Swordsmen and Sorcerers Guild of America

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The Swordsmen and Sorcerers Guild of America (SAGA) was an informal group of fantasy authors active from the 1960s through the 1980s, noted for their contributions to the "Sword and Sorcery" type of heroic fantasy literature.

Membership was open to women as well as men, and the eight founding members were seven men and one woman, Andre Norton.

The eight original members were Poul Anderson, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, John Jakes, Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, Andre Norton, and Jack Vance.

An early anthology including works by members of the group was Swords Against Tomorrow (1970), a paperback original edited by Robert Hoskins. It comprised one novella and three novelettes by SAGA members and a novelette by Leigh Brackett.

SAGA later showcased the work of its members in the Flashing Swords! anthology series edited by Carter and published from 1973 to 1981.

Carter and SAGA created and sponsored the Gandalf Awards, administered by the annual World Science Fiction Convention.

With the collapse of Carter's health in the 1980s, SAGA ceased most of its activities.

Some of the members and their titles were:

  • L. Sprague de Camp -- Lord High Grand Supreme Guildmaster and Supreme Sadist of the Reptile Men of Yag
  • Lin Carter -- Purple Druid of the Gibbering Horde of the Slime Pits of Zugthakya
  • Michael Moorcock -- Captive Chronicler of the Mad King Across the Water
  • John Jakes -- Ambassasdor-without-Portfolio to the Partly-Squamous, Partly-Rugous Vegetable Thingsd of the South Polar City of Nugyubb-Glas, etc.

Club 1960s1980s
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