James Gunn (writer)

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James Gunn (2007)

James Edwin Gunn (born July 12, 1923 in Kansas City , Missouri ; died December 23, 2020 in Lawrence , Kansas ) was an American science fiction writer and researcher. He was considered a pioneer in the academic study of and the academic reception of science fiction and as an important editor and critic in this area.

Life

Gunn was the son of J. Wayne Gunn and Elsie Mae, nee Hutchison. His father was a printer and several members of the family worked in printing and publishing. From 1943 to 1946 he served in the United States Naval Reserve and then studied at the University of Kansas , where he made a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1947 and graduated with a master's degree in English in 1951. In the same year he married Jane Frances Anderson, with whom he had two sons. After graduating, he worked as an editor for the Western Printing and Lithographing Company in Racine , Wisconsin, until 1952 , after which he was a freelance writer for a while. In 1955 he became editor of the Alumni Publications of the University of Kansas and began there in 1958 as a lecturer in English and at the same time as an administrative clerk in public relations at the university (until 1970). In 1974 he became a professor of English. Most recently he was retired.

Gunn is a pioneer of literary research in the field of science fiction. Already in his master's thesis The Philosophy of Science Fiction , which was printed in continuation in Dynamic Science Fiction in 1953 , he dealt with the topic of SF. In 1969 he gave one of the first university lectures on the subject and in 1982 he founded the Center for the Study of Science Fiction (CSSF), the first research institute of its kind, for which he worked in an advisory capacity until the last years of his life. In 1971 and 1972 he was President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Association , from which he was honored with the 2007 Grand Master Award . He was also President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980 to 1982 .

plant

Gunn is the author of several monographs on SF. Their topics are the history of science fiction ( Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction , 1975, 1976 several awards), the writing of SF ( The Science of Science-Fiction Writing , 2000), the reading of SF ( Reading Science Fiction , 2008), the theory of SF ( Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction , with Matthew Candelaria, 2005) and he is the author of an SF dictionary ( The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction , 1988, with the Hugo nominations in 1989 Place 3). His Isaac Asimov biography ( Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction , 1982, revised version 1996) was awarded the Hugo in 1983.

His significant work also includes a six-volume anthology The Road to Science Fiction (1977–1998, German Paths to Science Fiction in 12 volumes, 1990–2001), published by Gunn , in which the development of science fiction from its beginnings in Gilgamesh - Epic of the Sumerians , about the forerunners ( Poe , Verne , Wells ) and the classics ( Heinlein , Farmer , Dick ) up to the present and into the future is exemplified. The fifth volume (The British Way) is dedicated to the British and the last volume (Around the World) to international science fiction. In addition to these individual publications, Gunn has written hundreds of essays, articles, introductory contributions, and reviews on SF. In 2017 he published an autobiography (Star-Begotten: A Life Lived in Science Fiction) , in which he describes his path as an SF author and researcher and his contribution to the history of the genre.

Gunn himself began to write literary in 1947 when he wrote a play, followed by some journalistic contributions for newspapers and radio. In 1948 he turned to science fiction and in 1949 a first short story appeared. Gunn is currently (as of 2018) the "longest-serving" SF author. Among the well-known SF authors, only Jack Williamson was active longer at the age of 78. The first ten of his short stories appeared under the pseudonym Edwin James formed from Gunn's first name . He has now written dozens of novels and well over 100 short stories, with the short story being his real domain, which can also be seen from the fact that some of his novels are more like fix-ups of short stories, for example Station in Space (1958), The Immortals (1962) and The Listeners (1972).

In The Immortals (German Der Gamma-Stoff ) one discovers that a component of the blood of a few people makes them immortal. The effect can be transmitted by blood transfusion , which leads to the hunted down of the carriers of the gamma substance , who in turn go underground. Immortality is becoming a privilege of a few millionaires, who are treated and protected from infection in huge hospital centers - the gamma substance makes you immortal, but does not protect against accident and disease - while the cities all around are turning into slums. The novel has been read as a criticism of the American health system.

The Listeners (German Horcher ) describes the course of communication between humanity and an alien civilization. From the perspective of six different protagonists - corresponding to six originally published separated individual stories - the profile of the contact is said starting with the receipt of a first signal from the 46 light-years away binary system of the Capella . Since it takes 92 years to expect a response to an answer, the narratives span a long period of time before Capella's answer arrives in 2118 and is received by a computer on the threshold of consciousness.

