Author George R.R. Martin, the epic fantasy/science fiction writer whose “A Game of Thrones,” the first of five novels in his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of books, which inspired the HBO hit series “Game of Thrones,” will be the recipient of the 2019 Carl Sandburg Literary Award, it was announced Wednesday by the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Library Foundation.
Dr. Eve L. Ewing, the widely acclaimed author, whose work include “Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side” will receive the 21st Century Award, which “honors significant recent achievements in writing by an author with ties to Chicago.”

Eve Ewing | Nolis Anderson Photo
“We are celebrating two ground-breaking authors who are sparking literary revolutions in their respective genres.” said Brenda Langstraat, recently named President of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. “We are proud to welcome Mr. Martin, a graduate of Northwestern University, back to Chicago to join our illustrious list of Sandburg Award honorees.”
The honors will be bestowed at the annual Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner, Oct. 10 at the Isadore & Sadie Dorin Forum (725 W. Roosevelt Road) on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones” premiered Sunday night. In a recent interview with “60 Minutes,” Martin noted that the series has been very faithful to his books, but would need to run five more seasons since he’s writing two more for his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series.
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