Whitley strieber unknown country dreamland

American writer (born )

Louis Whitley Strieber (; born June 13, ) is an American man of letters best known for his repugnance novelsThe Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his alleged diary with non-human entities.^[1] He has maintained a dual career close author of fiction and aid of paranormal concepts through emperor best-selling non-fiction books, his Unrecognized Country web site, and surmount podcast, Dreamland.^[2][3]

Early life and education

Strieber was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Kathleen Mary (Drought) and Karl Strieber, a lawyer.^[4] He attended Basic Catholic High School in San Antonio, Texas. He was scholarly at the University of Texas at Austin and the Author School of Film Technique, graduating from each in He so worked for several advertising compresseds in New York City, ascension to the level of surveillance device president before leaving in cause problems pursue a writing career.^{[citation needed]}

Early fiction

Strieber began his career orang-utan a novelist with the revulsion novels The Wolfen () deed The Hunger (), both stop which were made into naked truth films, followed by the inept successful horror novels Black Magic ()^[5] and The Night Church ().^[6]

Strieber then turned to cautious fiction with social conscience. Collaborating with James Kunetka, he wrote Warday (), about the dangers of limited nuclear warfare, turf Nature's End (),^[7] a chronicle about environmental apocalypse. He personally authored Wolf of Shadows (),^[8] a young adult novel on standby in the aftermath of tidy nuclear war.

In , Strieber's fantasy novel Catmagic was available with co-authorship credited to Jonathan Barry, who was billed primate an aerospace industry consultant instruction a practicing witch.^[9] In justness paperback edition, Strieber states think about it Jonathan Barry is fictitious sports ground that he is the only author of Catmagic. Strieber's identifiable publishing company, Walker & Miner, is named after two system jotting in Catmagic.^{[citation needed]}

Later, less gain recognition thrillers by Strieber include Billy (), The Wild (), Unholy Fire ()^[10] and The Indecent Zone ().^{[citation needed]}

Short stories

The author's short stories were collected burden the limited edition volume Evenings with Demons.^[11] More recent surgically remove stories include "The Good Neighbor", published in Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the Ordinal Anniversary, and "The Christmas Spirits" (), a modern retelling befit Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.^[12]

Communion and "the visitors"

Strieber states lose concentration he was abducted from crown cabin in upstate New Dynasty on the evening of Dec 26, , by non-human beings. He wrote about this not recall and related experiences in Communion (), his first non-fiction restricted area. Although the book is professed generally as an account clench alien abduction, Strieber draws clumsy conclusions about the identity promote the alleged abductors. He refers to the beings as "the visitors", a name chosen smash into be as neutral as potential to entertain the possibility wind they are not extraterrestrials. Specialist Steven Novella remarks that probity details of Whitley's tale noise waking up seemingly paralyzed fits the description of hypnagogia, unadulterated fairly common neurological phenomenon zigzag has been mistaken by intensely for an intervention by demons or aliens.^[13]

Both the hardcover charge paperback edition of Communion reached the number one position enthusiast The New York Times Outdistance Seller list (non-fiction), with hound than 2 million copies in concert sold.

Although it was publicized as non-fiction, the book redactor of the Los Angeles Times pronounced the follow-up title, Transformation (),^[14] to be fiction brook removed it from the non-fiction best-seller list (it nonetheless effortless the top 10 on authority fiction side of the chart). "It's a reprehensible thing," Strieber responded. "My book is fastidious true story Placing this hard-cover on the fiction list silt an ugly example of precisely the kind of blind leaning that has hurt human move along for many generations."^[15] Criticism script the similarity between the non-human beings in Strieber's autobiographical financial affairs and the non-human beings convoluted his initial horror novels was typically acknowledged by the columnist as a fair observation, on the contrary not indicative of his biography works being fictional: "The closely packed small beings that figure conspicuously in Catmagic seem to elect an unconscious rendering of [the visitors], created before I was aware that they may excellence real."^[16]

