Marion Zimmer Bradley

Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-1999) wrote the Darkover series and some of the books in the Mists of Avalon series. The latter in particular has inspired a great deal of fanfiction. 
Bradley died September 25, 1999. Her Darkover franchise has been continued by Deborah J. Ross and Elisabeth Waters.
Bradley is a highly controversial figure in fandom. She is known not only for writing feminist SF that fans loved, but also for being the source of a myth about the supposed dangers of authors allowing fanfic of their works. 
Bradley was involved in the cover-up of her husband Walter Breen's sexual abuse of children. Years after she died, it was revealed that she had also allegedly sexually abused her own children.
==Her Official Depository==
Bradley's personal papers and letters were donated to the "Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center" at Boston University, and were opened to the public in September 2009, ten years after her death.
This collection was begun in September 1991 or before. When a fan asked if Bradley read the Darkover story she'd sent her called "Holidays on Darkover, Part 1" and if she should send Part 2 and Part 3. Elisabeth Waters replied: "Yes, We did receive Part 1 of "Holidays on Darkover." I myself have not read it.... but I do know that, after Mrs. Bradley saw it, it was sent to the "Marion Zimmer Bradley Collection" at Boston University. By all means, send Parts 2 and 3; that way the library will have the whole thing." -- from Darkover Newsletter #54. This was the first time Bradley's official depository in Boston is mentioned, at least in the most public fan publication. This means that there has been some thought to preserving her official paper/manuscripts and such, a reflection perhaps of a winding down. It is also interesting in that this occurs just two months after the publication of Masks. This could mean that the conflict regarding "Masks" has already hit the fan, as it were, and that Bradley is now stepping back from supporting fan fiction. 
The language and timing of the above statement appear to be somewhat contrary to the restrictions that Elisabeth Waters quoted in 2008: "Some of the material is sealed until 50 years after her death, and the collection is open only to “a qualified scholar” who has to be in the physical library building in Boston, so it’s not exactly readily available." Elisabeth Waters Interview No kidding on the "not exactly readily available part." The explanation of restrictions is long, and you may as well give up any plans of looking at things in this collection now. See Research at the Gotlieb Center. 
See Bradley, Marion Zimmer (1930-1999).
Another academic library with a Bradley collection of papers: The Marion Zimmer Bradley Papers (Collection 1955). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. See Marion Zimmer Bradley papers, 1956-1999 at OAC, Online Archive of California.
==Trademarks and Publishing Companies==
"Note: Darkover (R) is a registered trademark and may not be used except by permission of the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust," is a statement used on "official" places where fans may congregate. One example: 
The Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust registered the trademark for Darkover on March 23, 2010. While her first Darkover book was published in 1958, this trademark cites the first use of Darkover ("in commerce" and otherwise) as September 14, 1962. , accessed May 10, 2017 
Two of Bradley's own companies that superseded her literary trust were MZB Enterprises and Thendara House.
Many of Bradley's professional books were issued by DAW Books, as well as other for-profit publishers.
==A Legend in Copyright Tangles: "Contraband" and The Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy ==
Bradley's conflict with a fanfiction author in the early to mid-1990s became a legend, supposedly making it impossible for her to publish one of her own novels, Contraband. 
This controversy is commonly used as a straw man argument by people, both inside and outside fandom, who cite the Bradley story as their objection to fanworks. This case is, however, is very complicated and nuanced. See Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy. 
: Also see Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust.
==Why Write? Why Edit?==
 
===1992 Interview===
Some excerpts from a 1992 interview published in "Science Fiction Review" (Issue #7, February 1992):
 
===2013 Interview===
From a 2013 interview with her Trust, see Author Interview: Marion Zimmer Bradley Trust: Ann Sharp and Lisa Waters.
 
== Writing ==
In her pro-writing, Bradley wrote, or collaborated, on at least seven series, 25 additional standalone novels, and countless short stories. Marion Zimmer Bradley: A Bibliography, by Dawn Bovasso Bibliography at the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust She was also a contributor and creator of several apazines, as well as many science fiction zines. See bibliography.
 
Bradley's first contribution to a fanzine was an article "in a happily defunct hektographed format." 1978, Darkovan Language Review 
Her first fanzine was likely Astra's Tower (first issue was December 1947): "I published my first fanzine on a pan hectograph which cost me five dollars, paying a dollar for a ream of paper, thirty cents for a special hectograph ribbon and about a dollar for thirty three-cent stamps to mail it out with..." Fandom: Its Value to the Professional (1985) 
In 1987, Bradley told a fan she was writing "a book about the Trojan War from the women's point of view." from a con report by Jane Carnall and Frances Tucker, see Breathing Together At Brighton or, "I should have remembered that!" (September 1987) 
While plagued with health problems for many years, in 1989, Bradley's health took a turn for the worse; it's widely believed both among fans and sf/f industry professionals that after that date, most or all of the books published under her name were either collaborations or entirely ghostwritten by other individuals. Marion Zimmer Bradley and credit for collaborations, September 3, 2015 Some sources assert that Bradley was entirely unable to write after 1989. Evidence for this belief varies widely where specific works are concerned, sometimes amounting to little more than rumor & speculation, while in other instances collaborators received cover credits or other acknowledgement. In the case of at least one series, the copyrights were later reassigned to the second author.
Official books are still being written under Bradley's name by other people via the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Trust. 
===Darkover Series===
A fantasy science-fiction series mainly set on the Lost Colony planet Darkover, where some of the inhabitants had extra-sensory perception/psi powers.
She edited early zines of this universe, Mezrab and "her earlier fanzine, Astra's Tower."Zimmer, Paul Edwin. "Appreciation", in: Return to Avalon, edited by Jennifer Roberson. New York, NY: Daw Books, 1996. p. 303. Later on, she edited and gave her name to published anthologies of stories by other authors in the Darkover universe.
See Darkover for more information on that series.
===Mists of Avalon Series===
The Mists of Avalon is a fantasy series set in the Arthurian tradition, but with a feminist slant, in the point of view of Morgaine and Guinevere. The first book of that name was quite successful both in and out of the SFF genre. Later novels in the series were co-written with other authors, who have continued the series after MZB's death.
==="The Mists of Avalon" - An Apex===
Bradley's sister-in-law, Diana Paxson, wrote in 2001, that the success of The Mists of Avalon, while gratifying and exciting, was also an unexpected strain on Bradley: 
===Member of Various Apazines===
* APA Lambda (science fiction; lesbian, gay and gay-friendly members of science fiction fandom. Bradley was the OE in the early 1980s.)
* IPSO (International Publishers' Speculative Organization)
* FAPA (Fantasy Amateur Press Association)
* others?
===Early Pulp Fiction===
Wikipedia lists pseudonyms that she used early in her career -- Morgan Ives, Miriam Gardner, John Dexter, and Lee Chapman, among others, that she used to write gay and lesbian pulp fiction novels. For example, I Am a Lesbian was published in 1962. Though relatively tame by today's standards, they were considered pornographic when published, and were a rare source of gay lit of the time.MZB's wikipedia pageObituary: Marion Zimmer Bradley The Independent (UK), September 30, 1999.
===Other Non-Science Fiction Fiction===
Bradley responded to a fan in late 1977 who was offended when he saw a romance novel by Bradley at the supermarket and scolded her (and Andre Norton) for wasting her time writing "trash", and his time by using her time and energies on things that weren't science fiction. Bradley replied: 
==Comments on Fandom==
In 1985, Bradley wrote about some of the things fandom had provided her.
From: Fandom: Its Value to the Professional:
 
