Jack Williamson

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Jack Williamson

John Stuart "Jack" Williamson (born April 29, 1908 in Bisbee , Arizona Territory , † November 10, 2006 Portales , New Mexico ) was an American science fiction , fantasy and horror writer.

Life

Williamson grew up on a farm in western Texas. In 1915 the family moved to New Mexico with their five children. After initial difficulties, a ranch was built that still exists today. The boy Jack quickly realized that he didn’t want to become a farmer or rancher, and in addition to school, he continued his self-taught education in the local library, which quickly made him an outsider.

Around 1926, Williamson discovered Amazing Stories , one of the first of the numerous pulp magazines that followed shortly afterwards , which specialized in science fiction, adventure or horror stories. As a collector and fan, he decided to become a writer himself. In 1928 Williamson's first short story, The Metal Man , was published. This was the beginning of a writing career that spanned 78 years.

In the 1930s, Williamson was a regular and popular writer of contemporary American magazines, but he still had great difficulty interacting with other people. Even a psychoanalysis that he underwent in Topeka did not alleviate his psychosomatic complaints. These mental problems were also reflected in his work, for example in Darker Than You Think . After a year of psychoanalysis, he enlisted in the US Air Force in 1942 and was deployed as a weather observer at the end of the war against Japan in the Pacific. After the war he met his childhood sweetheart Blanche Slaten again, married her in 1947 and had a happy marriage with her until she died in a car accident in 1985.

Williamson returned to college in the 1950s. He studied English at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales , New Mexico, graduated with a master's degree and was a member of the faculty there from 1960 to 1977. He continued his education and received his doctorate in 1964 from the University of Colorado with a thesis on the early work of the writer HG Wells . In Portales he held a professorship in literary studies from 1969 until his retirement in 1977. During his time as a university lecturer, he published his handouts, which resulted in the Science Fiction Research Association, which still publishes the academic journal Science Fiction Studies today . He also helped put together one of the largest SF collections of over 30,000 volumes; it is called the Jack Williamson Science Fiction Library .

1977 to 1978 he was president of the SFWA . Despite health problems, Williamson regularly published new novels and stories in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and won both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award at the age of 93 . His life's work was recognized in 1996 when he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame .

Jack Williamson was the first writer to publish a story about anti-matter as early as 1941 under the title "Collision Orbit". He also invented the terms terraforming (in Collision Orbit ) and genetic engineering (in Dragon's Island ).

Awards

The author has received several awards for his works:

The asteroid of the middle main belt discovered in 1989 (5516) 1989 JK was officially named (5516) Jawilliamson in 1994 at the instigation of SF writers Roger Zelazny and David Brin . Another asteroid named after Jack Williamson is the (235281) 2003 UV 17 of the outer main belt, discovered in 2003 and named (235281) Jackwilliamson in 2011 .

bibliography

If two years of publication are given for the original editions, the first is that of the first edition and the second that of the first edition (as a book). If only the title and year are given as the source for short stories, the complete information can be found in the corresponding collective edition.

Series

The series are arranged according to the year of publication of the first part.

