Byron Preiss
Byron Preiss was a multifaceted American storyteller, born on April 11, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a master's degree in film technique from Stanford University. Preiss began his career in the early 1970s by directing educational comic projects, which led to his work with the Children's Television Workshop for the series "The Electric Company." He played a pivotal role in the evolution of graphic novels, producing a series of illustrated novels alongside notable creators like Jim Steranko, with some historians crediting him as a foundational figure in the genre.
In addition to his contributions to graphic literature, Preiss authored the fantasy novel "Dragonworld" and was active in the burgeoning field of e-book production during the Internet revolution. His creative ventures extended to audio as well, with an acclaimed Grammy-winning audiobook, "The Words of Gandhi." Throughout his career, he collaborated with major comic publishers and enlisted celebrities to enhance children's literature. Tragically, Preiss's life was cut short in a car accident on July 9, 2005. He is remembered for his innovative spirit and lasting impact on storytelling across various media.
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Byron Preiss
Writer
- Born: April 11, 1953
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: July 9, 2005
- Place of death: East Hampton, New York
Biography
Byron Preiss was born on April 11, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of attorney Edmund Preiss and corporate officer Pearl Preiss. He graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, and the following year he completed his M.A. in film technique at Stanford University. However, by then he was already deeply involved in storytelling in a number of graphic media. In 1970, while still an undergraduate, he directed a project known as EDUgraphics, using comic book art for educational purposes.
This work attracted the attention of the Children’s Television Workshop, the film group that launched Sesame Street in 1968. The group invited Preiss to write and create graphics for their short-lived series for older children, The Electric Company, and Preiss worked on the program during his senior year at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1973 he was an elementary school teacher in Philadelphia, and in the summer of 1974 he was hired to be a children’s writer at the American Broadcasting System (ABC).
About this time, Preiss was working to eliminate the boundaries between print fiction and the comic book format by helping to produce a series of illustrated novels, beginning with Jim Steranko’s Chandler: Red Tide, published in 1974. Many comic book historians place the invention of the graphic novel as much as a decade later, but Preiss and Steranko have a strong claim to founding the genre. Preiss produced Steranko’s story on rough newsprint with comic book-style color separation, but in 1976 he reprinted the work in a higher- quality glossy edition. Preiss also wrote his own stories for the graphic novelsSchlomo Raven (1976), Starfawn (1976), and Son of Sherlock Holmes (1977).
As a science-fiction and fantasy author, Preiss is probably best known for his fantasy novel Dragonworld (1979), but much of his prose was linked to the graphic novel format. When the Internet revolutionized the way text was transmitted, Preiss was in the forefront of e-book production. Attempting virtually all media and creative genres, Preiss also edited an audiobook, The Words of Gandhi, which won a Grammy Award in 1985.
Both D.C. Comics and Marvel Comics, the two largest producers of comic books at the end of the twentieth century, recognized Preiss’s innovation in the medium and lent their characters to his various publication ventures. In the 1990’s, Preiss enlisted actors such as Billy Crystal and Jane Curtin to write children’s stories for his company, using their celebrity to market the products. On July 9, 2005, Preiss was driving home from his synagogue and died in a car crash. He was survived by his wife Sandi Mendelson, chief executive officer of a public relations firm, and their two daughters, Karah and Blair.