JAKUBOWSKI, Maxim

(1944-)

   UK writer, critic, publisher, bookseller, translator and anthologist. He was educated in France and writes in both French and English. After some time as a company director in the flavour industry, heturned to publishing, becoming Managing Director of Virgin Books (1980-83) and then taking up directorships of Zomba and Rainbird. Since 1988 he has run the Murder One bookshop, London, specializing in mysteries; since 1991 this has incorporated the New Worlds sf outlet. As a writer he has published about 25 books, those in English mostly concerning rock music and the mystery field. Generally more at ease in short-story length, in both French and English, he began publishing fiction of genre interest in English with "Lines of White on a Sullen Sea" for NW in 1969, which tookplace in the Jerry Cornelius SHARED WORLD opened by Michael MOORCOCK for contributors to the magazine. MJ's sf has tended to be marginal, and his preoccupation with doomed love, music, sex and death has more often been expressed in mainstream fiction. A prolific anthologist in France (9 vols), he has also edited several English-language anthologies: Travelling towards Epsilon: An Anthology of French Science Fiction (anth trans Beth Blish and MJ 1977), Twenty Houses of the Zodiac: An Anthology ofInternational Science Fiction (anth 1979), Lands of Never (anth 1983) and Beyond Lands of Never (anth 1984), the latter two being original fantasy.Most of his later anthology releases have been in the mystery field, though The Mammoth Book of Erotica (anth 1994) contains material of genre interest. With Malcolm EDWARDS he wrote The Complete Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy Lists (1983; rev vt The SF Book of Lists 1983 US), andwith Edward JAMES he edited The Profession of Science Fiction (anth 1992), a selection of pieces taken from the journal FOUNDATION: THE REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION. As Charlotte Stone he wrote Cheon of Weltanland: The FourWishes (1983 US).

   MJ/PN/JC