W. J. Maryson

Biography W.J. Maryson

W.J. Maryson (1950), worked after schooltime for the government for some years, before achieving some fame as a painter of Magic Realistic landscapes and portraits. Especially thanks to his huge murals and his enchanting portraits he obtained many assignments.

In the beginning of the eighties he started his own advertising agency. For years he almost worked day and night. In his rare free hours he acted as a rock musician, composer, producer and organiser of festivals and concerts.

In 1993 he got ill and wrote, as an "excercise in dead time", the first part of a fantasty cycle: Sperling. The story was based on a script for a comic, dating back 1976, inspired by an oil painting that he created in 1975. Interesting detail: this was the first ever story he wrote. Other interesting detail: by the age of twelve he had already constructed the Elves-language that he used in his cycle.

The major publisher of fantasy in the Benelux, Meulenhoff, recognised W.J. Maryson's talent and published the Master Magician cycle. Within a few years W.J. Maryson became the most successful fantasy author of those countries. Of his first two books, Sperling and Emaendor, there was a fourth printing by the end of 2003.

Late 1996 W.J. Maryson signed a contract with Bastei-Lübbe Verlag for the German rights. Until now six books have been published in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As we speak The Towers of Romander has been published in the USA with Zumaya Otherworlds. Unmagician has a.o. been published in Spain (Timun Mas - Planeta Group), Poland (Nowa Fantastyka), Germany (Bastei-Luebbe) and Portugal (Livros do Brasil).

Also countries like Denmark, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and England have shown interest in this cycle.

With his first Unmagician novel he ended up second, right behind Robin Hobb's Golden Fool, but in front of Ray Feist, Terry Pratchett and Robert Jordan, for the 2003 Elf Fantasy Award.

Spring 2004 his third and last novel in The Unmagician cycle has been be published in the Netherlands and Belgium. With this novel The Lord of the Depths, he won the Elf Fantasy Award 2005 for best fantasy novel. 2006 the first part of The Great Legend: The Immortal's Song got out, followed by part two and three in 2009.

Further on he published several short fantasy and sf-stories. With his short story Verstummte Musik he won several awards.

With his short story Nietzsche Station W.J. Maryson won the Paul Harland Prijs 2007 for best short story.

Under his own name, Wim Stolk, he wrote the humoristic novel The Zen of Cat. He published some books of poetry as well.

With his group Maryson he released two cd's, based and inspired on his books. In countries like Italy, Sweden, Spain and France both albums were well received. The second album, On goes the Quest, featured in the Art Rock top twenty of 1998's best albums in France and Italy. Worldfamous fluteplayer Thijs van Leer joined in several songs on that album.

By 2010 a third cd, called The Long Dream, will be released with French label Musea.

W.J. Maryson lives with his wife, his four kids, nine cats, some thirty hens and roosters, some peacocks and guinea fowls in a former farm in Kats, on one of the Zeeland isles.