Legion of Space
  • 1 The Legion of Space (1934, 1947)
    • German: Guardian of the universe. Translated by Waldemar Fischer. Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 53), 1957. Also as: Guardian of the universe. Translated by Andreas Brandhorst . Moewig (Moewig Science Fiction # 3643), 1984, ISBN 3-8118-3643-9 .
  • 2 The Cometeers (1936, 1950)
    • English: The Spirit of the Legion. Translated by Rainer Eisfeld . Balowa / Gebrüder Zimmermann (Balowa Bestseller des Kosmos), 1959. Also called: The green comet. Translated by Andreas Brandhorst. Moewig (Moewig Science Fiction # 3645), 1984, ISBN 3-8118-3645-5 .
  • 3 One Against the Legion (1939, 1950)
    • German: The lonely way. Translated by Rainer Eisfeld. Balowa / Gebrüder Zimmermann (Balowa Bestseller des Kosmos # 167), 1959. Also as: Moewig (Terra # 156), 1961. Also as: One against the Legion. Translated by Andreas Brandhorst. Moewig (Moewig Science Fiction # 3655), 1984, ISBN 3-8118-3655-2 .
  • 4 The Queen of the Legion (1983)
  • The Cometeers (1950, collective edition of 2 and 3)
  • Nowhere Near (1967, short story)
    • German: Nowhere near. In: One against the Legion. 1984.
  • Three from the Legion (1979, collective edition from 1 to 3)
  • The Luck of the Legion (2002, short story)
Humanoids
  • With Folded Hands ... (1947, short story)
    • German: The perfect machines. Translated by Birgit Reß-Bohusch . In: Robert Silverberg (Ed.): People and machines. Moewig (Terra Taschenbuch # 181), 1970. Also as: Your hands in your lap. Translated by Leni Sobez. In: The Pandora Effect and Other Stories. 1970. Also called: The Humanoids. Translated by Uwe Anton . In: Wolfgang Jeschke , Ben Bova (ed.): Titan 12. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3669, 1979, ISBN 3-453-30586-8 . Also as: your hands in your lap. Translated by Eva Malsch. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • The Humanoids (1949, also as ... And Searching Mind , 1948)
    • German: Wing 4. Rauch (Rauch's Space Books # 2), 1952. Also as: Goldmanns Weltraum Taschenbücher # 03, 1962. Also as: Heyne (Library of Science Fiction Literature # 54), 1986, ISBN 3-453-31219 -8 .
  • The Humanoids (1980, collection)
  • The Humanoid Universe (1980, short story)
  • The Humanoid Touch (1980)
    • German: Das Wing 4 Syndrom. Translated by Heinz Nagel. Moewig (Moewig Science Fiction # 3617), 1983, ISBN 3-8118-3617-X .
Quarantine (short stories)
  • The Man from Outside (1951)
  • The Peddler's Nose (1951)
    • English: The peddler's nose. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • The Greatest Invention (1951)
  • Man Down (1952)
  • The Happiest Creature (1953)
    • German: the happiest creature. Translated by Yoma Cap. In: Frederik Pohl, Wolfgang Jeschke (Ed.): Titan 1. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3487, 1976, ISBN 3-453-30357-1 . Also as: the happiest being. Translated by Eva Malsch. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • The Trial of Terra (1962, novel)
  • A Planet for Plundering (1962)
    • German: Judgment on Terra. In: Walter Ernsting (Ed.): 9 Science Fiction Stories. Heyne (Heyne Anthologies # 14), 1965.
Sea Tea (as Will Stewart)
  • 1 Seetee Ship (1951)
    • German: Anti-Materie. Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 71), 1958. Also abbreviated as: Moewig (Terra Extra # 103), 1958. Also as: Antimatter. Translated by Thomas Schlück . Heyne (Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3208), 1970.
  • 2 Sea Tea Shock (1949, 1950)
    • German: Anti-Matter-Bomb. Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 133), 1960. Also called: Antimatter Bomb. Translated by Thomas Schlück. Heyne (Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3211), 1970.
  • Collision Orbit (1942, short story)
  • Minus Sign (1942, short story)
  • Opposites - React! (1943, short story)
  • Seetee Ship / Seetee Shock (1972, collective edition of 1 and 2, also as Seetee )
Jim Eden (novel trilogy, with Frederik Pohl)
  • 1 Undersea Quest (1954)
    • German: Duel in the deep. Pabel (Utopia Classics # 4), 1979.
  • 2 Undersea Fleet (1956)
    • German: Cities under the Ocean. Pabel (Utopia Classics # 6), 1979.
  • 3 Undersea City (1958)
    • German: Alarm in the deep sea. Translated by Hans Blume. Moewig (Terra # 183), 1961. Also as: Alarm in the deep sea. Translated by Leni Sobez. Pabel (Utopia Classics # 8), 1979.
  • The Undersea Trilogy (1992, collective edition from 1 to 3)
Starchild (with Frederik Pohl)
  • 1 The Reefs of Space (1963, 1964)
    • German: Reefs in space. Pabel (Utopia Future # 264), 1966.
  • 2 Starchild (1965)
    • German: The Star God. Moewig (Terra Taschenbuch # 125), 1967.
  • 3 Rogue Star (1968, 1969)
    • German: The Outsider Star. Pabel (Terra Paperback # 281), 1976.
  • The Starchild Trilogy (1977, collective edition)
The Power of Blackness (short stories)
  • The Power of Blackness (1973)
  • The Eternity Engine (1975)
  • Counterkill (1975)
  • The Dark Destroyer (1976)
  • The Machines That Ate Too Much (1976)
Cuckoo (with Frederik Pohl)
  • 1 Farthest Star (1975)
    • German: Object Lambda. Pabel (Terra Taschenbuch # 303), 1978. Also as: Sternenfall. In: The Endless Planet. 1986.
  • 2 Wall Around a Star (1983)
    • German: Star World. In: The Endless Planet. 1986.
  • Doomship (1973, short story)
  • The Org's Egg (1974)
  • The Saga of Cuckoo (1983, collective edition of 1 and 2)
    • English: The endless planet. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Bestseller # 22089, 1986, ISBN 3-404-22089-7 .
Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods
  • Stepson to Creation (1977)
  • Slave to Chaos (1977)
  • Kinsman to Lizards (1978)
  • Brother to Demons (1978)
  • Brother to Gods (1978)
  • Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods (1979, collection)
Eldren
  • 1 Lifeburst (1984)
    • German: survival. Translated by Jakob Leutner. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 5040, 1993, ISBN 3-453-06610-3 .
  • 2 Mazeway (1990)