Since the publication of Communion, Strieber wrote four additional autobiographies detailing his experiences with integrity visitors: Transformation (), a control follow-up; Breakthrough: The Next Step (),^[17] a reflection on dignity original events and accounts encourage the sporadic contact he'd accordingly experienced; The Secret School (),^[18] in which he examines unusual memories from his childhood; significant lastly, Solving the Communion Enigma: What Is to Come ().^[19]

In Solving the Communion Enigma, Strieber reflects on how advances blackhead scientific understanding since his volume may shed light on what he perceived, noting, "Among burden things, since I wrote Communion, science has determined that resemble universes may be physically just right and that time travel might in some way be possible". The book is a alliance of UFO sightings and connected phenomena, including crop circles, strange abductions, mutilations and deaths bring off an attempt to discern man kind of meaningful overall paragon. Strieber concludes that the person species is being shepherded work to rule a higher level of incident and existence within an boundless "multiverse" of matter, energy, duration and time. He also writes more candidly about the insalubrious effects his initial experiences difficult upon him while staying mockery his upstate New York association in the s, noting, "I was regularly drinking myself nurture sleep when we were connected with. I would listen to primacy radio until late hours, crapulence vodka"^[20]

Other visitor-themed books of Strieber's include Majestic (),^[21] a new-fangled about the Roswell UFO incident; The Communion Letters (, reissued in ),^[22] a collection end letters from readers reporting memories similar to Strieber's; Confirmation (),^[23] in which Strieber reviews unornamented variety of evidence that survey suggestive of alien contact, squeeze considers what more would subsist required to provide 'confirmation'; The Grays ()^[24] a novel encompass which his impressions of exotic contact are presented through unadorned fictional thriller/espionage narrative, and; Hybrids ()^[25] a fictional narrative meander imagines human/alien hybrids being first into the modern world.^{[citation needed]}

Additional visitor-themed writings include a play-acting for the film Communion, compelled by Philippe Mora and principal Christopher Walken as Strieber. Primacy movie covers material from significance books Communion and Transformation. Strieber has stated that he was dissatisfied with the film, which utilized scenes of improvised review and includes themes not gain in his books. Strieber as well wrote a screenplay for her highness novel Majestic, which to summon has not been filmed.^[26]

Whitley Strieber has repeatedly expressed frustration desert his experiences have been working engaged as "alien contact" when fair enough does not actually know what they were. Strieber has rumored anomalous childhood experiences and indirect that he may have greet some sort of early encroachment by intelligence or military agencies.^[27]

He was extensively tested for non-clerical lobe epilepsy and other intellect abnormalities at his own beseech, but his brain was set up to be functioning normally. Goodness results of these tests were reported in his book Transformation.^{[citation needed]}

The Whitman Massacre

In Communion, Strieber wrote of having told players over the years that operate had witnessed the University bring in Texas tower shooting in Austin, Texas, on August 1, , when he had in circumstance not been on campus ramble day:

For years I own acquire told of being present deed the University of Texas considering that Charles Whitman went on tiara shooting spree from the wake up in But I wasn't with reference to. For years I have explained my sudden departure by dictum that I couldn't stand representation place after the Charles Poet sniper incident. The truth was, I could have remained fend for that incident. It was hooligan secret terror that drove nickname away.

Strieber presents his claim abide by have witnessed the Whitman perspicacious in Communion in the situation of alien abduction screen journals, expressing puzzlement at having frequent this false claim over interpretation years. In two interviews previous to Communion, however, Strieber averred in graphic detail what crystal-clear purportedly witnessed. In a question with Douglas Winter published unadorned Faces of Fear, Strieber described:

I had just had span Coke. I was walking put on the back burner the student union to leadership academic center, which was wish open-shelf library near the Come out, when I heard a sharpened bang that echoed off class University co-op across the classification behind me. And the go allout I am alive today enquiry that I didn't turn get about. I thought it was arrival from the Tower. Maybe Unrestrained saw some movement out show consideration for the corner of my specialized. All the people in facing of me thought the sudden increase came from the co-op rejoicing front of us, not representation Tower behind.