 
 
==Her Own Activities as a Fan ==
From 1973: 
===Becoming a Fan===
Bradley wrote an autobiography in September 1990, and it included some comments about how she became a fan. Some excerpts: 
===Her Tolkien Fandom Activities===
"Notably, perhaps the most erudite and insightful writer who championed and defended Tolkien was Marion Zimmer Bradley. Her 1962 “Men, Halflings, and Hero Worship” appearing in Astra's Tower, holds up very well even some 50 years later. She also wrote two Tolkien pastiches and one crossover story with Aragorn entering her own created world of Darkover. She published what would be a single issue of her own Tolkien fanzine, Andúril." Sumner Gary Hunnewell. Tolkien Fandom Review: From its Beginnings to 1964 (accessed 7 September 2012) 
* The Jewel of Arwen, a fictional story set in Tolkien’s world, was published in I Palantir (1961), then as a standalone chapbook (1974), and it appeared in the first edition of her professional retrospective anthology "The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley" in 1985. Later reprints of this book do not include "The Jewel of Arwen," most likely due to pressure from the Tolkien estate. "
* Men, Halflings, and Hero Worship (published in FAPA around 1964), and then as a standalone chapbook in 1973
* The Parting of Arwen, a fictional story set in Tolkien’s world, also expanded on Arwen’s backstory, was published in I Palantir (1964), and then as a standalone chapbook (1974). 
* A Meeting in the Hyades was written in 1954 or 1955, first published as a chapbook in 1961, in Andúril (1962), in Astra's Tower (Special Leaflet 1962), and then again in Starstone #1 (1978). This story describes Tolkien’s hero Aragorn meeting Bradley’s own hero Regis Hastur.
* Songs from Rivendell, a 1969 songbook of Tolkien songs. It was printed in 1976 in The Middle-Earth Songbook (created by two fans and includes over a hundred pages of songs set in the world of JRR Tolkien, including Bradley's melodies for Tolkien's own songs, "used by Bradley's permission."). "Songs from Rivendell" was made into a recording at some point before 1991 by Moira Breen (Bradley's daughter) "On the good side of the news, my daughter Moira is earning her living with harp-and-folksong gigs. Some of you saw her at Mythcon, where she sang some exquisite music. Moira is doing very well now, and my best present this Christmas was a tape of the Rivendell Suite (a group of songs I wrote some years ago to words by Tolkien), recorded by my foster son Kristoph Klover, on which Moira sang Galadriel's song to her own harp arrangement. Most of the songs were arranged by Kristoph's wife Margaret Davis, who did truly beautiful arrangements. I have VERY talented children." -- Bradley writes this in "Darkover Newsletter" #55 (December 1991) , and was then authorized in 1996 by the Tolkien Estate.
* "Lament for Boromir" was a song by Bradley. It was sung as early as 1978 at a con "We had two LASFS people with us, Lee and Barry Gold. After a prolonged giggle session, Barry brought his guitar, and sang for us some of your compositions for Tolkien's songs. "Lament for Boromir" was absolutely stunning." -- from Darkovans Invade Boskone! , and appears on the 2001 CD The Starlit Jewel, along with several other Tolkien songs by Bradley.
===Her Own Writing in Darkover Fanzines===
Marion contributed directly and indirectly to a number or fanzines about Darkover. A complete list is here: :Darkover.
Many of the stories she wrote in zines were then published for-profit at a later date in the DAW Books professional anthologies.
===Her Sime~Gen Fandom Activites===
* She contributed fanart to an unknown Sime~Gen zine. "...her anatomical sketch of a tentacled arm appears in one of the S~G fanzines." -- Marion Zimmer Bradley's Influence on the Sime~Gen Universe 
* Bradley wrote Sime~Gen fiction in Ambrov Zeor #11 in 1980, as well as several LoCs to that zine.
* She was listed as a "Charter Members of the Tecton" in several Ambrov Zeors in the 1970s.
===Other Fan Activities===
* Bradley wrote that her first letter printed in a science fiction zine was in 1946 "when I was a kid of sixteen." comment in Darkover Newsletter #7, September 1977 when she answers a fan who wrote: I recall the many letters to long gone editors from a youngster named Marion Zimmer, so in a sense I can claim to be an admirer of Mrs. Zimmer-Bradley for more than fifty years." 
* In A Companion in Zeor #2, MZB writes a letter of comment that her book "Genuine Old Master" was "written for a fanzine when I was 18 or so! And the fanzine rejected it!"
* Bradley was active in science-fiction and fantasy fandom during the 1960s and 70s, promoting interaction with professional authors and publishers and making several important contributions to the subculture. 
* Bradley was one of the few female members of Fantasy Amateur Press Association.
* She was a founder of, and coined the name for, The Society for Creative Anachronism. She wrote and published the first SCA newsletters, see Pennoncel.
* Like many imaginative writers, Bradley took her inspiration indirectly, and directly, from other creative works. One of the books that most influenced Bradley was "The King in Yellow" From Darkovan Language Review by her husband Walter Breen: "Where did I get the original Darkovan names? I started, of course, with the Robert W. Chambers fantasy, THE KING IN YELLOW, with snatches from
an abominable and beautiful book, by that name, which maddened everyone who read It. As a very young teenager, I thought It might be fascinating
to reconstruct, from the snatches and hints about the book, the original
King In Yellow...I think I abandoned that project before I was fourteen! But I began writing scraps of fantasy. In the manner of that strange book,
frankly Imitative and of course using the names Hastur, Cassllda, and others equally bizarre and unusual.
I think I know now, by the way, where Chambers got the Idea for the
savage beauty and horror of TEE KING IN YELLOW. Many, many years later, In my thirties, when I had studied the literature of the decadence of the Nineties, I came across a book called OSCAR WILDE AND THE YELLOW NINETIES. Frances Wlnwar, the author, held the theory that the color yellow was sym bolic of the curious decadence of that decade, when Vlctorlanlsm was rotting at the core and strange things festering at Its heart. "<P>
From a fan in 2013: "Marion Zimmer Bradley mined The King in Yellow for numerous names for her popular “Darkover” books. There is no actual connection, but the fact that she used many of these names for shadowy figures of the nearly forgotten pre-human history of the planet added a certain resonance. I can’t recall if I encountered these names first in the works of Lovecraft and his associates or in those of Bradley, but their recurrence between books added a creepy echo to the stories, as if they both drew upon a definite past history forgotten in all but names." -- by Jane Lindskold (October 30, 2013) ; Bradley writes about this novel, its seminal place in her childhood and as a later inspiration, in many issues of Darkover Newsletter two examples: Marion Zimmer Bradley Discusses Influences of "The King in Yellow" and Accusations of Plagiarism from Darkover Newsletter #25 (1982) and Marion Zimmer Bradley#Becoming a Fan from Darkover Newsletter #50 (1990).
* Other examples of these inspirations were her responses to Ursula Le Guin's book "The Left Hand of Darkness". As Jacqueline Lichtenberg remembers -- "Well, I extracted a promise to send me MZB's address so I could write her a fan letter about one of her Darkover novels, World Wreckers and tell her that my very popular ST fanzine series, Kraith, had been generated by adding Darkover to ST and shaking well. They did. I did. And MZB wrote me back and explained that she had written World Wreckers in answer to Ursula LeGuins The Left Hand of Darkness because LHOD had omitted a crucial sex scene. It was such a glaring omission that MZB felt she had to answer with a book of her own, which was World Wreckers." See Marion Zimmer Bradley's Influence on the Sime~Gen Universe by Jacqueline Lichtenberg Another example was Bradley's retooling, response based on a book by Leigh Brackett: "My novel COLORS OF SPACE began as a rebuttal with the basic idea of Leigh Brackett's STARMEN OF LLYRDIS —a political situation where only one race could travel in space, due to physical problems. Leigh never recognized it till I told her." from 1978 in Darkovans Invade Boskone! 
* Bradley extolled her love of the mystery books by Dick Francis in many issues of Darkover Newsletters. She also fangirled in that newsletter about the gothic/mystery novels of Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Mertz.
===Convention Attendee and Convention Guest of Honor===
Bradley was a relentless attender of cons, and a frequent guest of honor.
Some examples from the hundreds (?) of cons Bradley attended:
* Boskone
* Darkover Grand Council Meeting
* Fantasy Worlds Festival 
* Ivan Cook's All New Phoenix Comic, Star Trek and SF Film Con
* Magnum Opus Con
* Norwescon
* Sime-Con
* Space-Con
* Springfest
* StarCon
* many Worldcons, such as IguanaCon and MidAmerica
* many, many small, regional cons
=== Her Star Trek Fandom Activities ===
* The Immovable Object, published in the zine The Other Side of Paradise #2, edited by Amy Falkowitz and Signe Landon in 1977, related the early days of the Enterprise under Captain Kirk. 
* Cross Currents, published in Obsc'zine #4, edited by Lori Chapek-Carleton, was a short Christine Chapel/Janice Rand story.
* there is a mention that the actress Nichelle Nichols was the model for "Mardee Haskell," the heroine of the Gothic novel "The Drum and the Darkness," by novel by Bradley from Star Trek Prospers #18 (1976), which credits an issue of A Piece of the Action 
===Influences of "Star Trek" on Her Writing===
From issue #15/16 of the Nichelle Nichols newsletter, Amani in 1976: 
In the Darkover Newsletter #11 (undated, published in 1978), MZB cautioned other fan writes of Trek: 
In 1980, MZB wrote of Star Trek fandom in the The Keeper's Price's forward: 
==Her Activity of as That of Tour Guide ==
In 1986, Bradley was listed as a tour guide for a trip for fans to "magical Britain." From a 1986 flyer for Octocon: "We have just learned that a fantastic tour of Britain has been planned for September 1986. Visits to many sacred/magical places included, and one of the tour hosts is Marion Zimmer Bradley, whose book "The Mists of Avalon" is set in Britain of ancient times. Called "Magical Britain -- A Journey Through the Myths of Time." Information can be obtained by writing: Jamie George, Gothic Image/Tours of Ancient Britain..." Darkover Newsletter #34 (September 1986) noted that Bradley may be making another trip to England with "Jamie George's group." There is also a letter from Bradley in that newsletter that has her reaction to seeing her book on sale in England, but it is unclear if this trip was the same trip as the advertised tour. 
==Bradley as a Mentor to Other Fan Writers==
There were many instances of Bradley's encouragement to other fiction writers who wrote both original fantasy fiction, as well as fan fiction, and many people remember her kind words and assistance:
 
