FABIAN, Stephen E.

(1930-)

   US illustrator who worked in electronics until 1973. Self-trained as a freelance sf illustrator, he worked as a fan artist in the late 1960s. At the age of 43 he graduated to the professional SF MAGAZINES, mostly AMZ and Fantastic, with both cover art and interiors; he was less active in the 1980s than the 1970s. His art is distinctive, with a strong sense of formal design; it is for his dramatic interior black-and-white work, reminiscent of Virgil FINLAY's and prepared on textured coquille board, that he is best known. Book covers and interior illustrations include work for SMALL PRESSES such as Donald M. Grant, Byron PREISS and UNDERWOOD-MILLER. Books devoted to SEF's work include Letters Lovecraftian: An Alphabet of Illuminated Letters Inspired by the Works of the Late Master of the Weird Tale, Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1974), Fantastic Nudes (1976) and Fantastic Nudes: 2nd Series (1976), which are collected with other material in Fantasy by Fabian (1978), The Best of Stephen Fabian (1976), More Fantasy by Fabian (1979) and Fabian in Color (1980). Many of these are ed and published Gerry de la Ree (? -1993), who also published much of Virgil Finlay's work. SEF has seven times been nominated for a HUGO.

   PN/JG

   See also: FANTASY.