Michael Marrak

Michael Marrak (born 5 November 1965 in Weikersheim, Baden-Württemberg) is a German writer and illustrator. His work includes science fiction, horror, fantasy, grotesque fiction and speculative fiction.[1] He has received several German-language speculative fiction awards, including the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis, the Deutscher Science Fiction Preis and the SERAPH.[1]

Life and career

Marrak was born in Weikersheim in the Tauberfranken region of Baden-Württemberg. He studied graphic design, desktop publishing and multimedia in Stuttgart, and initially worked as an illustrator, editor, anthologist and writer of short fiction.[1] His first published story, Die Augen von Aasac, appeared in 1990.[2]

From 1993 to 1996 Marrak edited the speculative fiction story and art magazine Zimmerit, in which he also published his own fiction and illustrations.[2] After the end of Zimmerit, he was co-editor, with Malte S. Sembten, of the Maldoror series and the anthologies Der agnostische Saal and Der agnostische Saal 2 from 1998 to 1999.[2]

His first novel, Die Stadt der Klage, was published in 1997 by the Austrian art group and publishing collective monochrom.[3] His later novel Morphogenesis was a substantially revised version of Die Stadt der Klage.[1]

Marrak's best-known novels include Lord Gamma, which won the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis in 2001, and Imagon, which won the same award in 2003.[4] His 2017 novel Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen won both the 2018 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best novel and the 2018 SERAPH award for best book.[1][4]

From the mid-2000s to early 2012, Marrak worked for the Hanover-based game developer Reakktor Media, where he was responsible for story development and game design on the science-fiction MMORPG Black Prophecy. He had developed the game's backstory since 2005; the tie-in novel Black Prophecy – Gambit appeared in 2011.[1]

In September and October 2020, Marrak was a Q21 artist-in-residence at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna. During the residency he completed work connected to the Kanon cycle, including the novel Anima ex Machina.[5]

Marrak lives and works as a freelance writer and illustrator in Schöningen am Elm, Lower Saxony.[1]

Awards

  • 1997: European Science Fiction Award, Best Artist[2]
  • 1999: Deutscher Science Fiction Preis for Die Stille nach dem Ton, best German-language science fiction story[1]
  • 2000: Deutscher Science Fiction Preis for Wiedergänger, best German-language science fiction story[1]
  • 2001: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for Lord Gamma, best German-language science fiction novel[4]
  • 2003: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for Imagon, best German-language science fiction novel[4]
  • 2005: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for the cover illustration of phantastisch! no. 15[1]
  • 2014: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for Coen Sloterdykes diametral levitierendes Chronoversum, best German-language science fiction story[4]
  • 2018: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen, best German-language science fiction novel[4]
  • 2018: SERAPH award for Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen, best novel[1]
  • 2019: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for the cover illustration of Die Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Zeit[1]
  • 2020: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for the cover illustration of Der Garten des Uroboros[1]

Selected works

Novels

  • Die Stadt der Klage. edition mono/monochrom, 1997.
  • Lord Gamma. Shayol / Alien Contact, 2000.
  • Imagon. Festa, 2002.
  • Morphogenesis. Bastei Lübbe, 2005.
  • Das Aion: Kinder der Sonne. Ravensburger Buchverlag, 2008.
  • Black Prophecy – Gambit. Panini Verlag, 2011.
  • Epitaph. Bastei Lübbe, 2013.
  • Ammonit. Bastei Lübbe, 2013.
  • Der Garten des Uroboros. Amrûn Verlag, 2019.

Kanon cycle

Short story collections and anthologies

  • Monafyhr. Edition Zimmerit, 1994.
  • Grabwelt. Edition Zimmerit, 1996.
  • Die Stille nach dem Ton. Alien Contact / Edition Avalon, 1998.
  • Der agnostische Saal. Edited with Malte S. Sembten, 1998.
  • Der agnostische Saal 2. Edited with Malte S. Sembten, 1999.
  • Armageddon mon amour: Fünf Visionen vom Ende. Edited with Karsten Kruschel, 2012.

Theatre

  • Am Ende der Beißzeit. With Gerhard Junker, 1997.
  • Der Weg der Engel. With Agus Chuadar, edition mono/monochrom, 1998.

Computer games

  • Black Prophecy, story development and game design; released 2011.
  • Black Prophecy – Gambit, tie-in novel, 2011.

Illustrations

  • Artwork for the documentary film Traceroute, 2016.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Michael Marrak". Literaturport (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Marrak, Michael". Fantasyguide (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  3. ^ "Stadt der Klage". edition mono/monochrom. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "KLP Preisträger". Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  5. ^ "Michael Marrak: Anima ex Machina". MuseumsQuartier Wien (in German). 2 November 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
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