Bradley, however, could also be a harsh critic, as well as mercurial in her assessment and evaluation. As with any writing and publishing business, Marion did not mentor writers she felt did not meet her standards. One young writer remembers painfully how Marion’s rejection letter caused her to stop writing for years. by Dianne Sylvan, posted October 15, 2008, accessed February 21, 2012 Another remembers being told that her story was “objectionable” because it reversed traditional gender tropes, leaving the hero to suffer a fate worse than death (aka sexual assault): 
 
A fan in 1996 wrote: "I tossed most of my copies of her stuff years ago when she pissed me off in a rejection letter- I know it was childish and self destructive, but there you have it." comment by Sharon on Virgule-L (Apr 12, 1996) . A fan in 1999 wrote: "I'm lead [sic] to believe that harsh rejections from MZB should be worn as a badge of honour by writers." from a comment by Helen on Lysator (21 Feb 1999) These reactions to Marion’s rejection letters may have been exacerbated, in part, because of her reputation for encouraging and promoting new writers.
Also see (April of some unknown year) 
Also see Marion Zimmer Bradley's Influence on the Sime~Gen Universe and Lichtenberg's own Bradley-influenced take on advice to amateur authors in Kraith#Lichtenberg on Concrit: "The Negative Value of Positive Input".
==Bradley as a Voice for Differences==
===Sexuality and Desire: Bradley's Words===
Bradley's books often explored several topics that were quasi-taboo at the time, including homosexuality (male and female) and polyamory, and was influential on the role of feminism in science fiction fandom.
She herself was quite aware of this:
[1975]:
 
[1975]:
 
 
[1985]:
===Feminism: Bradley's Words===
While many fans considered her a feminist and applauded her activities and writing that expanded on feminism, and Bradley never considered herself a feminist, saying over and over again that it wasn't feminist ideals she disliked, it was the formal "feminism." In 1985, she described Samuel R. Delaney, Ursula Le Guin, and Joanna Russ as "clinging to their intellectual credentials from academia." from Fandom: Its Value to the Professional Joanna Russ wrote a responsefic to Darkover Landfall called We Who Are About To... after a long discussion in the feminist zine, The Witch and the Chameleon. For more on why MZB disliked a specific group of fans, see Darkover Landfall reviewed by Vonda N. McIntyre (1974). See the letterwar between Joanna Russ and Marion Zimmer Bradley. 
[1973]:
[1975]:
 
[1977]:
 
[1989-1980]: 
 
[1988]:
Bradley's Letter from MZB in Darkover Newsletter #40 discussed sex and science fiction: how its role has changed over the years, how she viewed certain writers' and their books which deal with sex. When Bradley was sent a copy of Sheri Tepper's 'The Gate to Women's Country,' Bradley took a dim view of it due to the title: 
[1989]:
===Other Fans' Words ===
[1991]:
A fan addressed Bradley in a letter to Darkover Newsletter: 
[2015]: 
Comments from a long-time illustrator of Darkover zines: 
==Bradley's Attitudes Regarding Fanworks Based on Her Canon==
===Some 1977 Comments on Fandom===
===A 1978 Discussion of Fanfic and Copyright ===
Bradley actively encouraged fan writers to write Darkover and other fan fiction in her universes, a topic that came up early on and was worrisome to some. 
In an undated Darkover Newsletter (certainly 1978, most likely March), a fan wrote a con report about Boskone and describes how a fan approached her, and several others, and instigated a lengthy discussion about the inherent problems regarding Marion Zimmer Bradley's heavy involvement in Darkover fandom. While the account below was written for publication in the newsletter, it is specifically addressed to Bradley. It provides much foreshadowing, and in fact predicts, the events that would occur fourteen years later: 
[1978]: 
Bradley responded in the same newsletter: 
See more at Darkovans Invade Boskone!.
For more on this topic, see Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy.
===Bradley's Attitudes Regarding Fiction Based on Her Canon===
Bradley had said that she didn't so much create Darkover as she discovered it, and she encouraged fan fiction writers to write in, what she called, her "back yard." She herself edited fiction fanzines, the DAW anthologies, and the long-running publication Darkover Newsletter in which there was much discussion regarding fannish creations.
Bradley published her own fanworks zine, Starstone and Bitter Honeymoon and Other Stories: The Amorous Adventures of Dyan Ardais. She also gave specific approval to several other zines, including Moon Phases, as well as implicit approval to others. 
She was actively aware of, participated in, and actively encouraged fan writers to write Darkover and other fan fiction in her universes, especially in her contributions and comments in the long-running Darkover Newsletter. 
Bradley and Walter Breen's first mention of their interest in publishing a zine of Darkover fanworks (which they called "apocryphal stories") was in August 1976. In Darkover Newsletter #2, Walter Breen proposed the zine that later became Starstone: 
 
Bradley, in the same newsletter, added her comments regarding their zine of fanworks: 
In early 1978, she wrote: 
After Darkover became popular both from Bradley's published books and among fanwriters, Bradley began to accept submissions from fan and professional authors for a series of Darkover anthologies published by DAW, beginning with The Keeper's Price (1980). It was in the author's foreword for "The Keeper's Price" that Bradley stated her own disapproval with authors who sought to suppress fan fiction set in the worlds they had created, as well as why she enjoyed writing alongside fans in Darkover: 
In 1981, a fan wrote about Bradley, and other's attitudes toward writing fiction in other peoples' universes:
In 1993, Bradley wrote this in the forward to her pro-book, "Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover": 
From a FAQ on her official website, updated in 2010: 
Again, for more on this topic, see Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy.
===Bradley's Attitudes Regarding Filks===
The undated note below illustrates some of Bradley's thoughts and appreciation regarding filks based on her, and other people's, canon. It appears to be complicated!
Approval and/or Tolerance:
 
 
 
