Photo: Jeanne Collins / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Robert Jordan, born James Oliver Rigney Jr., is one of those authors whose real life is almost as epic as his fiction. A decorated Vietnam veteran with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star, he carried that hard-won understanding of conflict into The Wheel of Time, and you can feel it in the scale and weight of his battles. Selling ninety million copies across fourteen books is staggering, and his passing in 2007 before finishing the saga gives the whole story a bittersweet edge for me. I admire writers who build entire worlds with patience and conviction, and few committed to that scale as fully as he did.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert Jordan
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・ジョーダン
- Reading
- ろばーと・じょーだん
- Born
- October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Rat
- Origin
- Charleston, South Carolina, United States
- Occupation
- military officer / writer / novelist / science fiction writer
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Bronze Star Medal
- 2005 Inkpot Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Wheel of Time | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Robert Jordan born?
October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007.
Where is Robert Jordan from?
Robert Jordan is from Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
What does Robert Jordan do?
Robert Jordan works as military officer, writer, novelist, science fiction writer.
What is Robert Jordan known for?
Notable works include The Wheel of Time.
Military officer — see all → · Writer — 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.