Gaiman << GAY muhn >>, Neil (1960-…), is a British-born author of adult and children’s literature. Gaiman won the 2009 Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book (2008), a novel about a boy raised by vampires, werewolves, witches, and ghosts. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the outstanding children’s book by a citizen or resident of the United States. 
Gaiman earlier achieved international recognition for writing comic books and graphic novels. A graphic novel is a book-length story that combines pictures and text. Gaiman has also written regular novels, short fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays. He first gained notice for his graphic novel Violent Cases (1987). He also won fame for the “Sandman” series of fantasy graphic novels about a mysterious figure called the Sandman who controls the Dreaming, a world where people go when asleep. The series began with The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes (1989). The series later was adapted for television as “The Sandman,” a series that premiered in 2022.
Gaiman’s children’s books include The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish (1997), Coraline (2002), The Wolves in the Walls (2003), Crazy Hair (2009), and Chu’s Day (2012). All were illustrated by his long-time collaborator Dave McKean. Gaiman’s books with other illustrators include Odd and the Frost Giants (2009, illustrated by Brett Helquist), Fortunately, the Milk (2013, illustrated by Scottie Young), Hansel and Gretel (2014, illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti), The Sleeper and the Spindle (2015, illustrated by Chris Riddell), and Pirate Stew (2020, illustrated by Riddell).
Gaiman wrote the adult novel Good Omens (1990) with the British science-fiction author Terry Pratchett. The novel was adapted into a six-episode television series of the same name in 2019. Gaiman’s other adult novels include Neverwhere (1996, revised 2006); American Gods (2001, revised 2011) and its sequel, Anansi Boys (2005); The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013); and Norse Mythology (2017). Gaiman’s short stories and poems have been published in several collections, including Angels and Visitations (1993), Smoke and Mirrors (1998), Fragile Things (2006), and Trigger Warning (2015). His short story Chivalry was adapted as a graphic novel in 2022, with illustrations by the American artist Colleen Doran.
Neil Richard Gaiman was born in Portchester, England, on Nov. 10, 1960. He worked as a free-lance journalist during the early 1980’s, becoming a full-time writer about 1986. Gaiman moved to the United States in 1992 but kept his British citizenship.