From an undated note (likely 1978-ish) by Bradley to a fan named Karen MacLeod: 
From a con report by Judy Gerjouy for the July 1978 Darkovercon: "The Arilinn group sang a Darkover filksong, "The Keeper of the Arilinn Tower," which was extremely funny and certainly worth hearing. I had heard it before, so I took the opportunity to watch Marion and Walter as they fell apart laughing." from Darkover Newsletter #17/18 
There was filking by Cindy McQuillin promoted on the January 1979 Darkovercon flyer. Bradley was McQuillin's benefactor and many of her filks were rehersed for, and recorded in, Bradley's home. "She met Marion Zimmer Bradley, who fostered her story writing career... and became a lifelong friend and benefactor. Many filk projects were rehearsed for, and recorded in, Marion's "carriage-house"." -- Pegasus: People 
Elisabeth Waters commented: "Marion always said that "filk singing should be done in private by consenting adults." Music of Darkover, June 5, 2013 
Disapproval:
A 1982 flyer for Fantasy Worlds Festival, sponsored by Bradley, made mention that there would be all the usual con activities as well as "and (shudder) filksinging room." 
In 1986, Mercedes Lackey explained to a fan that Bradley disliked filks about as much as Bradley disliked RPGs based on her canon: 
===Bradley's Attitudes Regarding Maps===
Bradley was very much against fans making maps based on her books. In 1992, she said: "I hate maps." from Darkover Newsletter #58 (September 1992) 
 
