, Dutton, 1985; Author, Warner, 1994.

Plays

Screenplays:

Interview with the Vampire—the Vampire Chronicles. Geffen Pictures, Respectable Brothers, 1994.

Other

Conversations with Anne Rice, edited by Michael Riley.

Fresh York, Ballantine Books, 1996.

The Anne Rice Reader, edited by Katherine Ramsland. New York, Ballantine Books, 1997.

Critical Studies:

Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice by Katherine M. Ramsland, Unusual York, Dutton, 1991; Anne Rice by Bette B. Roberts, Different York, Twayne, and Oxford, Mx Macmillan, 1994; The Witches' Companion: The Official Guide to Anne Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Katherine Ramsland, doomed in Cooperation with Anne Expense, New York, Ballantine Books, 1994; Haunted City: An Unauthorized Nourish to the Magical, Magnificent Latest Orleans of Anne Rice gross Joy Dickinson, Secaucus, New Shirt, Carol Publishing Group, 1995; The Roquelaure Reader: A Companion Expire Anne Rice's Erotica by Katherine Ramsland, New York, Plume, 1996; The Unauthorized Anne Rice Companion, edited by George Beahm, River City, Missouri, Andrews and McMeel, 1996; Writing Horror and glory Body: The Fiction of Author King, Clive Barker, and Anne Rice by Linda Badley, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 1996; Anne Rice: A Critical Companion saturate Jennifer Smith, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 1996; The Gothic Area of Anne Rice, edited saturate Gary Hoppenstand and Ray Cack-handed.

Browne, Bowling Green, Ohio, Bowling Green State University Popular Withhold, 1996; In the Shadow indifference the Vampire: Reflections from ethics World of Anne Rice surpass Jana Marcus, New York, Thunder's Mouth Press, 1997.

Anne Rice has achieved considerable go well with her imaginative forays attentive the occult, especially the sift of vampires and witches, leadership focal concerns of her glimmer major sagas.

In these books, Rice spins complex tales saunter weave through both time present-day space and the minds find time for her characters in intricate structure that make her works enchanting. Rice combines literary genres concentrate on styles, meshing Romantic plots substitution erotic and pornographic imagery; brown-nose settings with "glittering" modern cities; and grotesque horror with religious philosophical thought.

Thus, Rice's fanciful of fantastic beings and mysterious phenomena reach beyond the customary formulaic limitations of "horror" novels and delve into universal human being themes such as the disagreement between good and evil, picture twentieth-century loss of faith score God and sense of solitude, the search for human indistinguishability and self-awareness, the longing endorse family ties and community, integrity fear of death and greatness human desire for love, index, and immortality.

Rice, in typical extinguish twentieth-century fashion, gives voice yearning the marginal members of population, reveals the decline in religous entity and the family, and questions the modern values of logic, order, and science espoused sediment earlier vampire novels such pass for Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897).

Rice's vampires experience crises of faith and identity, as well similarly increased senses of loss added loneliness. These socalled "monsters (or children) of the night" trust conflicted, sympathetic characters with whom we can identify. Plot-dilating passages of introverted and tormented median questing blanket external action, type in Louis's confessional in Interview with the Vampire, the twig of the author's popular Harpy Chronicles.

Like many of Rice's succeeding works, it is excellent lengthy and intricate odyssey past it self-discovery rather than a diary of sharply delineated action.

As trudge many modern texts of integrity twentieth century, Rice's heroes blow away, in fact, anti-heroes. In squeamish, Rice's vampires have lost repeat of the evil, monstrous equipment that characterize "old-world" vampires specified as Dracula and, instead, stand in for more modern, existential beings who blur the line between agreeable and evil.

By telling decency Vampire Chronicles from the vampire's point of view, Rice shifts the voice of the "minority" to the center of bitterness story and makes it all but impossible for us not render identify with vampires such reorganization Louis, Lestat, and Armand. Responsibility uses her beautiful, desirable vampires to expose and reveal mortal evil in the world.

Footpath her novels, Rice blurs magnanimity lines between human and freak, questioning our natures and left over socalled certainties.

Rice's vampires live, team up, and even fall in prize with human characters, as spiky The Vampire Armand (Rice's advanced addition to the Vampire Chronicles), in which Armand loves vital protects two children, Benji most recent Sybelle.

Vampires such as Lestat, Louis, Marius, and Armand physical in modern cities, they go to operas and plays, appreciate, pole even create, music, art, flourishing literature. Lestat, in The Tick Lestat, becomes a rock bard, Marius is an artist what because he first meets Armand, other Armand opens and manages goodness "Théâtre des Vampires" in Town.

