Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author renowned for her impactful contributions to young adult and adult literature, most notably the *Twilight* series. This four-book paranormal romance saga, which began with *Twilight* in 2005 and concluded with *Breaking Dawn* in 2008, became a global phenomenon and was adapted into a successful five-part film series released between 2008 and 2012. Meyer was born on December 24, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up in a traditionally Mormon family in Arizona, where her love for storytelling and literature was nurtured from a young age.
In addition to the *Twilight* series, Meyer has authored several other works, including the adult science-fiction novel *The Host* and the thriller *The Chemist*. She also expanded the *Twilight* universe with a companion novella, *The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner*, and a retelling of the original story from the perspective of Edward Cullen titled *Midnight Sun*, published in 2020. Meyer's writing has significantly influenced the young adult genre, inspiring a wave of similar paranormal romance novels and adaptations in film. However, her works have not been without controversy, sparking discussions about character dynamics and gender representation. Meyer remains a significant figure in contemporary literature, continuing to engage with her audience through various storytelling mediums.
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Stephenie Meyer
- Born: December 24, 1973
- Place of Birth: Hartford, Connecticut
Biography
Stephenie Meyer is an American writer of novels for young adult and adult readers. She is best known as the author of the Twilight series, a four-book paranormal series for young adults that began in 2005 with the publication of Twilight and concluded in 2008 with the publication of the final installment, Breaking Dawn (2008). The series became a global phenomenon and was adapted into a five-part film series between 2008 and 2012. In addition to the Twilight novels, Meyer has written a novella set in the world of Twilight, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (2010); the adult science-fiction novel The Host (2008); and the adult thriller The Chemist (2016). Meyer has also published two companion books to the Twilight series, an additional Twilight novel, Midnight Sun (2020), and collaborated on two graphic novels based on the series.
Meyer was born Stephenie Morgan on December 24, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was one of six children born to Stephen and Candy Morgan. Meyer spent her first years in Connecticut, but when she was four, her traditionally Mormon family moved to Arizona.
As a child, Meyer spent much time looking after her four younger siblings. She was an avid reader, and her love of books was encouraged strongly by her parents; her father recommended she read his favorite fantasy books, while her mother promoted classic works by writers such as Jane Austen. Meyer was a storyteller from a young age as well, but while she enjoyed making up stories to entertain herself, she rarely wrote them down.
Meyer attended Chaparral High School, from which she graduated in 1992. She was somewhat unhappy in school and has noted that she drew on some of her teenage experiences when writing about Twilight protagonist Bella's awkward teen years. After completing high school, Meyer enrolled in Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she majored in English. She married while in college and dedicated herself primarily to caring for her young children after graduation.
In 2003, Meyer began working on Twilight, the first novel in her best-selling series. She later told journalists that the novel was inspired by a dream about a conversation between a teenage girl and a vampire. Twilight follows a teenager named Bella, who, after moving from Arizona to a small town in Washington, learns that several of the town's residents are vampires and pursues a romance with one of them, the handsome Edward. The two characters' romance continues to develop throughout the subsequent books, New Moon (2006) and Eclipse (2007) and culminates in their marriage in Breaking Dawn (2008). The Twilight series proved incredibly popular with readers worldwide and was adapted into a series of films. The first installment in the film series premiered in 2008 and was followed by The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). The adaptation of the final novel was split into two separate films, released in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
In addition to the books in the Twilight series, Meyer also wrote a companion novella to the series, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. The novella tells the story of a minor vampire character introduced in Breaking Dawn. Meyer also published two combination works to the series: The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (2011), a reference guide, and Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined (2015). With Young Kim, Meyer co-authored two graphic novels based on the Twilight series as well: Twilight: The Graphic Novel (2010-2011) and New Moon: The Graphic Novel (2012). Meyer is also the author of The Host, a romantic science-fiction novel marketed primarily toward adults. The novel was adapted into a film in 2013. After serving as a producer for the film version of The Host, she returned to writing fiction for adults, publishing the thriller The Chemist in 2016. This novel focuses on a former United States government agent who makes a significant discovery as she attempts to stay alive. In 2020, Meyer published Midnight Sun, a fifth novel in the Twilight series, which retells the story from Edward Cullen's perspective.