Single novels

  • The Green Girl (1930)
    • German: The green girl. Utopia Science Fiction # 476, 1966.
  • The Birth of a New Republic (1931, 1981, with Miles J. Breuer)
  • The Stone from the Green Star (1931, 1999)
  • Golden Blood (1933, 1964)
  • The Legion of Time (1938, 1952)
    • German: The Time Legion. Translated by Walter Ernsting . Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 65), 1958. Also called: Die Zeitlegion. Translated by Peter Glaus. Bastei Lübbe (Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Adventure # 23006), 1982, ISBN 3-404-23006-X .
  • After World's End (1939, 1952)
    • German: Beyond space and time. Moewig (Terra # 27), 1958.
  • The Fortress of Utopia (1939, 1998)
  • The Reign of Wizardry (1940, 1964)
    • German: Die Zauberinsel. Pabel (Terra Fantasy # 72), 1980.
  • Gateway to Paradise (1941, also called Dome Around America , 1955)
    • German: The world ended twice. Translated by Hellmut W. Hofmann. Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 43), 1956. Also called: The Energy Dome. Translated by Walter Ernsting. Ullstein (Ullstein 2000 # 147 (3528)), 1963, ISBN 3-548-03528-0 . Also as: protective field over America. Balowa / Gebrüder Zimmermann (Balowa bestseller of the cosmos), 1963.
  • Darker Than You Think (1948)
    • German: The rulers of the night. Translated by Hanns Kneifel and Monika Glattler. Moewig (Terra # 532), 1967. Also as: Creatures of Darkness. Translated by Leni Sobez. Ullstein books # 3581, 1979, ISBN 3-548-03581-7 .
  • Dragon's Island (1951, also as The Not-Men , 1968)
    • German: Die Drachen-Insel. Translated by Heinz Zwack. Pabel (Utopia Grossband # 137), 1960. Also called: The Dragon Island. Moewig (Terra Extra # 63), 1965. Also called: Die Dracheninsel. Translated by Barbara Heidkamp. Bastei Lübbe (Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction Bestseller # 22065), 1983, ISBN 3-404-22065-X .
  • Star Bridge (1955, with James E. Gunn)
    • German: Bridge between the stars. Translated by Lothar Heinecke . Widukind / Gebrüder Zimmermann (Widukind Utopia top class), 1960. Also as: Moewig (Terra Extra # 177), 1968. Also as: Bridge between the stars. Pabel (Utopia Classics # 21), 1980.
  • Bright New Universe (1967)
    • German: The galactic contact. Pabel (Terra Paperback # 313), 1979.
  • Trapped in Space (1968)
  • The Moon Children (1971, 1972)
    • English: Die Mondkinder: science fiction novel. Translated by Sylvia Pukallus. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3832, 1981, ISBN 3-453-30735-6 .
  • The Power of Blackness (1976)
    • German: The power of darkness. Pabel (Terra Paperback # 294), 1977.
  • Manseed (1982)
  • Firechild (1986)
    • German: Born of fire. Translated by Marcel Bieger. Bastei-Lübbe-Taschenbuch # 24106, 1988, ISBN 3-404-24106-1 .
  • Land's End (1988, with Frederik Pohl)
    • German: Land's End. Das Beste (En route to the world of tomorrow # 142), 1994, ISBN 3-87070-529-9 .
  • The Singers of Time (1991, with Frederik Pohl)
  • Beachhead (1992)
  • Demon Moon (1994)
  • The Black Sun (1997)
  • The Silicon Dagger (1999)
  • Terraforming Earth (2001)
    • German: Die Endzeit-Ingenieure. Bastei Lübbe Science Fiction # 24330, 2004, ISBN 3-404-24330-7 .
  • The Stonehenge Gate (2005)

