Hal Clement

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Hal Clement at Worldcon 1956

Hal Clement (actually Harry Clement Stubbs ; born May 30, 1922 in Somerville , Massachusetts ; died October 29, 2003 in Milton , Massachusetts) was an American science fiction writer. He is considered a typical representative of hard science fiction . His best-known novel is Gravity , the first part of a trilogy set on the exotic planet Mesklin .

Life

Harry Clement Stubbs grew up in Boston . He studied astronomy at Harvard University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science. He completed his subsequent studies at Boston University with a Master of Education and finally studied chemistry at Simmons College. He completed his chemistry studies with a Master of Science.

During World War II , Clement became a pilot in the 8th Air Force and flew 35 bombing missions as a commander and co-pilot in B-24 Liberator bombers . He left the US Air Force as a lieutenant. In 1951 he was reassigned to active service. During his second term he was a squadron leader and instructor. Clement retired as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force in 1976 . Hal Clement married in 1952. This marriage resulted in two sons and a daughter.

Clement taught science at Milton Academy in Massachusetts for 38 years until he retired in 1987. Hal Clement came into contact with science fiction through the Buck Rogers comics.

plant

In the June 1942 issue, Clement's first short story, Proof , appeared in Astounding . His first novel The Needle appeared in 1949 in sequels, also in Astounding.

His best-known work Mission of Gravity (German enterprise gravity ) first appeared in sequels in Astounding. In this novel, Clement describes the exotic planet Mesklin, with fast rotation and extremely high gravity. To be able to recover a crashed probe, humans depend on the cooperation of the intelligent inhabitants of the planet.

Clement's novels and short stories belong to the subgenre of hard science fiction, a scientifically and technically oriented view of science fiction. Other authors in this subgenre include James P. Hogan and Arthur C. Clarke .

In total, Clement wrote 15 novels and numerous short stories. There is little to no xenophobia in his works and almost no wars. His stories are often so fascinating because he believably deduces the mindset and emotions of these beings from the well-conceived, unusual living conditions of an alien. In this way he allows the reader to put himself in the shoes of an alien in a unique way.

The youth book category of the American science fiction award "The Golden Duck Awards" was named after Hal Clement.

Awards

bibliography

Needle
  • Needle (2 parts in: Astounding Science Fiction, May 1949  ff .; also: From Outer Space , 1957)
    • German: symbiosis. Translated by Heinz Bingenheimer . Balowa / Gebrüder Zimmermann (Balowa Bestseller des Kosmos # 228), 1960, DNB 450802264 . Also in 2 parts: symbiosis. Translated by Heinz Bingenheimer. Moewig Terra # 209/210 , 1962. Also called: The needle search. Translated by Hans Maeter . Heyne SF&F # 3993, 1983, ISBN 3-453-30929-4 .
  • Through the Eye of a Needle (1978)
    • German: Das Nadelöhr. Translated by Hans Maeter. Heyne SF&F # 3994, 1983, ISBN 3-453-30930-8 .
Mesklin

Novels:

  • 1 Mission of Gravity (4 parts in: Astounding Science Fiction, April 1953  ff.)
    • German: company gravity. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Moewig (Terra special volume # 12), 1959. Also called: Gravity Company. Translated by Wulf H. Bergner . Heyne books # 3121, Munich 1968, DNB 456283676 .
  • 2 Close to Critical (3 parts in: Astounding Science Fiction, May 1958  ff.)
    • German: Ambassador from the Stars. Translated by Wulf H. Bergner. Heyne SF&F # 3074, 1966, DNB 456283641 .
  • 3 Star Light (1954)

Short stories:

  • Lecture Demonstration (1973, in: Harry Harrison (Ed.): Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology )
  • Under (in: Analog Science Fiction and Fact, January 2000 )

Collective issues:

  • Mission of Gravity / Star Light (collective edition of 1 and 3; 1971)
  • Heavy Planet: The Classic Mesklin Stories (Collective Edition of 1 and 3 and short stories, 2002)