Meyer married her husband, Christian, in 1994. They have three sons and live in Cave Creek, Arizona.
Major Works
As the author of the internationally popular Twilight novels, Meyer was responsible for helping to usher in a major trend in young adult publishing. Although novels featuring paranormal and romantic themes had long been popular among teenage readers, the Twilight series has a particular blend of such themes that sparked the publication of numerous similar novels, many featuring romances between young human women and supernatural beings. The popularity of such novels further revitalized the young adult publishing industry as a whole, despite the difficulties faced by many publishing companies during the global recession that began in 2007. The popularity of the Twilight films likewise spurred on the trend of adapting young adult novels for the screen, and numerous films based on young adult properties premiered during the height of the popularity of the Twilight films. The adaptation of Meyer's science-fiction novel, The Host, could also be said to be part of this trend; although the novel was marketed toward adults, Meyer's popularity among teens likely contributed to the film's success at the box office. With Meghan Hibbett, Meyer also began Fickle Fish Films, a movie production company which aims to bring literature-based films to theaters.
The Twilight novels generated controversy following their publication, mainly because of the depiction of their female protagonist and her relationship with Edward. Some critics objected to aspects of Bella's personality and frequent need to be rescued by male characters and noted that elements of her relationship with Edward could be considered abusive. However, Meyer argued that the power differentials noted by some critics resulted from the novels' paranormal elements, such as the inherent vulnerability of humans compared to vampires. Some young adult novels published in Twilight's wake reproduced such dynamics, while others sought to subvert the tropes popularized by the Twilight series. Further, Meyer has come under fire from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community for comments she has made regarding the openly-gay star of the Twilight movies, Kristen Stewart, and the views of the Mormon Church, of which she is a member.
Bibliography
Alter, Alexandra. "Sorry, Twilight Fans, Stephenie Meyer's Latest Is a Twisted Spy Thriller." The New York Times, 9 Nov. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/books/sorry-twilight-fans-stephenie-meyers-latest-is-a-twisted-spy-thriller.html. Accessed 9 July 2024.
Blasingame, James, et al. Stephenie Meyer: In the Twilight. Scarecrow, 2012.
Cochrane, Kira. “Stephenie Meyer on Twilight, Feminism and True Love.” The Guardian, 11 Mar. 2013, www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/11/stephenie-meyer-twilight-the-host. Accessed 9 July 2024.
Kokkola, Lydia. “Virtuous Vampires and Voluptuous Vamps: Romance Conventions Reconsidered in Stephenie Meyer's ‘Twilight’ Series.” Children's Literature in Education, vol. 42, no. 2, 2011, pp. 165–79. Literary Reference Center, . Accessed 9 July 2024.
Laing, Olivia. “Stephenie Meyer: A Squeaky-Clean Vampire Queen.” The Guardian, 14 Nov. 2009, www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov/15/profile-stephenie-meyer-vampire-queen. Accessed 9 July 2024.
León, Concepción de. “In ‘Midnight Sun,’ Stephenie Meyer Tells Edward's Story.” The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/books/midnight-sun-stephenie-meyer-twilight.html. Accessed 11 July 2024.
Meyer, Stephenie. “Interview with Vampire Writer Stephenie Meyer.” Interview by Gregory Kirschling. Entertainment Weekly, 5 July 2008, www.ew.com/article/2008/07/05/interview-vampire-writer-stephenie-meyer. Accessed 9 July 2024.
Meyer, Stephenie. Stephenie Meyer, stepheniemeyer.com. Accessed 4 July 2024.
Shapiro, Marc. Stephenie Meyer. St. Martin's, 2009.
Stahl, Jay. "Kristen Stewart Calls 'Twilight' a 'Gay Movie.'" USA Today, 12 Jan. 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2024/01/12/kristen-stewart-twilight-gay-movie-bella-swan/72201825007. Accessed 11 July 2024.