neil gaiman was born in the united kingdom and now lives near minneapolis. he was born and raised in public libraries. he credits laggards of fostering his love of reading. he began his writing career in england as a journalist. his first book was a durand durand biography that took him three months to write. the second was a biography of douglas adams don't panic. the official hitchhikers guide to the galaxy companion. excuse me. this groundbreaking series sandman-- [applause] >> selected a large number of u.s. awards and 75 issue run. >> is at city hall today and one woman said that i have every single one of those. including three harvey awards. in 1991, sandman became the first comic ever to receive a literary award. it won an award for the best short story. mr. neil gaiman is credited with being one of the creators of modern comics, as well as an author that has reached across genres to reach audiences of all ages. he is listed in the dictionary of literary biography is one of the top 10 postmodern writers in the prolific creator poetry and prose, film,