If you've ever seen an episode – any episode – of Game of Thrones, you'll probably have a fairly good idea of what its originator looks like. George R R Martin looks, to put it mildly, a bit bonkers and nothing like one of the 100 "most influential people in the world", as voted by Time magazine in 2011. Like some sort of dark-arts Santa Claus, he's rather rotund and possessed of a wispy silver beard and plenty of black clothing. He could pass for a member of The Grateful Dead or be part of the cast in any Harry Potter film.
Millions of people all around the world dissect everything he does, every word he writes. When he joined Twitter a couple of weeks ago (a confirmed account to stump the many impostor Tweeters pretending to be him), he amassed tens of thousands of followers in a matter of hours, and it's little wonder because Game of Thrones, the television show based on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, is the biggest thing on the box right now.
The fourth season has just finished being aired in the US and various other countries and, while figures are still being amassed, there's little doubt that the finale will have been one of the biggest audience draws in living memory. The final episode of season three became the most pirated show of 2013, when nearly six million people illegally downloaded it online. Viewers desperate to learn the fate of Tyrion Lannister (the diminutive and always excellent Peter Dinklage), who had been sentenced to death at the end of episode eight, tuned in in their millions just a few days ago to catch the end of a season that had drawn an average audience of 18.6 million (if you include catch-up service broadcasts). The Sopranos, the previous record holder for HBO, peaked at an average of 18.2 million viewers in 2002.
On paper at least, it can be difficult to see the appeal of the show, never mind the epic novels it’s based on. Often bleak, almost always joyless and bloody beyond belief, there’s very little to smile about – the lives of the characters are hard, either embattled or enslaved, and many of the protagonists are killed off just when you’re getting to either know or like them. Perhaps this is the key to its success, that you never quite know what will happen (a Martin speciality – “People die in wars. People get maimed in wars, and many of them are good, likeable people who you would like to not see die,” he once explained) and, now that seasons five and six have been confirmed by HBO, that has become a very real problem. Nobody knows – not even the HBO hierarchy or the show’s directors and scriptwriters – what happens in the future.
Martin is late with his next slew of books – and television, as we know, waits for no man. The people who run the show, David Benioff and D B Weiss, intend to adapt the entirety of the novel series if HBO permits it and, last year, the producer Frank Doelger said: "We'll probably get through to seven seasons." Benioff and Weiss have said they don't want to pad out Game of Thrones while waiting for Martin to get his books finished – he has been known to take six years to finish one instalment – and there are at least two left to come. It's entirely possible, they have said, that the television series could end long before the last novel is published.
During the early development phase of the show, Martin, concerned he might prematurely die before his magnum opus was completed, told major future plot points to Benioff and Weiss, but it’s entirely obvious to onlookers that the show will eventually overtake his own output. In fact, last year Martin had to divulge further development details for the show’s possible future seasons, including the inevitable demise of all the main characters. With so many child actors in the show, a lengthy hiatus could never work as they continue to grow into adults, so the clock is definitely ticking for Martin.
Almost pre-empting the issue, producers changed tack after the first two seasons. One and two had both been based on one book each but from the third onward, the writers adapted A Song of Ice and Fire as a whole, giving themselves the freedom to move events back and forth to meet the requirements of the screen adaptation. Martin is evidently not a man to be rushed.
He was born George Raymond Martin (he took on the name Richard later in life, hence the double R) in Bayonne, New Jersey, on September 20, 1948. The son of Raymond Collins Martin, a half-Italian dockworker, and Margaret Brady, his half-Irish wife, Martin is the oldest of three siblings and grew up, he has said, dreaming and fantasising about a life far more exciting than his own. From their home he could see ships and tankers arriving from far-flung countries and he had an encyclopaedia with a list of flags, which he used to identify where they had travelled from to Newark. His imagination began to run riot.
Initially Martin's release valve was through writing horror stories about monsters and mythical kingdoms he'd dreamt up, which he used to sell to other children in his neighbourhood. While attending school he became an avid consumer of comic books, especially those dealing with superheroes, and he wrote a letter to the editor of Fantastic Four, which was published in November 1963. More letters followed, resulting in a network of fellow fans writing to him at his published address – a network that put Martin in good stead for a future as a fiction writer.
In 1970 he graduated with honours as a bachelor of science in journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois, and went on to complete his master’s the following year. During this time, war was raging in Vietnam and Martin avoided the draft, obtaining conscientious objector status, opting for alternative voluntary work. He became an expert chess player (not surprising, given his labyrinthine plot lines), directing various tournaments, and became an English and journalism teacher at Clarke College (now University) in Dubuque, Iowa.
He claims he enjoyed teaching but that the sudden death of his friend and fellow author Tom Reamy in the autumn of 1977 caused him to re-evaluate his own life, which was when he decided to become a full-time writer (he’d been selling fiction stories to various publications on-and-off for years). Martin resigned from his job and headed for the more temperate climes of Santa Fe in 1979, where he still resides with his second wife and fellow author, Parris McBride.
His work as an author was hit-and-miss for a while. In 1983, his novel The Armageddon Rag was a commercial disaster and he says it finished him as an author for a time – but it did get him into television because it had been optioned by Hollywood, which led to a job offer from CBS as a writer for The Twilight Zone.
He felt unfulfilled within Hollywood, however, and returned to writing full-time in 1991, which was when he began the epic series A Song of Ice and Fire, with the first novel, A Game of Thrones, published in 1996. Since then the books in this series have sold more than 25 million copies in the United States alone and Martin is ranked as the world's 12th most-successful author – not bad going for a former teacher.
He’s an amiable enough fellow, despite his enormous wealth and influence, and has become known as someone with a very hands-on approach to his fan base, regularly appearing at festivals to meet and greet his army of devoted followers.
That army’s ranks will swell ever further as more people tune into the television series and the world eagerly awaits his next instalments. But even if the show does indeed overtake his ancient word processor, Martin is on board as an executive producer and it’s certain that it will maintain the course he originally set for it. George R R Martin is a true heavyweight, in every sense of the word.
khackett@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