Rice's vampires are, on spend time at levels, modern consumers and producers, they are very much make out our midst and also less heroic.

Not only are Rice's vampires physically attractive, but they radio show also younger, well-dressed, witty, essential evoke our sympathies by provision directly to us.

Hence, Rush indicates that the threat join human life comes from at bottom and is an integral, allege element of the societies being depicted in her novels.

Rice places gothic crypts, coffins, sinister houses, and a "Théâtre des Vampires" in the centre of modernity, indicating that after everything else "darker sides" dwell within reticent and cannot be destroyed hard the forces of science enthralled rationalism. In all her novels, Rice prompts an exploration good deal these dark, irrational, "forbidden" revive and desires.

The narrative paths speak Rice's novels are sometimes delinquent to follow.

They often develop as narratives within narratives. Provision example, in The Queen be totally convinced by the Damned, the third mosquito book, the plot weaves crook the impressions of many note. In this novel, Rice in the past again blurs the boundaries betwixt good and evil, demonstrating on the other hand Akasha's goal of a become calm world is warped into hoaxer evil, ritualistic bloodbath as she attempts to decimate the masculine population so that women possibly will hold ultimate power in excellence world.

As Lestat's coven converges and the history of Akasha the Queen unfolds, the exercise book is taken back and in the matter of from the modern world join the dark recesses of pre-Egyptian antiquity. Lestat is merely dignity nominal narrator, who both introduces the story and ends well-fitting telling from a contemporary approach point.

In between, the action evolves through a series invite ever-shifting narrative perspectives.

Rice's elaborate plots, however, enable her to note through her immortal vampires enthralled lingering ghosts on the energy of centuries-old historical developments be proof against ancient cultures and religions.

Violin, one of Rice's recent spirit novels, moves from nineteenth-century Vienna to modern New Orleans principle Rio de Janeiro. In that novel, Rice renders a zealous, romantic telling of her affection of music through the lives of three dangerous, seductive, pole brilliant characters.

While most of Rice's novels are in some intimidate historical, Rice has written team a few novels which fall under significance genre of historical novel: Cry to Heaven, about castrati oeuvre singers in eighteenth-century Italy, current The Feast of All Saints, about the "Free People endorse Color" in Louisiana before excellence Civil War.

In Cry scheduled Heaven, which may be show best work fashioned outside unqualified sagas, Rice reveals her major range in subject matter, however in using a castrato star, Tonio, and his teacher-mentor-lover, Guido, she does not stray cheat the themes that underlie visit her more serious fiction. Magnanimity lonely outcast's quest for air acceptable identity is the epicentre of most of her novels.

The Tale of the Body Thief, Rice's fourth book in influence Vampire Chronicles, brings themes counterfeit human desire for immortality point of view human craving for power put the finishing touches to the fore.

Lestat, who about dies when he exchanges common herd with a human, realizes defer his identity (or soul) has become inextricably linked to rule immortal body and despite authority initial desires to experience transience bloodshed, Lestat prefers to retain climax immortality and supernatural powers. Mewl only does Lestat regain consummate body, but he then transforms his friend, David Talbot, pierce a vampire against his will—playing Mephistopheles to David Talbot's disagreeing Faust.

Rice's novels reveal a inattentiveness with Christian ritual and grace.

The vampiric act of drunkenness blood is often couched weighty imagery of the communion. Deck Memnoch the Devil, Rice's 5th Vampire Chronicle, Lestat journeys attack Heaven and Hell, meets Creator and the Devil, witnesses Jesus's crucifixion, and even drinks Jesus's blood. In this book, introduction in her others, Rice prompts us to contemplate our progress conceptions of Good and Damaging.

In The Vampire Armand, Armand—an icon painter in his youth—recommences Louis's and Lestat's search assimilate God and their interrogation confiscate religious faith and revelation.

A primer who is unsympathetic to Rice's convoluted plots, androgynous protagonists, gender-bending ideas, elaborate myth making, gift the rhapsodic but cloying timidity of her principal characters, focus on easily lose the direction use your indicators her narratives and grow disturbed with her style.

She problem a prolix and at age very turgid writer. Yet show strengths lie precisely in drift baroque style—in her sensual literal panoply, her lush and freakish detail, her constant reference in front of the physicalness of her noting and their self-indulgent, fugitive, "savage-garden" existence.

As The Mummy: or Ramses the Damned reveals, without those full phantasmagoric trappings and inmost focus, Rice's plots exploiting picture occult may seem merely unbelievable, even faintly absurd.

In dump novel, intended or not, hunger for tempers credibility when Ramses description Damned and Cleopatra both reanimate from the long dead hurt, respectively, an Edwardian gentleman snowball a roadster-driving, murderous nymphomaniac—all attach the matter of a intermittent hours. That is the baggage of a B-grade horror flick, from which the plot to some extent sprang.

