Jirel of Joiry

The first woman protagonist of the sword-and-sorcery genre, the strong and defiant Jirel of Joiry A Penguin Classics Hardcover In the pages of Weird Tales, which introduced readers to the writings of some of the most legendary authors in the speculative genre, one heroine’s name stood out from the rest with her bravery and fierceness: Jirel of Joiry. With fiery red hair, lion-yellow eyes, and a mighty two-handed sword, Jirel’s quick wit and defiant demeanor immediately entranced readers and cemented her as one of the first and most iconic characters in the sword-and-sorcery genre. Jirel was the creation of C.L. Moore, a secretary at a bank in Indianapolis, whose short stories, published in the premier pulp fiction magazines of the 1930s, distinguished themselves with their unique blend of engaging prose, thematic depth, rapid pacing, and sensual, lucid depictions of imagined historical and interstellar worlds. With Jirel, Moore introduced a physically and emotionally powerful warrior woman whose hot-blooded fearlessness still inspires the strong women protagonists in the genre today. Featuring seven classic Jirel tales and three of Moore’s finest short stories—“Shambleau,” “No Woman Born,” and “Vintage Season”—this collection celebrates one of the most influential speculative fiction authors who changed the rules of the game for early twentieth-century fantastic literature. Penguin Speculative Fiction Special is a hardcover series of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more published by Penguin Classics. Featuring custom endpapers, specially commissioned cover art, and introductions by scholars and notable figures, these collectible editions celebrate classics that invite us to ask, “What if?” and that, through bold imagination, alternative visions, and magical realms, transform our perception of our world.

C.L. Moore (1911– 1987) is one of the most influential female fantasy authors of all time. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Moore published her first story, “Shambleau,” in Weird Tales in 1933, where it was an immediate success and earned praise from contemporaries such as H. P. Lovecraft. She proceeded to write high-profile stories for Weird Tales and Astounding Science Fiction for the next decade, earning particular acclaim for her characters Jirel of Joiry, the first strong female protagonist in the sword-and-sorcery genre, and daring spaceman Northwest Smith. Moore met science fiction author Henry Kuttner in 1936 when he wrote her a fan letter, mistakenly believing her to be a man, and the two married in 1940. Together the couple collaborated on numerous stories, novels, and scripts under their own names and seventeen pseudonyms until Kuttner’s death in 1958. Moore stopped writing fiction but continued to work in television scriptwriting until her second marriage to Thomas Reggie in 1963, when she ceased writing altogether. In 1981 she received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the Gandalf Grand Master Award. She died in 1987 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and in 1998 was posthumously inducted in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Silvia Moreno-Garcia (foreword) is the author of The Bewitching, The Seventh Veil of Salome, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Mexican Gothic, and many other books. She has won the Locus, British Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards.

Foreword by Silvia Moreno-Garcia JIREL OF JOIRY Black God's Kiss Black God's Shadow Jirel Meets Magic The Dark Land Hellsgarde Quest of the Starstone (with Henry Kuttner) SELECTED STORIES Shambleau No Woman Born Vintage Season