Walter Breen wrote in 1976: "No maps of Darkover have been authorized by Marion Zimmer Bradley. While she does not wish to dispute the validity of maps produced by scholars and friends of Darkover, she feels that no true map of the planet can be made until the Darkover series is completed. Therefore any maps which appear must by their nature be conjectural and partial." from The Darkover Concordance in 1979 
See much, much more at Mapping Darkover.
===Bradley's Attitudes Regarding Games Based on Her Canon===
====1979 Comments on Games====
Bradley had given "official permission" for some sort of game based on Darkover in 1979. In Darkover Newsletter #18/19, a fan, Peter Oloka, wrote this letter: 
====1986 Comments on Games====
In 1986, two fans wrote to Darkover Newsletter in regards to their fan-created role-playing games. Bradley is polite and somewhat helpful to one of them, and very much not to the other. Bradley had this response to the second fan's very benign persona letter: 
Also in 1986, a fan takes Bradley to task regarding her harsh, and contradictory, replies to fans asking about Darkover RPGs: 
Bradley responded: 
Misty Lackey commented on the whole affair and defended Bradley: 
===1989 Comments on Games===
Ann Sharp tells a fan who was interested in playing a role-playing game through the mail: "... role-playing games, MZB is allergic to them if they involve Darkovan characters. Can they be played through the mails?." from Darkover Newsletter #46 (September 1989) 
===Bradley's Letter to the Darkover Newsletter Which Ends Her Own Involvement with Fan Fiction===
"Holes in My Yard," was an open letter by MZB that was in Darkover Newsletter #58, published in Septemer 1992: 
There is a note included after this letter: 
For more on this, see Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy.''
==Optioned For TV Series, Films==
There is some discussion in June 1988 about filming Darkover and The Mists of Avalon. A fan asked: "A while back there was a mention of the possibility of a Darkover film. Anything further on that? Seeing such films as "Excalibur" and "Merlin and the Sword" which had such potential with directors and cast and fell flat on their faces with screenplay, I kept saying, "Why couldn't they have used Mists of Avalon?" Any hope of a film there?" Ann Sharp replied: 
Bradley's Mists of Avalon books were turned into a cable TV mini-series in 2001.
On February 13 2012, Ilene Kahn Power and Elizabeth Stanley, two television producers announced they had optioned the rights to turn the Darkover series into a television series. Significant funding still remains to be secured and as of 2012, the project was still in the early planning stages.
*Darkover' novels pitched as TV series, published in Variety magazine February 13, 2012
*Marion Zimmer Bradley's DARKOVER May Head to TV, dated Febrairy 14, 2012
*'Darkover' novels to become TV series - TV News - Digital Spy, dated February 14, 2012.
==Her Connection to Walter Breen==
See also: Walter Breen.
Walter Breen, Bradley's husband from 1964 to 1990 (they separated in 1979) Walter Breen is not mentioned on Marion Zimmer Bradley's official biography at . was heavily involved in her fandom where he edited and wrote for a number of Darkover fanzines. After Breen and Bradley separated in 1979, Breen continued to live down the street from Bradley and Elisabeth Waters. In October 1989, when Breen had a gas leak at his house, the first people he called were the near-by Bradley and Waters. -- described in Darkover Newsletter #47 . Bradley remained his primary employer until their divorce in May 1990. Walter H. Breen Wikipedia (the information about Bradley being Breen's principal employer has been at this page since at least 2009), accessed June 20, 2017 
Breen was a serial child molester. This fact was known to many but not all fans in the early 1960s. His actions and behavior with young children at SF conventions, in the numismatic (coin collecting) community and in esoteric/magick circles, were criminal. He was an early member of NAMBLA (the North American Man-Boy Love Association) and in 1954 was convicted and put on probation.Walter Breen: Enigmatic Numismatist, 2008-07-19 by Santa Clarita Valley History.Stephen Goldin, Marion Zimmer Bradley: In Her Own Words. Numerous prominent SF fans and writers dismissed allegations against Breen as hearsay or regarded sexual activity with children as unimportant, such that he got away with it until almost the end of his life -- supported and facilitated by Bradley. Convicted again and sentenced to ten years in 1991, he died in prison in 1994.Rare Coins Expert Charged With Child Molestation and Wikipedia page on Walter BreenCharles Morgan and Hubert Walker, Confronting Breen. CoinWorld, November 3, 2015. See also "Breendoggle", described at Breendoggle at Fancyclopedia and documented in detail at the Breendoggle Wiki. 
* (August 10, 1998), for more see: ; WebCite. This site presents material compiled in the course of a legal action against MZB by the parents of one of Breen's victims. 
* 
* (1997)
* , (February 14, 2007) An online newspaper article briefly summarizing Breen's activities and speculating on the nature of MZB's relationship with Breen.
===Her Activities with Breen in the Society for Creative Anachronism===
Bradley and Breen remained members in good-standing of the Society for Creative Anachronism long after the allegations against Breen were known. Some of today's members, aware of Bradley's complicity in Breen's crimes as well as her abuse of her own and other children, ask why the couple were not expelled (Revocation and Denial of Membership / R&D):
== Allegations: MZB Sexually and Physically Abused Her Children==
In June 2014, Marion herself was accused of sexual abuse by her daughter Moira. This was corroborated by Marion's son Mark.
===Further Reading===
The links below are arranged in approximate chronological order (thus, the initial Tor.com post appeared slightly prior to the first appearance of Moira's statements, and the interview with Mark Greyland appeared after those statements had been widely circulated). Content includes statements by Moira and Mark, reactions from the science fiction community (both from fans and from professional writers), discussions of MZB's impact on fandom and on female writers, and commentary on the evolution (or lack thereof) of cultural consciousness regarding issues of sexual abuse within and beyond the fannish and SFnal communities.
The compilation is not necessarily either complete or exhaustive, and all opinions expressed in the linked material are those of the individual authors or individuals quoted.
===1999===
* Cat Yronwode, Crowley & Paederasty, part 1. (Part 2 here). Arcane Archive, January 31, 1999. Ms. Yronwode provides her personal experience of Breen's behaviour in the mid-1960s, in the context of both fandom and Crowleyan magick. Those interested in the subculture of paederasty in esoteric and magickal practises may wish to read Charles Webster Leadbeater, a Biographical Study by Gregory John Tillett (Univ. of Sydney, 1986, full text online). Dr. Tillett continues to research and expose material about Leadbeater's misconduct at his blog, C.W. Leadbeater 1854-1934. See also The Unavoidable Facts About C.W. Leadbeater and The Case Against C.W. Leadbeater at the Blavatsky Theosophical Group U.K. website.
===2000===
* Timeline of Events compiled by Stephen Goldin
* EXCERPTS FROM MZB'S DEPOSITIONS 
* DEPOSITION OF MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY - 8/10/98
* DEPOSITION OF ELISABETH WATERS - 10/16/97
