George RR Martin Health and Why Artists Never Retire

Artists never retire in the strict sense of the word. And by artist, I mean any person who produces works in the arts. Painters, writers, poets, photographers and so on. Because George RR Martin’s health was questioned in the early days of the COVID19 pandemic, readers of the Game of Throne series, panicked asking when will The Winds of Winter be released – the last book.

Late 2020, George RR Martin’s health was good, he had no plans to retire and his work was unfinished. Retirement is withdrawal from work that never inspires you. Artists engage in the creative process for life. Fans will ask, When will The Winds of Winter be released, until it is on the bookshelves.

Game of Thrones Series – When Will the Winds of Winter be Released?

I haven’t read the books by George RR Martin. But I have watched the massively popular HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ twice. After watching the first series, although I found it thoroughly entertaining, I was left confused.

After sixty episodes I was less confused and hooked. The lavish, and no doubt expensive, production and screenplay is first rate. But, the acting, while passable for a movie of this genre, is not top drawer.

HBO’s Game of Thrones is based on A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of high fantasy novels. The television series follows the major plot points of the books but introduces changes to characters and events for visual storytelling and streamlining purposes.

The show’s title, Game of Thrones, is a more straightforward representation of the power struggle in Westeros, while A Song of Ice and Fire refers to the entire saga, which includes the battle between the cold Others and the fiery dragons, symbolising the conflict in the series

I kept hearing the cry from impatient fans of the series – when will The Winds of Winter be released? So I thought I’d better take a closer look. What was I missing?

House of The Dragon

HBO’s House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, which is a historical document from Archmaester Gyldayn chronicling the Targaryen’s rise to power and conquest of Westeros. The book contains accounts from various sources, many of which contradict each other, and expands upon the content found in previous publications, including the novellas The Sons of the Dragon and The Princess and the Queen. House of the Dragon focuses on the final section of Fire & Blood, covering the events following King Jaehaerys’ reign, almost 200 years before Game of Thrones takes place. The show charts the contest for the next ruler of Westeros and the ensuing civil war, snappily titled the Dance of the Dragons

George RR Martin Health

During the early days of the COVID19 pandemic, fans of the Game of Thrones books were concerned about the health of the author George RR Martin. I wondered how much their concern was about him or the fact that he had not finished the final book in the series ‘Winds of Winter’.

We heard the call, when will the winds of winter be released, in many forms. A desperate cry from an insatiable audience of readers.

Despite the concern, whichever it was, George assured everyone his health was good and in a later Winds of Winter update, he hoped (no promises) that he would finish the book in 2021.

Unfair Criticism of Authors

The purpose of this post, however, is not to critique the series but to highlight the unfair criticism which has been levelled at Martin for being behind the eight ball and not finishing the project. Much has been written, some of it unjustifiably aggressive. Here is an example followed by a quote from the Guardian.

Tim Marchman of the Concourse Blog (edited abstract).

“What all people with theories can agree on is that this dude is old and rich. He appears to like travelling and writing. Talks about the New York Giants and science fiction awards. And does other things that aren’t writing new books in his famous ASOIAF series. He hasn’t published a finished book in that series this millennium.

None of this suggests more books are coming our way. It would be great if this dude wrote pages explaining whether or not Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon are dead. Whether Aegon Targaryen is or isn’t a fake, etc. etc. But he can only do so if he has those pages, which he probably doesn’t. Pages will turn up eventually. At which point people will have theories about whether he wrote them. One credible theory will be no, because he never had any pages. Either way, the question of whether Bran travelled through time to bone his aunt will have been (sort of) resolved. What more do you want than that?”

George RR Martin is one of those old artists who never retire. One who has more than enough money to have done so years ago and avoid this kind of destructive criticism. So why didn’t he?

I don’t know George but I could hazard a guess. I’ll leave I to your imagination.

Making the Concourse Article more Readable.

The editing, grammar and spelling mistakes I corrected in The Concourse post serves to aid readability and at the same time highlight the hypocrisy.

Consumers are served up masses of entertainment, on all sorts of platforms. And it is sad when critics feel they have a right to demand more until they have gorged themselves.

Artists are passionate, patient, self-driven and mostly self-employed. They appreciate their paying audience, but they do not work for them. The consumer is the buyer right enough. And it could be argued that ‘He who pays the piper…’ etc. It is a fair point if the artist is solely in it to make money.

Even when they can most artists never retire to live a relaxing comfortable life. They are driven by their passion to create something of value for others to enjoy.

Quoted in the Guardian – George RR Martin said

For months now I have wanted nothing so much as to be able to say, ‘I have completed and delivered The Winds of Winter’ on or before the last day of 2015. But the book’s not done. Nor is it likely to be finished tomorrow, or next week. Yes, there’s a lot written. Hundreds of pages. Dozens of chapters. But there’s also a lot still left to write. I am months away still … and that’s if the writing goes well. (Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t.)

Aspiring Authors Beware – The Artists Dilemma

Here’s the dilemma. We are not dealing with fast moving consumer goods. Artists, writers, photographers and musicians, unlike mass producing factories, can’t work to order effectively.

They are driven by inspiration, which doesn’t come wrapped in a timetable. Most creative people don’t retire.

So when they die they are most likely working on a project which may never see the light of day. It could be finished by someone else, of course. And it often is.

Two notable writers who departed with unfinished work are Geoffrey Chaucher and Charles Dickens. So, George Martin’s situation is quite normal, as opposed to being wrong, as has been suggested.

He has benefitted financially from the long road he chose, but has he benefitted creatively? Maybe not. And now he may be feeling the unrealistic pressure of fame.

More writers are self-publishing, and musicians have, for a long time, moved away from the demands imposed on them by record companies. It’s a rough road either way, and I wouldn’t blame George if he said stuff this, I’m off to the pub.

Gertrude Proves a Point

This extract from Gertrude, one of my favourite books by Hermann Hesse serves to illustrate my point.

“It was a strange business, and it made a sad and curious impression on me. Everything that had belonged to me in these earlier years of my life left me, was alien and lost to me. I suddenly saw how sad and artificial my life had been during this period. For the loves, friends, habits and pleasures of these years were discarded like badly fitting clothes. I parted from them without pain. And all that remained was to wonder that I could have endured them so long.”

How could anyone write such beautiful prose to order. Authors do it for the sheer joy of writing, another article where I take a look at Tolstoy, a troubled genius.

So set the artists free to follow their passion unfettered. You will continue to be amazed at what they will share with you if you are patient.

Artists never retire – they just die. 

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Updated – April 2024