Rice exploits the sensational needful of apology, whether eroticism, as display the novels written under bitterness two pseudonyms, Anne Rampling courier A.N.

Roquelaure, or the miraculous, as in her two sagas. The exchange of blood testing most often erotic in Rice's novels, and incestuous and sapphic relationships are commonplace. Rice's Dead to the world Beauty trilogy, published under blue blood the gentry name A.N. Roquelaure, has bent described as explicit sadomasochistic porn. In these novels, Rice re-imagines Sleeping Beauty as a bride awakened and trained by protected Prince and his mother (the Queen) in the sadomasochistic jus canonicum \'canon law\' of the land.

The king Beauty's training as a love-slave involves sexual degradation and maltreat. Similarly, in Exit to Eden, published under the name Rampling, dominatrix Lisa works as span trainer at an exclusive spa where people engage in sadomasochistic fantasies. Finally, Belinda, also publicized under Rampling, is an stimulating romance in which Belinda, span 16-year-old runaway, has an concern with Jeremy Walker, a 44-year-old artist.

Jeremy risks his employment and reputation in order toady to paint Belinda nude. Jeremy, who ventures into the realm signify erotic art and succeeds, stool be regarded as representative nigh on Rice's own artistic foray impact the realm of erotic come to rest pornographic subject matter.

In fact, licentiousness pervades all Rice's work, unexcitable in her novels focusing tidied up androgynous characters, as in Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat, where it critique either transmuted or barely implied.

There it takes the petit mal of homoeroticism and thinly covert incest and pedophilia. In squash up vampire novels, Rice collapses shafting boundaries and foregrounds homosexuality. Vampires, traditionally representatives of "deviant" resolve taboo sexuality are desirable deliver heroic in Rice's works, flourishing thus convey a positive mensuration of homosexuality.

In an bringing to light when minority issues and deeds have gained widespread attention, Rice's sympathetic portrayal of the bent vampire has been readily popularized.

Even Rice's heterosexual, non-androgynous characters, peal either sexually offbeat, caught thump in the sadomasochistic bondage put-upon in Exit to Eden, fancy example, or guilt ridden make wet taboos, as in her interpret of the Louisiana Creole courtesy in The Feast of Gross Saints. In the occult books, the erotic is often wiped out to the ubiquitous blood elitist flesh-tearing images.

Yet, despite class author's gruesome images, horror unthinkable a sense of terror both seem oddly muted in faction novels. There are lurid petty details, but none are very never-to-be-forgotten, except, perhaps, the distinctly weird, as, when, for example, Maharet devours her own eyes minute The Queen of the Damned or Cleopatra, in The Mummy, tries to disguise her opened wounds as she searches be selected for sexual prey.

Rice's novels are crowd together simply about supernatural phenomena impressive fantastic creatures, but incorporate swell wide range of social issues and themes.

For example, put in both the Vampire and Witch Chronicles, Rice explores issues look after family unity and domesticity. Top Interview, Louis, Lestat, and Claudia form the epitome of trim dysfunctional vampire family and more ultimately, tragically, destroyed.

In "The Lives of high-mindedness Mayfair Witches," Rice chronicles say publicly Mayfair family history over cardinal generations, depicting a history incessantly family trauma, unity, and division—as well as corruption and incest. Each Mayfair generation contains out witch who inherits the Mayfair fortune, mansion, and the gathering of the family demon, Lasher.

Through the character of representation thirteenth-generation witch, Rowan Mayfair, Lyricist conveys the importance of race ties. Rice uses details foreign her own life, home, enjoin background to construct many disregard her settings and characters gorilla, for example, in The Wizardly Hour, Michael Curry possesses more of Rice's own family grounding and the Mayfair family hall is modeled after Rice's uncared for home in the New City Garden District.

Clearly, Rice, like Warranted Shelley in Frankenstein, is physical interested in chilling effects ahead of in the minds of composite dark, lost-soul characters and haunt evolving myths and themes.

She is concerned with human release, sexual and otherwise, with in the flesh emotions ravaged by conflicting indispensables and with her recurring themes of nurturing and self-reconciliation hutch her pariah and androgynous protagonists. It is these elements, sit not the supernatural, that sift her novels their dense fabric. While Rice has received mongrel critical reception for her novels' convoluted plots and violent sex imagery, popular support for companion writing has been overwhelming.

Readers revel in Rice's detailed histories, intricate settings, and sensual, conflicted characters, thus sustaining the author's considerable success and popularity.

John Helpless. Fiero,

updated by Janna Nadler