Fritz Leiber

Fritz Leiber (1910-1992) was an American writer widely credited with coining the term "sword and sorcery" for the swashbuckling fantasy subgenre he helped define. His best-known creation, the thief Gray Mouser and the barbarian swordsman Fafhrd, appeared across five decades of stories set in the corrupt city of Lankhmar, collected in the Swords series. Leiber also wrote acclaimed science fiction and horror, including the time-war novel The Big Time and the urban horror novel Our Lady of Darkness, and helped shape modern supernatural fiction with Conjure Wife, about hidden witchcraft among college faculty wives. Before turning to fiction full-time in 1958, he worked as an encyclopedia editor, drama instructor, and quality inspector. Leiber won multiple Hugo Awards for his novels and short fiction, was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, and received lifetime achievement honors from the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards.