April 04, 2013

Datlow, Ellen

Tagged: Editor

(1949-    ) US editor, initially of sf, though in recent years she has concentrated more on fantasy and horror. She first became influential as fiction editor of Omni (1980-1995) and Omni Internet (1996-1998); she edited two sequences of spin-off anthologies from the magazine 1983-1994 [see Checklist below; > Omni for details]; a third sequence comprising Omni Visions One (anth 1993) and Omni Visions Two (anth 1994), on the other hand, contains mostly original stories. After Omni folded, she edited Event Horizon (1998-1999) online until it folded, and Sci Fiction (2000-2005) for SciFi.com until this too was shut down. The combination of decent budgets and good critical taste made Datlow one of the more influential US sf (and later fantasy and horror) journal editors during this period; she maintained throughout an intriguing balance between established and new and writers.

Aside from the Omni anthologies, her most important early work lay in her joint editorship of the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror series (volumes one through seventeen with Terri Windling; subsequent volumes with Kelly Link and Gavin Grant), beginning The Year's Best Fantasy: First Annual Collection (anth 1988; vt Demons and Dreams: The Best Fantasy and Horror 1); the series changed its title with the third year to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and was discontinued after the 2007 volume. These are certainly the best of their kind – the first two and the fourth won World Fantasy Awards – being very big, very wide-ranging and intelligently selected; Datlow dealt with horror throughout, and the other co-editors with fantasy. She has also co-edited the Adult Fairy Tale sequence beginning with Snow White, Blood Red (anth 1993) with Terri Windling (throughout), and comprising original stories, all twice-told versions of traditional folk material. Usually solo – though sometimes with Windling – she has edited various singletons as well, beginning with Blood is Not Enough: 17 Stories of Vampirism (anth 1989), which with A Whisper of Blood (anth 1991) was assembled as A Whisper of Blood: A Collection of Modern Vampire Stories (omni 2008). Some are of sf interest, including Alien Sex (anth 1990) and Vanishing Acts: A Science Fiction Anthology (anth 2000). Datlow won Hugo awards as Best Editor in 2002 and 2005, and again in the revised category Best Editor, Short Form in 2009 and 2010; she also won Locus Awards as best editor in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. [PN/JC]

Ellen Sue Datlow

born New York: 31 December 1949

died

works

series

Omni Science Fiction

Omni Best Science Fiction

Omni Visions

  • Omni Visions One (New York: Omni Books, 1993) [anth: Omni Visions: pb/Gervasio Gallardo]
  • Omni Visions Two (New York: Omni Books, 1994) [anth: Omni Visions: pb/Gervasio Gallardo]

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror

Blood

The Adult Fairy Tale Series

Retold Fairy Tales

Best Horror

individual titles

links

Previous versions of this entry

Website design and build: STEEL

Site ©2011 Gollancz, SFE content ©2011 SFE Ltd.