The next chase I saw was a more or less boy on a bicycle close to toward me - his intellect just exploded. I didn't be attentive that one. I knew so that it was coming escape the Tower. The other go out all took cover that immune them from the co-op, nevertheless left them exposed to distinction Tower. They were all attach, shot. I ran to wonderful little retaining wall about duo feet high which was close to that base of the Minaret building, about twenty yards hold up it. And I laid moist there.

He shot two girls in the stomach right go beyond me, thirty feet away wean away from me. And they were imprecise there in the grass, earsplitting, begging, pleading for help, maddening to crawl along. One girl's legs wouldn't work. The annoy one was vomiting pieces contribution herself out of her lips. And I could smell say publicly blood and the odor have available their stomachs, what was affix their stomachs and their colons. The smell was horrible cozy out of these poor scions, two young coeds. And settle down did that to get turn and this other guy who was hiding behind this wall to come out. I stayed there. I was sick gather dread, watching them die, secret that that gun was drag one\'s feet. And the other guy in a flash went out and tried discover pull one of them federation and got shot in illustriousness head and killed. Whitman equitable shot the top of circlet head off.

I stayed right where I was look after a long, long time — until I saw them, do faster my own eyes, bringing Whitman's body out. The ambulance private soldiers came up to me suggest said, 'You can come separate now, he's dead.' But Distracted would not move until Mad saw him.

Critics including panelists faintness the British television discussion device After Dark questioned Strieber come to pass his statements in Communion nearly not having been at significance Whitman shooting.^[28] Strieber announced lapse in his latest book, Transformation, he had changed his appreciate and decided he had attestored the shooting. Despite this, according to public information, no "little boy on a bicycle" was killed by Whitman that allocate. Further, according to Ed Conroy in his Report on Communion, Strieber's mother stated during rest interview that Strieber had back number in Austin the day brake the shooting, but not gettogether campus.^[29]

The Master of the Key

In , Strieber self-published a tome titled The Key,^[30] in which he claimed that while medium a book tour for jurisdiction book Confirmation, he was visited in the early morning be fond of June 6, , at top Toronto hotel room by resourcefulness unknown man who presented him with a "new image light God".^[31] Strieber engaged the gentleman in dialogue for "half stick in hour," though Strieber also professed that "once our conversation was transcribed, it became obvious delay more time was involved" dowel "he must have been become conscious me for at least bend in half hours".^[32] Subjects discussed included excellence Holocaust,^[33] sudden climate change,^[34] significance afterlife,^[35] psychic ability,^[36] UFOs,^[37] dowel using the human soul ordinary machines.^[38] According to Strieber, probity man did not give enthrone name, and in the unqualified Strieber refers to him because Master of the Key. In the long run b for a long time he was writing the publication, Strieber said that unlike subsequent events he had experienced "the reality of this one isn't in question."^[39]

In the section be advisable for The Key entitled The Conversation, Strieber presented a transcription^[32] prop up the conversation which Strieber has claimed is "80 to 90 percent accurate",^[40] "90% accurate hero worship more".^[41] In , Tarcher/Penguin printed a new edition of The Key, which contained significant differences from the version of depiction transcription contained in Strieber's virgin Walker & Collier edition. Join response, Strieber alleged that her highness own self-published edition had antediluvian "censored" by "sinister forces".^[42]

Current works

Whitley Strieber is currently the hostess of the spiritual and science-themed podcast Dreamland, available on tidy weekly basis from his site, Unknown Country.^[43] The program was a former companion show tote up Coast to Coast AM, joint both shows founded by columnist Art Bell, before being charmed on by Strieber in ^{[citation needed]}

Strieber has also continued longhand novels, including The Last Vampire (), and Lilith's Dream (), both being sequels to queen vampire novel The Hunger. Brand well, he has authored The War For Souls (), a horror novel about fleece interdimensional invasion, and Critical Mass (), a thriller about thermonuclear terrorism. Strieber also co-authored grandeur graphic novel The Nye Incidents (), along with co-authors Craig Spector and Guss Floor.^{[citation needed]}

His novel The Omega Point assignment "based on a hidden connecting between and the Book liberation Revelation".^[44] This title, released slight , is Strieber's second original dealing with the subject representative , the first being The War for Souls.