German collective editions:

  • Heavy worlds. Translated by Peter Pape and Horst Pukallus. Heyne (Library of Science Fiction Literature # 3), 1982, ISBN 3-453-30793-3 (collective edition of 1 and 3).
  • Gravity. Horst Pukallus. Translated by Wulf H. Bergner and Horst Pukallus. Heyne (Science Fiction Masterpieces), 2014, ISBN 978-3-453-31582-2 (collective edition of 1–3).
Novels
  • Iceworld (3 parts in: Astounding Science Fiction, October 1951  ff.)
    • German: Eiswelt. Translated by Walter K. Baumann. Pabel (Utopia Kriminal # 20), 1957.
  • The Ranger Boys in Space (1956)
  • Cycle of Fire (1957)
    • German: Under the double sun. Translated by Heinz Zwack. Pabel (Utopia-Großband # 138), 1960. Also as: The fire cycle. Translated by Heinz Zwack. Heyne SF&F # 3446, 1975, ISBN 3-453-30347-4 .
  • Ocean on Top (3 parts in: If, October 1967  ff .; also: Ocean On Top , 1973)
    • German: Company deep sea. Translated by Ingrid Rothmann. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Action # 21110, 1978, ISBN 3-404-01092-2 .
  • Left of Africa (1976)
  • The Nitrogen Fix (1980)
    • German: In the nitrogen clamp. Translated by Stefan Sturm. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Bestseller # 22050, 1982, ISBN 3-404-22050-1 .
  • Still River (1987)
    • German: The rivers of the deep. Translated by Winfried Petri. Heyne SF&F # 5048, 1993, ISBN 3-453-06619-7 .
  • Fossil ( Isaac's Universe novel, 1993)
    • German: Das Fossil. Translated by Ruggero Leò. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction # 23252, 2002, ISBN 3-404-23252-6 .
  • Half Life (1999)
  • Noise (2003)
Collections
  • Natives of Space (1965)
  • Small Changes (1969; also: Space Lash )
    • German: expedition to the sun. Translated by Eva Sander. Pabel (Terra Paperback # 252), 1974.
  • Mission of Gravity (1978)
  • The Best of Hal Clement (1979)
  • Intuit (1987)
  • Planet for Plunder (2012; with Sam Merwin Jr. )
  • Iceworld / Cycle of Fire / Close to Critical (2014, collective edition)

The Essential Hal Clement:

  • 1 Trio for Slide Rule and Typewriter (1999)
  • 2 Music of Many Spheres (2000)
  • 3 Variations on a Theme by Sir Isaac Newton (2000)
Short stories

If only the title and year are given as the source for translations of short stories, the complete information can be found in the corresponding collective edition.

1942:

  • Proof (in: Astounding Science-Fiction, June 1942 )
  • Impediment (in: Astounding Science-Fiction, August 1942 )
  • Avenue of Escape (in: Astounding Science-Fiction, November 1942 )

1943:

  • Attitude (in: Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1943 )

1944:

  • Technical Error (in: Astounding Science Fiction, January 1944 )
  • Trojan Fall (in: Astounding Science Fiction, June 1944 ; also: "Trojan Fall" , 1969)
    • German: The Trojan Point. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.

1945:

  • Uncommon Sense (in: Astounding Science Fiction, September 1945 )
    • German: The Millipede. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.

1946:

  • Cold Front (in: Astounding Science Fiction, July 1946 )
  • Assumption Unjustified (in: Astounding Science Fiction, October 1946 )

1947:

  • Answer (in: Astounding Science Fiction, April 1947 )
    • German: The answer. In: Ruth J. Kilchenmann (Ed.): Smart boxes make stories. IBM, 1977.

1949:

  • Fireproof (in: Astounding Science Fiction, March 1949 )
    • German: Feuerfest. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.

1952:

  • Halo (in: Galaxy Science Fiction, October 1952 )
    • German: harvest time. Translated by Lothar Heinecke . In: Galaxy Science Fiction, # 14. Moewig, 1959. Also called: Der Ernteplanet. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.

