Dan Simmons

Dan Simmons was born in Peoria, Illinois, and grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional “Elm Haven” in 1991’s Summer of Night and 2002’s A Winter Haunting. He received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism, and art.

Many of Mr. Simmons’ books and stories have been optioned for film, including Song of Kali, Drood, The Crook Factory, and others. Some, such as his four Hyperion novels and single Hyperion-universe novella Orphans of the Helix, and Carrion Comfort have been purchased and are in pre-production. Current discussions for other possible options include The Terror. Mr. Simmons’ hardboiled Joe Kurtz novels are currently being looked as the basis for a possible cable TV series.

In 1995, his alma mater, Wabash College, awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contributions in education and writing.