For fourteen years, fans of A Song of Ice and Fire have been waiting for winter. The sixth instalment, The Winds of Winter, has become one of publishing's most mythical and elusive books, with its release date a constant subject of speculation and memes. The last book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was released on July 12, 2011, a gap that has now stretched past 14 years.
Now, author George R. R. Martin, 77, has finally provided a candid explanation for the monumental delay. The reason is not a simple case of writer's block; it is a fundamental conflict between the author's creative needs and the global success that his own stories created.