Gunn's stories have been adapted several times for radio and television. In particular, his short story series The Immortals was processed into a television series broadcast by ABC from 1969 to 1970 in 16 episodes, to which Gunn again wrote a novel version. The social criticism present in the template did not appear in the television series that focused on the hunt for the immortals. The story The Cave of Night (1955) served as the template for the episode Man in Orbit (1959) of the television series Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse , which ran on CBS .

Translations of Gunn's works are available in German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish and Croatian.

Awards

Gunn has received many awards, especially for his biographical and literary work and as a long-standing and deserving member of the SF Fandom . He was also guest of honor at Worldcon 2013 (LoneStarCon 3) .

bibliography

Series

The series are sorted according to the year of publication of the first title.

Dr. Russell Pearce

  • New Blood. 1955. (short story)
  • Not So Great an Enemy. 1957. (Short story, also as: Medic )
    • German: The healer. In: Wulf H. Bergner (Ed.): When the wind died. Heyne SF&F # 3288, 1972. Also as: Not too big an enemy. In: Hans Joachim Alpers, Werner Fuchs: The Fifties II. Edition SF in Hohenheim Verlag, 1982, ISBN 3-8147-0019-8 .
  • The Immortals. 1958. (Short story, also as: Immortal and The Immortal )
  • Donor (1960, short story)
  • The Immortals. 1962. (collection)
    • German: Der Gamma-Stoff. Goldmann's Science Fiction # 57, 1964.
  • Elixir. 2004. (short story)

Station in Space

  • The Cave of Night. 1955. (short story)
    • English: The cave of the night. In: Lothar Heinecke (Ed.): Galaxis Science Fiction, # 1 . Moewig, 1958. Also called: Night Cave. In: Walter Spiegl (Ed.): Science-Fiction-Stories 68. Ullstein 2000 # 131 (3351), 1977, ISBN 3-548-03351-2 .
  • Hoax. 1955. (short story)
  • The big wheel. 1956. (short story)
  • Space is a lonely place. 1957. (short story)
  • Powder keg. 1958. (short story)
  • Station in Space. 1958. (collection)
    • German: Science-Fiction-Stories 70. Ullstein 2000 # 138 (3404), 1978, ISBN 3-548-03404-7 (contains only translations of the three Amos-Danton stories Hoax , Powder Keg and Space Is a Lonely Place ).

John Wilson (short stories)

  • 1 Witches Must Burn. 1956.
  • 2 Trial by Fire. 1969.
  • 3 witch hunt. 1969.

The Listeners

  • The Listeners. 1968. (Short story, also as: Robert MacDonald - 2025 )
  • The message. 1971. (Short story, also as: William Mitchell - 2028 )
  • Robert MacDonald - 2058. 1972. (short story)
  • The Answer. 1972. (Short story, also called: Andrew White - 2028 )
  • The Reply. 1972. (Short story, also called: The Computer - 2118 )
  • The Voices. 1972. (Short story, also as: George Thomas - 2027 )
  • The Listeners. 1972. (collection)

Crisis (short stories)

  • Child of the Sun. 1977.
  • Man of the Hour. 1984.
  • The End of the World. 1984.
  • Mother of the Year. 1985.
  • Touch of the match. 1985.
  • Will of the Wisp. 1985.
  • Crisis! 1986 (novel)

Star Trek

  • The Joy Machine. 1996.

The Gift from the Stars (short stories)

  • The Giftie. 1999.
  • Pow'r. 2000.
  • The Abyss. 2000.
  • The Rabbit Hole. 2001.
  • Uncreated Night and Strange Shadows. 2005.

Riley and Asha

  • 1 Transcendental. 2013.
  • 2 Transgalactic. 2016.
  • 3 transformation. 2017.
Riley and Asha: Tales from the Transcendental. (Short stories)
  • The Escape of the Adastra: Asha's Story. 2017.
  • Transcendental Mission: Riley's Story. 2017.
  • Weighty Matters: Tordor's Story. 2017.
  • Arriving at Terminal: XI's Story. 2017.
  • The Ganymede Gambit: Jan's Story. 2017.
  • Love and Death and the Star that Shall Not Be Named: Kom's Story. 2017.
  • The Final Commandment: Trey's Story. 2018.
  • The Seeds of Consciousness: 4107's Story. 2018.

