Shortly after she was born, her father, a shoeshiner, passed away, leaving Butler in the care of her mother and grandmother.
Octavia Estelle Butler was born on June 22, 1947, in Pasadena, California, to Laurice and Octavia M. Butler, helped to break into the field with stunning works that directly addressed issues such as racism and sexism, becoming one of the most influential authors to emerge in the mid- to late-20 th century. Despite this, a major section of American society had largely been unrepresented on bookshelves and in magazines: African-American authors.
Throughout the early 20 th century, it was a popular and growing field in literature, and as its popularity grew, so too did the importance of female authors. Throughout this column on science fiction history, we’ve explored how authors have built upon the works of one another to create a grand conversation of speculative fiction.
