(1976), Clay’s Ark (1984), and Survivor (1978).
Kindred (1979) was a departure from the Patter-
nist series exploring miscegenation, slavery, and
powerlessness. The Xenogenesis series includes
Dawn (1987), Adulthood Rites (1988), and Imago
(1989); this trilogy was republished in 2000 as Li-
lith’s Brood. Her Parable series is made up of PAR-
ABLE OF THE SOWER (1994) and Parable of the Talents
(1998). Her short works are “Speech Sounds,” the
oft-anthologized “Bloodchild,” and a collection of
short works, Bloodchild and Other Stories.
Her best known novel, Kindred, is about a black
woman, Dana, who lives in the Los Angeles suburbs
with her white husband in the 1970s. She is pulled
out of her life and into the past by a white ances-
tor in great need. Many of Butler’s novels explore
complex issues of race, power, and gender. Most of
the characters in her novels have immense pow-
ers that they have to learn to control because the
powers are nearly as threatening as outside forces
are. In her Parable novels, Butler addresses drug
use and other factors that beset African-American
communities in the 20th century. Butler uses sci-
ence fiction as a vehicle to examine social issues,
relationships, identity, class, and gender with art-
istry and originality.
Butler won the Hugo award in 1984 for “Speech
Sounds.” She won a second Hugo in 1985, as well
as a Nebula in 1984, for “Bloodchild.” Butler was
awarded the MacArthur Foundation “genius
grant” in 1995. In 1999, she won the Nebula award
for best science fiction novel of the year for Parable
of the Talents. She received the PEN Center West
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Becker, Jennifer. “Octavia Butler.” Voices From the
Gaps. May 17, 1997. Department of English,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Available
online. URL: http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/
entries/butler_octavia_estelle.html. Accessed Sep-
tember 29, 2006.
Kim Hai Pearson
Brian JenningsButler, Octavia E. 85