Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman (born 10 November 1960 in Portchester, Hampshire) is an English writer whose work moves between fantasy, horror and science fiction. He is best known for the comic series The Sandman and for novels, many aimed at young readers, that have since been adapted for film and television. That range makes him one of the most visible figures in contemporary genre fiction.

He grew up in West Sussex, in a family with Jewish and Ashkenazi roots. As a child he read widely, from Chesterton and C. S. Lewis to Tolkien, and he also devoured comics. He wanted to be a writer from an early age, so he left school and worked as a journalist, critic and interviewer. An interview with Alan Moore pulled him back toward comics, and Moore encouraged him to try writing for the form.

In the mid-1980s he began working with the artist Dave McKean, and together they produced the graphic novel Violent Cases. After his early American work, the DC editor Karen Berger suggested a monthly series. The result was The Sandman, which followed Morfeo, the lord of dreams, and his siblings, the Endless. Rather than following the superhero mould, it moved through dreamlike and mythic territory, with covers by McKean. Gaiman also wrote for television, including two episodes of Doctor Who. One of them, "The Doctor's Wife", won the Hugo Award in 2012.

His novel Good Omens (1990), written with Terry Pratchett, mixes comedy with the end of the world. Later came Stardust (1999), American Gods (2001), Coraline (2002) and The Graveyard Book (2008), which won both the Newbery and the Carnegie Medal, a rare distinction. His prose blends ancient myth with ordinary life, often speaks in a close, conversational voice, and returns to childhood fear and wonder. Recurring themes include identity, memory and the power of stories.

Since 2024, several women have made sexual assault accusations against him. These led to a police investigation in New Zealand and affected production on several projects based on his work. Gaiman has denied the allegations.

His legacy lies in bringing comics and fantasy fiction to adult and young readers alike. He has won the Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards, and adaptations of his work include Coraline, American Gods and the 2022 Sandman series, which he co-created.