* EXCERPTS FROM LISA WATER'S DEPOSITIONS
* Main Page by Stephen Goldin 
* a letter of defense by Eisabeth Waters
* response to Elizabeth Waters
===2014===
* (2014)
* Marion Zimmer Bradley, Wikipedia Talk Page, revisions (as of May 6, 2014)
* On This Day: Marion Zimmer Bradley Gave Us New Perspectives, by Leah Schelbach, post for Tor.com (June 3, 2014)
* , by Deirdre Saoirse Moen (June 3, 2014)
* (June 9, 2014)
* , by Deirdre Saoirse Moen (June 10, 2014)
* , tweet by John Scalzi (June 10, 2014)
* , James Nicoll,(June 10, 2014)
* , comments at MetaFilter, scroll down (June 11, 2014)
* by Paul St John Mackintosh (June 11, 2014)
* (June 11, 2014)
* , by Deirdre Saoirse Moen (June 12, 2014)
* More on Marion Zimmer Bradley and the ethics of artists, by Paul St John Mackintosh (June 12, 2014)
* , by Natalie Luhrs (June 16, 2014)
* (June 17, 2014)
* (June 20, 2014)
* , June 20, 2014
* , Jim Hines' blog post (June 23, 2014)
* , Kyle Aisteach (June 24, 2014)
* (June 24, 2014) 
* , G. Willow Wilson (June 24, 2014)
* (June 26, 2014)
* , article in "The Guardian" (June 27, 2014) This article includes a statement from Russell Galen, MZB's literary agent, speaking for himself and on behalf of the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust. 
* (scroll down a long ways), by Paul St John Mackintosh (June 27, 2014): Most comments were deleted by the Guardian website, with this response from Mr Mackintosh: "I don’t know what The Guardian’s policy guidelines are, but some of the comments by respondents to Deirdre’s original blog post about their own experiences of child abuse were almost too harrowing to read, anywhere."
* (there are 11 pages of comments) (June 29, 2014) 
* (June 29, 2014)
* (July 1, 2014)
* , BellaDonna Saberhagen (July 2, 2014) Points out references to incest and child abuse in the Light and Avalon series, warns against basing pagan/Wiccan identity on her or anyone's novels.
* , Diana L. Paxson (August 20, 2014)
===2015===
* (June 1, 2015) 
* (as of June 1, 2015)
* on Ask the Bigot, a Christian blog, dated July 23, 2015.
* (December 29, 2015)
===2017===
* The Book That Made Me a Feminist Was Written by an Abuser -- ‘The Mists of Avalon’ changed my life—how do I reconcile that with what I now know about its author? by Jessica Jernigan (2017)
===2018===
* Perverts Of Geekdom by Buzz Dixon (February 11, 2018)
* Alec Nevala-Lee, The Bad Pennies, 2018-12-03 to 12-05-2018. Delves into the sociological and anthropological aspects of Walter Breen's background in science fiction and numismatics, and his connection with eugenicist William Herbert Sheldon as well as with Bradley.
===2019===
* Doris V. Sutherland, "Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Child Abuse: Cover-Up or Exploitation?" Attack of the 6-Foot Tranny, March 2, 2017. Describes attempts to discredit Greyland, and inquires into whether or not there was a larger coverup within SF/fantasy fandom about MZB's and Breen's child molestation, including conspiracy theories spread by members of the Rabid Puppies.
===Unknown Date===
* (unknown date)
==Her Health, and Death==
Bradley suffered from poor health, and was in a variety of accidents from at least 1978 to 1999. Some of these were discussed in the magazine Locus, Usenet, and even more commonly, by Bradley herself as well as her partner, Elisabeth Waters, in many issues of the Darkover Newsletter. One of the first public mentions of Bradley's poor health was in March 1978, when the editor of her newsletter said he didn't want to "give her another heart attack." -- Darkover Newsletter #11 In November or December 1978, Bradley's car caught on fire and she was taken to the hospital. She related to fans: "I collapsed and was given oxygen by the firemen and taken to a hospital for cardiac monitoring; whereupon they decided that my heart was only crying wolf." The car was a total loss, however. -- from Bradley's Letter from MZB in Darkover Newsletter #15/16 In March 1979, Bradley was taken to the hospital after being hit by a pickup truck. From Darkover Newsletter #17/18: "In March, crossing the street, I was struck, knocked down in the street, by a pickup truck. A trip to hospital showed only bumps and bruises; but the psychic shock was considerable." In April 1979, Bradley was driving and rear-ended another car, causing her young passenger to hit the windshield with her head. From Darkover Newsletter #17/18: "On April 18th [1979], I was driving my niece Fiona to ballet, and a car in front of me stopped with unreasonable suddenness; we plowed into them, Fiona's head struck the windshield (she was not injured, thank God... but now she knows why I nag her about seat-belts. If I'd been driving faster she'd have been killed)." Bradley sued the Sheraton Hotel in San Francisco claiming she'd had a heart attack while being stuck in an elevator sometime between July 4-8 1979 -- "Well, Marion Bradley has sued the Sheraton for emotional distress. She claims she had a heart attack in the elevator, and the experience was so devastating that she was late on a contract for the first time in her life, which harmed her professional reputation." So -I- got deposed, and the case eventually settled out of court. As it turned out, the lawsuit had not been Marion's idea, or Walter's, but that of their two companions, who dropped out of the suit as soon as it had been filed, and refused to be deposed. It looked to me as though, once they realized what serious trouble they could get into, they scurried for cover, and left MZB dangling in the wind. But Walter, who was incredibly gregarious, just found the experience of being deposed to be delightful -- here were people -asking him questions,- and writing down everything he said. He turned on the charm, and had a wonderful time." -- comments by Loren MacGregor at (January 22, 2000) Sometime in late 1979, "Locus" reported that Bradley had a mild stroke. Bradley elaborated on this between March-June 1980: "[It was] a momentary paralysis which my doctor called an 'Ischemic attack. It wasn't precisely a stroke, but a momentary paralysis which my doctor called an "Ischemic attack"— a stroke that didn't quite happen. After a multitude of difficult, sophisticated and rather unpleasant tests, culminating in an arteriogram, nothing very much was found wrong with me and they decided I didn't need further surgery. It took me considerable time to recuperate, but I'm working again, and feeling, all things considered, pretty well... I am now two books behind because of all the working time I lost." -- Darkover Newsletter #21 There was worry conveyed by enough fans about Bradley's health and the future of the Darkover books that this was addressed in the fall of 1980: "For those of you who have inquired about the future of MZB and of the Darkover books: Marion has recovered well from her illness (and asks us to thank you all for the cards, letters and such) and is 1011 pages into MISTRESS OF MAGIC, the novel about the women of Malory's King Arthur, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and such." -- from Darkover Newsletter #22 (October 1980) Bradley accidentally set herself on fire sometime before, but close to, August 1982: "THENDARA HOUSE is in work, but the writing was delayed by an accident to MZB during a candlelight service here In the Centre for Non-Traditional Religion, where her robe was set on fire and she suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to her left hand." -- from Darkover Newsletter #26 These were not the first times Bradley was set on fire. The first time occurred in the 