Novels

  • Star Bridge. 1955. (with Jack Williamson)
    • German: Bridge between the stars. Moewig (Terra Extra # 177), 1968. Also: Pabel (Utopia Classics # 21), 1980.
  • This Fortress World. 1955.
    • English: Surrounded by walls. Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 60), 1957. Also called: The Legacy of the Terrans. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Taschenbuch # 25, 1973, ISBN 3-404-00076-5 .
  • The Joy Makers. 1961.
    • English: The Guardians of Happiness. Pabel (Utopia Future # 290), 1966. Also as: Guardian of Happiness. Ullstein 2000 # 136 (3389), 1966, ISBN 3-548-03389-X .
  • The Immortal. 1970. (Novel version of the television series The Immortal , based on Gunn's short story series)
  • The Magicians. 1976.
    • German: The meeting of the magicians. Goldmann Science Fiction # 23320, 1979, ISBN 3-442-23320-8 .
  • Kampus (1977, also as: Kampus , 1990)
  • The Dreamers. 1981. (also as: The Mind Master )
  • The Millennium Blues. 2000.
  • Gift from the Stars. 2005.

Collections

  • Future imperfect. 1964.
  • The Witching Hour. 1970.
    • German: The witches are among us. Pabel (Vampire Paperback # 48), 1977.
  • Breaking point. 1972.
  • The Burning. 1972.
  • Some Dreams Are Nightmares. 1974.
  • The End of the Dreams. 1975.
  • Human Voices. 2002.

Short stories

  • Communications. 1949. (as Edwin James)
  • Paradox. 1949. (as Edwin James)
  • The Man with Common Sense. 1950. (as Edwin James)
  • Private enterprise. 1950. (as Edwin James)
  • Mask of Peace. 1951. (as Edwin James)
  • Slave psychology. 1951. (as Edwin James)
  • The Sun Came Up Last Night! 1951. (as Edwin James, also as: Veiled Knowledge )
  • These Things Are Sirius. 1951. (as Edwin James)
  • The Slaves of Venus. 1952. (as Edwin James)
  • Survival Policy. 1952. (as Edwin James)
    • German: Survival Policy. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • The misogynist. 1952.
    • German: Der Weiberfeind. In: Lothar Heinecke (Ed.): Galaxis Science Fiction, # 11. Moewig, 1959. Also called: The misogynist. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • The Reluctant Witch. 1953. (also as: Wherever You May Be )
    • English: Abigail, the witch. In: The witches are among us. 1977.
  • The Boy with Five Fingers. 1953.
  • Breaking point. 1953.
  • The Man Who Owned Tomorrow. 1953.
  • Killer. 1953.
  • A Monster Named Smith. 1954.
    • English: A monster named Smith. In: Franz Rottensteiner (Ed.): The rat in the labyrinth. Insel (Fantastic Reality: Science Fiction of the World), 1971.
  • A Word for Freedom. 1954.
  • Open warfare. 1954.
  • Sine of the Magus (1954, also as: The Magicians )
    • German: The Magician. In: The witches are among us. 1977.
  • Danger Past. 1954.
  • The Beautiful Brew. 1954.
    • German: The foam born. In: The witches are among us. 1977.
  • The hedonist. 1955. (also as: Name Your Pleasure )
  • Without portfolio. 1955.
  • The Unhappy Man. 1955.
  • Shill. 1955.
  • Feeding time. 1955.
    • German: time to feed. In: Herbert W. Maly (Ed.): The metal dream. Heyne SF&F # 3389, 1971, ISBN 3-453-30284-2 . Also as: feeding time. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • Little Orphan Android. 1955.
    • German: experimental model. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • The Naked Sky. 1955. (also as: The Joy Ride )
  • The gravity business. 1956.
  • Tsylana. 1956.
    • German: Neurotics. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • The Stilled Patter. 1956.
    • German: No children. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • Every Day Is Christmas. 1957.
    • German: Christmas is every day. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • Green Thumb. 1957.
  • Skin game. 1958.
    • German: The betrayed cheater. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • Deadly Silence. 1958.
  • The Reason Is with Us. 1958.
  • The Girls Who Were Really Built. 1958. (also as: Neosho's Choicest )
    • German: The well-built girls. In: Thomas Landfinder (Ed.): Liebe 2002. Bärmeier & Nikel, 1971. Also: Fischer Orbit # 22, 1973, ISBN 3-436-01687-X . Also called: The Venus Factory. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • When the shoe fits. 1958. (also as: Cinderella Story )
  • The Last Word. 1964.
    • German: The last word. In: The Venus Factory. 1976.
  • The Man Who Would Not. 1969. (also as: The Power and the Glory )
  • Kindergarten. 1970.
  • Teddy bear. 1970.
  • The Technological Revolution. 1971.
  • Imagine (excerpt from The Listeners ) 1972.
  • The Old Folks. 1972.
  • Fault. 1975.
  • If I Forget Thee. 1977.
  • Guilt. 1978.
  • Among the Beautiful Bright Children. 1980.
  • The North Wind. 1981.
    • German: The north wind. In: Birgit Reß-Bohusch (Ed.): Isaac Asimovs Science Fiction Magazin 25th episode. Heyne SF&F # 4222, 1985, ISBN 3-453-31201-5 .
  • The Anti-Nuclear Conspiracy. 1982.
  • Tiger! Tiger! 1984.
  • Man of Parts. 1985.
  • Out of my head. 1986.
  • The End-of-the-World Ball. 1989.
  • The futurist. 1993.
  • The Gingerbread Man. 1995.
  • The Lens of Time. 1995.
  • The Day the Magic Came Back. 1996.
  • Tales from the Spaceship Geoffrey. 2010.
  • Patterns. 2014.
  • Saving the World. 2016.
  • New Earth. 2016.
  • The March of the Little Green Men. 2017.

