There is no doubt that George RR Martin is among the most famous author in this generation. In fact, no other book today that makes a buzz as loud as the anticipated book "Winds of Winter," which is the sixth installment of his popular novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire."
On Sunday, Sept. 20, the brain behind the book "Game of Thrones" which inspired a TV adaptation in HBO turns 67. Fans of the celebrity author are always after his works. However, there are still a lot of interesting facts about Martin that one should know.
Here are the top 5 things one should learn about the celebrity writer:
1. He is a simple man. Martin's epic fantasy novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire" has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. When the book series was adapted by HBO into a TV dramatic series "Game of Thrones," more than 9 million Americans watch each episode every season, Celebrity Net Worth reports. No wonder he is banking an estimated $15 million HBO royalties annually and another $10 million in book royalties.
However, despite his earnings, he is living a simple and frugal lifestyle. He lives in a modest house, drives an old Mazda and prefers local eateries over fine dining establishments.
2. He is an expert chess player. Aside from unleashing his creativity into writing, the "Winds of Winter" author is also very good at board games, especially in chess. In fact, he has organized several tournaments for the Continental Chess Associations from 1973 to 1976, according to International Business Times.
3. He is a self-proclaimed Marvel superhero fan and a critic. "Now, I have to confess, as an old -- VERY old -- Marvel fanboy...I am tired of this Marvel movie trope where the bad guy has the same powers as the hero," he wrote in his journal Not A Blog .
4. He is a football fan. Martin often writes about his two favorite teams New York Giants and the New York Jets when he is not blogging about "Game of Thrones," events at his movie theaters or controversies in the literary world, per The Daily Dot.
5. He was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war. "I wasn't a complete pacifist; I couldn't claim to be that. I was what they called an objector to a particular war," he told Rolling Stone. Martin admitted that he is glad to fight in World War II but was not happy that Vietnam was the only war in menu, so he applied for conscientious-objector status, hoping that he will be rejected.
Happy birthday George!, fans are hoping to get a copy of the long awaited "Winds of Winter" soon.