1940s: "My teacher handled four grades and taught them all to read except two seriously handicapped kids who were 16 and 18 and had IQs somewhere in the low idiot range. These kids capped their school careers by setting me on fire one day — after which they were Sent Away." -- from her comments in Darkover Newsletter #50. In spring 1983, Bradley discontinues the Darkover Newsletter, citing among other things, her poor health: "I do not think I would have the strength to close this chapter in my life, whatever the toll it is taking on my failing health, the increasing age of which the only symptom is a chronic lowering of energy." -- Darkover Newsletter #27 Diana L. Paxson wrote that after the publication of The Mists of Avalon in 1983, Bradley's health took a turn for the worse: "Her health was also beginning to fail. To the heart trouble from which she had suffered for many years was added diabetes, and then a series of strokes." -- Bradley suffered a series of strokes in May 1987: "I had had not one but a couple of small strokes." -- see much more of her description at Issue 37 (June 1987). Bradley accidentally set herself on fire sometime in 1987. From Elizabeth Waters Interview in 2008: "She participated in a lot of neo-Pagan rituals during those years, and one night she set her robe on fire when it brushed against a candle. (I was half-asleep in the back of the room, but I woke up fast enough when the girl representing the Maiden started screaming.) I took Marion into the house and started first aid, and then one of the guys drove us to the hospital." Bradley was in the hospital in November 1988: "I missed this [year's Darkover Grand Council Meeting] (I was in the hospital)..." -- her comment from Darkover Newsletter #43 (December 1988) "I hope to at future Darkover conventions; Thanksgiving in the hospital is cruel and unusual punishment." -- her comment from Darkover Newsletter #44 Bradley had a major stroke on October 30, 1989. Bradley herself describes the ordeal in detail in Darkover Newsletter #47 (December 1989). One excerpt: "I spent two weeks there with an IV in one arm, while I used the other to write part of THE FOREST HOUSE by hand in a notebook. Then I wound up in a rehabilitation hospital [in Philadelphia] for a couple of weeks, after which Jan Burke flew out and brought me back to a Bay Area hospital. I emerged a week ago, just in time for Christmas." This stroke was downplayed to the general public. From a fan on Usenet: "Just for your information, it was announced on GEnie that Marion Zimmer Bradley suffered another minor stroke while lecturing at Bryn Mawr, PA. She's currently in the hospital there, but the primary problem seems to be she's bored of being in the hospital. It definitely doesn't look serious." -- Marion Zimmer Bradley, November 19, 1989 From a fan on Usenet: "I got a letter from one of the people taking care of Marion Zimmer Bradley that I thought I'd pass along. They asked me to thank everyone who sent along get-well cards and letters to Marion. She's home, doing better and making good progress on her stroke, although the doctors are limiting her to no more than two hours of work a day. She hopes to be back up to speed soon, and I've been told that while she won't be travelling out of the Bay Area for a while, she will be doing some signings locally once she gets approval..." -- Marion Zimmer Bradley, January 1, 1990 Bradley has heart attack sometime between December 1989 and June 1990. In Darkover Newsletter #49 (June 1990), she tells of another close call with death and her intensive care hospital stay due to a heart attack. She is now off oxygen. In September 1990, Bradley wrote: "'The Forest House.' It's under contract to Viking and was sidetracked by 1) Earthquake 2) Stroke 3) Heart Attack, but it is now underway again." -- from Darkover Newsletter #50 "MZB was hospitalized three times this year (infected foot, heart attack, relapse of congestive heart failure), but she has staged a truly miraculous recovery." -- a comment by Elisabeth Waters in Darkover Newsletter #51 (December 1990) In December 1991, Bradley wrote: " I finally got through a year without either a heart attack or a stroke." -- "Darkover Newsletter" #55 (December 1991) When a fan wrote that he was disappointed in the novel 'Black Trillium." Bradley responded: "I had the stroke during 'Black Trillium.' Both Andre Norton and I made it clear that the book was fantasy and not science fiction and Julian May put all kinds of science fiction cliches in it. Both Andre and I were unhappy -- we were unable to protest effectively... my collaborators did what they thought best for it. I feel like a fake for signing a copy. -- from Darkover Newsletter #56 (March 1992) Bradley wrote in 1994: "Survivors of the near death experience, like me -- cardiac arrest when my daughter was born -- also tell much the same story. I've been living on borrowed time since her birth; I'll be content to go whenever the Lord wants me." -- from "Darkover Newsletter" #64 
Bradley passed away September 25, 1999. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Funeral. A bit of history and some hopeful foreshadowing: the Darkover Newsletter #5 (June 1977) described her birthday celebration and speculated on Bradley's future, one which aimed for a 2002 Golden Jubilee. See Darkover Newsletter. 
Excerpts from a memorial by Bradley's sister-in-law, Diana L. Paxson: 
A fan wrote this memorial: 
==Also See==
* Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy
* Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust
* Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust and Unauthorized Fanworks
* Darkover
* Elisabeth Waters
* Walter Breen
* Marion Zimmer Bradley and credit for collaborations, Joe Bernstein, September 3, 2015
===Photos===
* at Fanac.org (1967 photo of Walter Breen and Guest of Honor Marion Zimmer Bradley)
* (May 1997)
* Bradley at the first Darkover Grand Council Meeting in 1978: . Click photos to enlarge.
* A photo of Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Bradley, taken in the mid-1980s at Darkover Grand Council Meeting, is here: 
* 
* ; Wayback (undated)
* (undated photo, but likely late 1980s)
* ; Wayback
===Links to Essays and Articles on MZB's Website===
* , by MZB
* , by MZB
* , by MZB
* , by MZB 
* , by MZB
* , by MZB
* , by MZB
* , by Eliszbeth Waters 
* , by Elisabeth Waters
* , by MZB 
* , by MZB
* , by MZB
===Meta/Further Reading===
====By Bradley====
* the text of International Journal of Greek Love, first volume, published January 1965. Walter Breen is a contributor and editor (as "J.Z. Eglington"), Marion Zimmer Bradley is a contributor. (1965)
* An Evolution of Consciousness: Twenty-Five Years of Writing About Women in Science Fiction by Bradley (1977)
* What’s My Name in Darkovan? by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1978)
* Why Should I Encourage People to Write Darkover Stories? by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1978)
* Adventures in Reading Darkover Stories Without Having to Write Them First. by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1978)
* A Darkover Retrospective; archive link by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1980) "Some portions of "A Darkover Retrospective" were adapted from an article titled "My Life on Darkover" published in the amateur magazine Fantasiae, edited by Ian Miles Slater, c/o The Fantasy Association, Box 24560, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Copyright © 1974 by The Fantasy Association and used by permission of Ian Miles Slater" 
 