Anthologies

  • Nebula Award Stories 10 (1975)
    • German: The day before the revolution. Moewig (Playboy Science Fiction # 6732), 1982, ISBN 3-8118-6732-6 .
  • The best of astounding. 1992.

The Road to Science Fiction

  • 1 From Gilgamesh to Wells. 1977.
  • 2 From Wells to Heinlein. 1979.
  • 3 From Heinlein to Here. 1979.
  • 4 From Here to Forever. 1982.
  • 5 The British Way. 1998.
  • 6 Around the World. 1998.
  • German: Paths to Science Fiction . 12 volumes Heyne.
    • 1 From Gilgamesh to Hawthorne. 1990.
    • 2 From Poe to Wells. 1989.
    • 3 From Wells to Stapledon. 1988.
    • 4 From Huxley to Heinlein. 1988.
    • 5 From Heinlein to Farmer. 1989.
    • 6 From Clement to Dick. 1990.
    • 7 From Ellison to Haldeman. 1991.
    • 8 From Matheson to Shaw. 1992.
    • 9 From Lem to Varley. 1993.
    • 10 From Malzberg to Benford. 1993.
    • 11 From Shelley to Clarke. 2000.
    • 12 From Ballard to Stableford. 2001.

Non-fiction

  • Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction. 1975.
  • The Discovery of the Future: The Ways Science Fiction Developed. 1975.
  • Science-Fiction Writers 3 Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction. 1982.
  • The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. 1988.
  • Inside Science Fiction: Essays on Fantastic Literature. 1992. (also as: Inside Science Fiction: Second Edition. 2006)
  • The Science of Science-Fiction Writing. 2000.
  • Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction. 2005. (with Matthew Candelaria)
  • Reading science fiction. 2008. (with Marleen S. Barr and Matthew Candelaria)
  • Paratexts: Introductions to Science Fiction and Fantasy. 2013.
  • Star Begotten: A Life Lived in Science Fiction. 2017.
  • Modern science fiction. 2018.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ James E. Gunn, Science Fiction Author and Scholar, Dies at 97
  2. ^ CSSF website , accessed March 8, 2018.
  3. ↑ Communications appeared in Startling Stories in September , Paradox was accepted as the first short story, but didn't appear in Thrilling Wonder Stories until October .
  4. ↑ Most Senior SF Writer , Fancyclopedia 3, accessed March 8, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Gunn, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gunn, James Edwin (full name); James, Edwin (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American science fiction and fantasy writer
DATE OF BIRTH July 12, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Kansas City , Missouri
DATE OF DEATH December 23, 2020
Place of death Lawrence , Kansas