{{short description|German science fiction and horror writer (born 1965)}}
'''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.<ref name="literaturport">{{cite web |title=Michael Marrak |url=https://www.literaturport.de/lexikon/michael-marrak/ |website=Literaturport |access-date=15 May 2026 |language=de}}</ref> He has received several German-language speculative fiction awards, including the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis, the Deutscher Science Fiction Preis and the SERAPH.<ref name="literaturport" />
== 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.<ref name="literaturport" /> His first published story, ''Die Augen von Aasac'', appeared in 1990.<ref name="fantasyguide">{{cite web |title=Marrak, Michael |url=https://fantasyguide.de/marrak-michael-autorkuenstler.html |website=Fantasyguide |access-date=15 May 2026 |language=de}}</ref>
From 1993 to 1996 Marrak edited the speculative fiction story and art magazine ''Zimmerit'', in which he also published his own fiction and illustrations.<ref name="fantasyguide" /> 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.<ref name="fantasyguide" />
His first novel, ''Die Stadt der Klage'', was published in 1997 by the Austrian art group and publishing collective monochrom.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stadt der Klage |url=http://edition-mono.at/index.php?id=11&no_cache=1&tx_sbportfolio_pi1%5Buid%5D=31&cHash=60f87dda97bb65902480e1e4b84e1fe3 |website=edition mono/monochrom |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref> His later novel ''Morphogenesis'' was a substantially revised version of ''Die Stadt der Klage''.<ref name="literaturport" />
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.<ref name="klp">{{cite web |title=KLP Preisträger |url=https://www.kurd-lasswitz-preis.de/KLP/KLP_Preistraeger.htm |website=Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis |access-date=15 May 2026 |language=de}}</ref> 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.<ref name="literaturport" /><ref name="klp" />
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.<ref name="literaturport" />
In September and October 2020, Marrak was a Q21 artist-in-residence at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna on invitation of paraflows. During the residency he completed work connected to the ''Kanon'' cycle, including the novel ''Anima ex Machina''.<ref name="mq">{{cite web |title=Michael Marrak: Anima ex Machina |url=https://www.mqw.at/mq-journal/2020/interview-mit-michael-marrak |website=MuseumsQuartier Wien |date=2 November 2020 |access-date=15 May 2026 |language=de}}</ref>
Marrak lives and works as a freelance writer and illustrator in Schöningen am Elm, Lower Saxony.<ref name="literaturport" />
== Awards ==
* 1997: European Science Fiction Award, Best Artist<ref name="fantasyguide" /> * 1999: Deutscher Science Fiction Preis for ''Die Stille nach dem Ton'', best German-language science fiction story<ref name="literaturport" /> * 2000: Deutscher Science Fiction Preis for ''Wiedergänger'', best German-language science fiction story<ref name="literaturport" /> * 2001: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for ''Lord Gamma'', best German-language science fiction novel<ref name="klp" /> * 2003: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for ''Imagon'', best German-language science fiction novel<ref name="klp" /> * 2005: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for the cover illustration of ''phantastisch!'' no. 15<ref name="literaturport" /> * 2014: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for ''Coen Sloterdykes diametral levitierendes Chronoversum'', best German-language science fiction story<ref name="klp" /> * 2018: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for ''Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen'', best German-language science fiction novel<ref name="klp" /> * 2018: SERAPH award for ''Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen'', best novel<ref name="literaturport" /> * 2019: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for the cover illustration of ''Die Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Zeit''<ref name="literaturport" /> * 2020: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for the cover illustration of ''Der Garten des Uroboros''<ref name="literaturport" />
== 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 ===
* ''Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen''. Amrûn Verlag, 2017. * ''Die Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Zeit''. Amrûn Verlag, 2018. * ''Anima ex Machina''. edition mono/monochrom, Vienna, 2020; edited by Johannes Grenzfurthner and Günther Friesinger. * ''Cutter ante portas''. Amrûn Verlag, 2022.
=== 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 ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.michaelmarrak.de/ Official website] * {{isfdb name|id=Michael_Marrak|name=Michael Marrak}} * {{DNB portal|123867851}}
{{Authority control}} {{Kurd Laßwitz Award Best Novel}} {{Kurd Laßwitz Award Best Short Fiction}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marrak, Michael}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:People from Weikersheim Category:German science fiction writers Category:German science fiction artists Category:German male writers Category:German horror writers Category:German horror artists Category:German illustrators