Arkady Martine

AnnaLinden Weller, better known under her pen name Arkady Martine (born April 19, 1985[1]), is an American historian and city planner. An author of science fiction literature, she received the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel for her debut novel A Memory Called Empire (2019).[1]

Academic career

Weller obtained a bachelor of arts in religious studies at the University of Chicago in 2007, a M.St. in classical Armenian studies at the University of Oxford in 2013, and a Ph.D. in medieval Byzantine, global, and comparative history at Rutgers University in 2014.[1] Her dissertation was titled "Imagining Pre-Modern Empire: Byzantine Imperial Agents Outside the Metropole". She was a visiting assistant professor of history at St. Thomas University from 2014–15 and a postdoctoral researcher at Uppsala University from 2015–17. She has published writings on the topic of Byzantine and medieval Armenian history.[2]

Fiction writing

As Arkady Martine, Weller has been publishing science fiction short fiction since 2012.[1]

A Memory Called Empire

Martine's first novel, A Memory Called Empire, published in 2019, is the beginning of her Teixcalaan series.[1] It is set in a future where the Teixcalaanli empire governs most of human space, and is about to absorb Lsel, an independent mining station. Lsel ambassador Mahit Dzmare is sent to the imperial capital to prevent this, and finds herself embroiled in the empire's succession crisis. Martine said that the book was in many respects a fictional version of her postdoctoral research on Byzantine imperialism on the frontier to Armenia in the 11th century, particularly the annexation of the Kingdom of Ani.[3]

In The Verge, Andrew Liptak praised the novel as a "brilliant blend of cyberpunk, space opera, and political thriller", highlighting Martine's characterization and worldbuilding.[4] In Locus, Russell Letson appreciated the novel's "absorbing and sometimes challenging blend of intrigue and anthropological imagination", as well as its sense of humor.[5] Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews both gave the novel a starred review, noting the facility with which Martine brought the worlds of her "gorgeously crafted diplomatic space opera" to life,[6] and comparing Martine's novel to the works of Ann Leckie and Yoon Ha Lee.[7] The novel was nominated for the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novel[8] and the 2020 Locus Award for Best First Novel.[9] It won the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel[10] and was shortlisted for the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award.[11]

Bibliography
  1. A Memory Called Empire, Tor Books, 2019, ISBN 9781250186430
  2. A Desolation Called Peace, forthcoming on March 2, 2021

Personal life

Weller was born and grew up in New York City.[1] She lives in Santa Fe with her wife, the author Vivian Shaw.[1]

References
  1. "Arkady Martine: Histories of Power". Locus Online. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  2. Weller, AnnaLinden. "Curriculum Vitae". Uppsala University. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  3. Phin, Vanessa Rose (25 February 2019). "An Interview with Arkady Martine". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. Liptak, Andrew (18 May 2019). "A Memory Called Empire is a brilliant blend of cyberpunk, space opera, and political thriller". The Verge. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. Russell, Letson (7 May 2019). "A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine". Locus. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  6. "A Memory Called Empire". Publishers Weekly. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  7. "A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE by Arkady Martine". Kirkus Reviews. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  8. "Announcing the 2019 Nebula Awards Finalists". Tor.com. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  9. "Announcing the 2020 Locus Awards Finalists". Tor.com. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  10. "Announcing the 2020 Hugo Award Winners". Tor.com. July 31, 2020.
  11. "Serpell wins 2020 Arthur C Clarke Award for 'The Old Drift'". Books+Publishing. 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
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