Charles de Lint is the author of more than eighty adult, young adult, and children’s books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora (three times), Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others and was recently inducted into the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association Hall of Fame.
De Lint is a poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer. He has written critical essays, music reviews, opinion columns and entries to encyclopedias, and he’s been the main book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1987. De Lint served as Writer-in-residence for two public libraries in Ottawa and has taught creative writing workshops for adults and children in Canada and the United States. He’s been a judge for several prominent awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and Bram Stoker.
Born in the Netherlands in 1951, de Lint immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant. The family moved often during de Lint’s childhood because of his father’s job with an international surveying company, but by the time Charles was twelve—having lived in Western Canada, Turkey and Lebanon—they had settled in Lucerne, Quebec, not far from where he now resides in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1980, de Lint married the love of his life, MaryAnn Harris, who worked closely with him as his first editor, business manager and creative partner for over 40 years. Tragically, MaryAnn passed away in June 2024 after an almost-three-year battle with Powassan virus.
Charles de Lint is best described as a romantic: a believer in compassion, hope and human potential. His skilled portrayal of character and settings has earned him a loyal readership and glowing praise from peers, reviewers and readers.
Charles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.
—Holly Black (bestselling author)
Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint’s vivid, original world. No one does it better.
—Alice Hoffman (bestselling author)
To read de Lint is to fall under the spell of a master storyteller, to be reminded of the greatness of life, of the beauty and majesty lurking in shadows and empty doorways.
—Quill & Quire
De Lint’s storytelling skills also shine in his original songs. He and MaryAnn (also a musician) released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lint’s website. A multi-instrumentalist, his main instruments are guitar, harmonica and vocals, while MaryAnn’s were mandolin, guitar, vocals and percussion.
De Lint’s fictional city of Newford gives readers a sense of visiting a favourite city and seeing old friends. Though not a consecutive series, the twenty-eight standalone books set in or connected to Newford helped build de Lint’s reputation for bringing a vivid setting and cast of characters to life on the page. In addition to the Newford books de Lint has written a number of genre-spanning works from horror to mystery to fantasy, and including books for kids, teens, and adults. His most current work includes the Newford-adjacent adult novel The Wind in His Heart and the Newford-set Juniper Wiles books (Juniper Wiles, Juniper Wiles & the Ghost Girls). A New Juniper Wiles book is forthcoming.
De Lint currently lives in Ottawa with his little dog Joey Strummer. He can most easily be found in the Mythic Cafe.
Visit Charles at his website or at the Mythic Café.
Celebrating CdL 