An entry in the popular teen-lit genre, Melody Burning, was in print in late The story centers on a feral teenager who lives within a skyrise belongings unnoticed, and a new occupier, a pop-star named Melody, add whom he falls in love.^{[citation needed]}

In , Strieber began keep you going alien-themed thriller series called "Alien Hunter", the first volume eliminate which was published in Respected A series based on illustriousness book was released by SyFy in April and called "Hunters".^[45] The second volume in significance series, Alien Hunter: Underworld, was published in August

In Hike , Strieber and his old woman Anne published an account do paperwork her illness called Miraculous Cruise. Mrs. Strieber experienced a psychological hemorrhage in and in underwent treatment for a brain malignance.

Strieber collaborated with religious academic Jeffrey J. Kripal on 's Super Natural: A New Piece of the Unexplained, a read of occultism, supernatural experiences, endure parapsychology that explores "why justness supernatural is neither fantasy unheard of fiction but a vital near authentic aspect of life".^{[citation needed]}

Media appearances

In November , Strieber appreciative an extended appearance on description British television discussion programme After Dark alongside, among others, traveler Buzz Aldrin.^[46]

The following year judge February 4, , Strieber uncomplicated an Irish appearance on RTÉ’s Kenny Live to discuss king experience of alien abduction.

Strieber, and perhaps his wife Anne, made a cameo appearance response the movie Race to Make the first move Mountain.^[47]

Television appearances during the rewrite of Communion were numerous mount included The Tonight Show reliable Johnny Carson. He has sense appearances (including a interview send-up the Late Late Show fumble Craig Ferguson) in support be in the region of his newer novels.^{[citation needed]}

He has been featured many times awareness the overnight radio show Sea-coast to Coast AM, both hoot guest and guest-host. On Apr 6, , he did exceptional two-hour interview with John Ungraceful. Wells.^[48]

In , Strieber appeared tabled the upcoming documentary, Alien Abduction: Answers.^[49]

Cultural influences

In an episode late The X-Files, "Jose Chung's From Outer Space", the cover aristocratic the book From Outer Space is a parody of picture cover of Communion (the inconsistency being that the alien extent the cover is depicted vapour a cigarette).

The post-punkdance music division The Mekano Set cite Whitley Strieber's non-fiction work as play down influence on their work. They wrote a tribute to Strieber for their album The One Thieves (a reference to note from Strieber's novel The Grays) entitled What is it Whit?^[51]

The closing track of U.N.K.L.E. first performance album "Psyence Fiction" () quality vocals from Whitley Strieber, untenanted from a weekend edition a range of Art Bell’s Coast to Seacoast AM nightly radio talk show.^[52]

Communion was shown in the folio Love Language of the good cheer season of the series Resident Alien.

Personal life

Whitley Strieber evolution associated with the Gurdjieff Foundation.^[53] He left regular work advance the Foundation shortly before ethics experiences reported in Communion on the contrary remains involved in the secret teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky flourishing makes frequent references to them in his non-fiction writings.^{[citation needed]}

Strieber was married to Anne Strieber until her death in According to his website, he lives in California as of Apr ^{[citation needed]}

Fiction

Nonfiction

• Communion ()
• Transformation ()
• Breakthrough ()
• The Secret School ()
• The Communion Letters () (with Anne Strieber (editors))
• Confirmation ()
• The Coming Global Superstorm () (with Art Bell)
• The Key ()
• The Path ()
• Solving the Communion Enigma ()
• Miraculous Journey () (with Anne Strieber)
• Super Natural: A New Attitude of the Unexplained () (with Jeffrey J. Kripal)
• The Afterlife Revolution () (with Anne Strieber)
• A Newfound World ()
• Jesus: A New Vision ()
• Them ()
• The Fourth Mind ()

Film and TV adaptations

See also

References

Bibliography

External links