Paul Edwin Zimmer
| Paul Edwin Zimmer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 16, 1943 United States |
| Died | October 18, 1997 (aged 54) Schenectady, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, author |
| Nationality | United States |
| Genre | Poetry, fantasy, science fiction |
Paul Edwin Zimmer (16 October 1943 – 18 October 1997) was an American poet and author.
He was also an accomplished swordsman and founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. His sister Marion Zimmer Bradley was also a science fiction and fantasy author.
He is best known for his Dark Border series - a set of four published books: The Lost Prince, "King Chondos' Ride, A Gathering of Heroes, Ingulf the Mad and one still awaiting publication, The King who was of Old. He also co-wrote The Blood of Colyn Muir with his foster brother Don Studebaker (who writes fantasy under the name of Jon de Cles) and Hunters of the Red Moon and The Survivors with his sister. He is also supposed to have collaborated with Bradley without credit on The Spell Sword.
Some of his poetry available in the collection A Woman of the Elf Mounds. His long poem "Logan" appeared in Jerry Pournelle's There Will Be War vol VIII. The poem is about a 19th-century First Nations leader, so it did not fit into the anthology's theme about future warfare, but Pournelle included it out of respect for its merits.
Zimmer began his writing as a poet, experimenting with Welsh and Old Norse forms before turning to prose. Nonetheless he weaves what sounds like ancient poetry through his stories, such as the ballad of "Pertap's Ride", parts of which are scattered through the Dark Border series.
Zimmer was also one of the original members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, where he was known as Master Edwin Berserk, as well as being active in Bay Area poetry and neopagan circles. He is credited with having popularized the bardic circle originated by Karen Anderson, a self-entertainment at parties in which each participant can read, recite or sing, ask someone else to do so, or pass. Whether the creditation is accurate, Zimmer was widely considered one of the best coordinators of bardic circles, and was frequently asked to run them wherever he happened to be.
Although not of Scottish heritage, Zimmer was often seen at conventions and other public occasions dressed in the MacAlpin tartan, complete with sporran. At home, he frequently wore a blue bathrobe, appearing in normal clothing only when needing to deal with officials or others outside his circle. Zimmer habitually wrote at night, and many visitors can attest to him pacing up and down as he thought through plot and wording problems, or pausing to do a martial arts dance with his swords.
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