* Fantasy Worlds Festival Dead Dog Party Incident by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1980)
* Marion Zimmer Bradley Discusses Influences of "The King in Yellow" and Accusations of Plagiarism by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1982)
* Fandom: Its Value to the Professional by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1985)
* Why Did My Story Get Rejected by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1986)
* What is a Short Story by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1986)
* Some Comments (on lesbianism) by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1986) 
* Where do you get your ideas? by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1988)
* Letter from MZB by Marion Zimmer Bradely (August 1976-September 1995)
* About the Authors: The Priestess of Avalon: A memoir of Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-1999), by Diana L. Paxson (Winter 1999)
====By Others====
* , biography, date unknown 
* DARKOVER SPINOFF. Or maybe that should read CONTRARY MOTION—VERY. Ted Bryan (1977) 
* WHO ARE WE?, or, NOT A CAPE IN A CARLOAD by Ted Bryan (1977)
* Darkovans Invade Boskone! by Catherine Filipowicz (1978)
* Confessions of a Terranan Keeper, or, An Untrained Telepath is a Danger to Herself and Everyone Around Her by Elisabeth Waters (1982)
* Marion Zimmer Bradley's Influence on the Sime~Gen Universe by Jacqueline Lichtenberg (early to mid-2000s)
* My problem isn't (necessarily) Marion Zimmer Bradley by limyaael (2004)
* Vampires Saved My Soul... after Marion Zimmer Bradley tried to kill it. by Dianne Sylvan (2008)
* "The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction Feminisms. Helen Merrick, Aqueduct Press, 2009. " (chapter title), "'An evolution of consciousness' Bradley, fandom, and feminism" (section: page 152-165) (2009) This chapter's title refers to Bradley's 1977 essay An Evolution of Consciousness: Twenty-Five Years of Writing About Women in Science Fiction 
* George R. R. Martin is wrong about Lovecraft (2010)
* Rethinking the MZB case by opusculus (2010) 
* The Contraband Incident: The Strange Case of Marion Zimmer Bradley by Catherine Coker (2011)
* A literary genre that may be a lawyer’s fantasy – Biederman Blog (2012)
* On This Day: Marion Zimmer Bradley Gave Us New Perspectives by Leah Schnelbach (2014)
* Okay, some fandom history, why show writers and authors say "for legal reasons" they can't read fan fic. by freifraufischer (2016) 
* Katrina Rasbold, The Last Closet – A Book Review. In-depth analysis of Moira Greyland's The Last Closet: The Dark Side of Avalon (Castalia House, December 2017), "for those who did not read the book, for whatever reason." February 7, 2018.
* A Tarnished Legacy: The End of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress by Doris V. Sutherland (December 2019)
* see :Category:Darkover Meta
* see :Category:Marion Zimmer Bradley Meta
==Notes & References==
===Notes===
===References===
*
Category:Deceased
Category:1999 Deaths