Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
John Scalzi is a writer I respect for proving that science fiction can be sharp, funny, and commercially successful all at once. Winning the 2013 Hugo for Best Novel with Redshirts, a book that gleefully skewers Star Trek tropes, tells you he doesn't take the genre too solemnly, and I love that. His Old Man's War series put him on the map, but I think his blog Whatever, running since 1998, is just as important to who he is. The Japanese Seiun Awards on his shelf show his reach extends well beyond English readers. He's the rare author who treats his audience like collaborators.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Scalzi
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・スコルジー
- Reading
- じょん・すこるじー
- Born
- May 10, 1969 (age 57)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rooster
- Origin
- Fairfield, California, United States
- Occupation
- science fiction writer / novelist / writer / journalist / film critic
2. Background
- University
- University of Chicago
Awards & achievements
- 2006 Astounding Award for Best New Writer
- 2008 Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer
- 2009 Hugo Award for Best Related Work
- 2010 Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Work
- 2010 Kurd Lasswitz Award for Best Foreign Work
- 2013 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
- 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel
- 2013 Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Work
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Redshirts | — | |
| Notable work | Old Man's War | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was John Scalzi born?
Born May 10, 1969 (age 57).
Where is John Scalzi from?
John Scalzi is from Fairfield, California, United States.
What does John Scalzi do?
John Scalzi works as science fiction writer, novelist, writer, journalist, film critic.
What is John Scalzi known for?
Notable works include Redshirts, Old Man's War.
Science fiction writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.