1953:

  • Critical Factor (1953, in: Frederik Pohl (Ed.): Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2 )
  • Ground (in: Science Fiction Adventures, December 1953 )

1956:

  • Dust Rag (in: Astounding Science Fiction, September 1956 )

1957:

  • Planet for Plunder (in: Satellite Science Fiction, February 1957 ; with Sam Merwin Jr. )
  • Cycle of Fire (1957)
    • English: The fire cycle. Translated by Heinz Nagel. In: Wolfgang Jeschke (Ed.): Departure into the galaxy. Lentz # 74, 1980, ISBN 3-88010-074-8 .

1960:

  • The Lunar Lichen (in: Future Science Fiction, No. 47, February 1960 )
  • Sunspot (in: Analog Science Fact → Fiction, November 1960 ; also: Sun Spot , 1969)
    • German: expedition to the sun. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.

1963:

  • The Green World (in: If, May 1963 )
  • Hot Planet (in: Galaxy Magazine, August 1963 )

1965:

  • Raindrop (in: If, May 1965 )

1966:

  • The Foundling Stars (in: If, August 1966 )
    • German: Die Foundlingssterne. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.
  • The Mechanic (in: Analog Science Fiction → Science Fact, September 1966 )
    • German: The Mechanic. Translated by Eva Sander. In: Expedition to the Sun. 1974.

1968:

  • Bulge (in: If, September 1968 )
    • German: Die Gravitationsfalle. Translated by Walter Ernsting and Thomas Schlück . In: Clark Darlton and Thomas Schlück (eds.): Galaxy 13. Heyne SF&F # 3155, 1969.

1972:

1974:

  • Mistaken for Granted (in: Worlds of If, January-February 1974 )
  • The Logical Life (1974, in: Judy-Lynn del Rey (Ed.): Stellar 1 )

1976:

  • Stuck With It (1976, in: Judy-Lynn del Rey (Ed.): Stellar # 2 )
  • A Question of Guilt (1976, in: Gerald W. Page (Ed.): The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series IV )
  • Longline (1976, in: Jack Dann and George Zebrowski (Eds.): Faster Than Light )
    • German: Longline. In: Jack Dann, George Zebrowski (Ed.): Twelve times faster than light. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Special # 24101, 1987, ISBN 3-404-24101-0 .

1978:

  • Seasoning (in: Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, September-October 1978 )

1987:

  • Status Symbol (1987, in: Hal Clement: Intuit )

1989:

  • Blot (1989, in: Martin H. Greenberg (Ed.): Foundation's Friends: Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov )

1991:

  • Phases in Chaos (1991, in: Martin H. Greenberg (Ed.): Phases in Chaos )

1992:

  • Eyeball Vectors (1992, in: Martin H. Greenberg (Ed.): Unnatural Diplomacy )

1994:

  • Sortie (4 parts in: Harsh Mistress, Spring / Summer 1994  ff .; also: Simile , 1995; also: Seismic Sidetrack , 1995; also: Settlement )

1998:

  • Options (1998, in: James Cahill (Ed.): Lamps on the Brow ; as Harry C. Stubbs)
  • Oh, Natural (in: Absolute Magnitude, Spring 1998 )

1999:

  • Exchange rate (in: Absolute Magnitude, Winter 1999 )

2003:

  • Office Politics (2003, in: Readercon 15 Souvenir Book )
Anthologies
  • First Flights to the Moon (1970)
Non-fiction
  • Some Notes on Xi Bootes (1960)
  • Left of Africa (1976)

literature

Web links

Commons : Hal Clement  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence


personal data
SURNAME Clement, Hal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stubbs, Harry Clement (real name); Richard, George (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American science fiction - writers
DATE OF BIRTH May 30, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Somerville, Massachusetts , USA
DATE OF DEATH October 29, 2003
Place of death Milton, Massachusetts , USA