Collections

  • One Against the Legion (1967)
  • The Pandora Effect (1969)
    • English: The Pandora Effect and Other Stories. Moewig (Terra Nova # 151) 1970.
  • People Machines (1971)
  • The Early Williamson (1975)
  • The Best of Jack Williamson (1978)
    • English: The best stories by Jack Williamson. Moewig (Playboy Science Fiction # 6705), 1980, ISBN 3-8118-6705-9 .
  • The Alien Intelligence (1980)
  • Into the Eighth Decade (1990)
  • The Prince of Space / The Girl From Mars (1998)
  • The Ruler of Fate / Xandulu (1999)
  • The Blue Spot and Entropy Reversed (2000)
  • Dragon's Island and Other Stories (2002)
  • Seventy-Five: The Diamond Anniversary of a Science Fiction Pioneer (2004)
  • The Worlds of Jack Williamson: A Centennial Tribute 1908-2008 (2008)
  • Anthology of Sci-Fi V26: The Pulp Writers (2013, with Charles L. Fontenay)
  • Beyond Mars: The Complete Series 1952–1955 (2015, comic strips, with Lee Elias)
The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson
  • 1 The Metal Man and Others (1999)
  • 2 Wolves of Darkness (1999)
  • 3 Wizard's Isle (2000)
  • 4 Spider Island (2002)
  • 5 The Crucible of Power (2006)
  • 6 Gateway to Paradise (2008)
  • 7 With Folded Hands… And Searching Mind (2010)
  • 8 At the Human Limit (2011)

Short stories

  • The Metal Man (1928)
    • German: Der Metallmann. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • The Alien Intelligence (1929)
  • The Girl from Mars (1929, with Miles J. Breuer)
  • The Second Shell (1929)
  • The Cosmic Express (1930)
    • German: The Cosmic Express. Translated by Leni Sobez. In: The Pandora Effect and Other Stories. 1970. Also as: Kosmos-Express. Translated by Andreas Brandhorst. In: Josh Pachter (ed.): Top Science Fiction: Part Two. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 4517, 1988, ISBN 3-453-02774-4 .
  • The Prince of Space (1931)
  • The Meteor Girl (1931)
  • The Lake of Light (1931)
  • Through the Purple Cloud (1931)
  • The Doom from Planet 4 (1931)
  • Twelve Hours to Live! (1931)
  • Wolves of Darkness (1932)
    • English: Wolves of Darkness. In: Kurt Luif (Ed.): Wolves of Darkness. Heyne General Series # 985, 1973.
  • The Moon Era (1932)
  • The Pygmy Planet (1932)
  • Red Slag of Mars (1932, with Laurence Schwartzman)
  • The Lady of Light (1932)
  • The Electron Flame (1932)
  • The Wand of Doom (1932)
  • In the Scarlet Star (1933)
  • Salvage in Space (1933)
  • “We Ain't Beggars” (1933)
  • The Plutonian Terror (1933)
  • Dead Star Station (1933)
    • German: The Station of the Dead Star. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • Terror Out of Time (1933)
  • Invaders of the Ice World (1934)
  • The Flame from Mars (1934)
  • Born of the Sun (1934)
  • Xandulu (1934)
  • Wizard's Isle (1934, also as Lady in Danger , 1945)
  • The Galactic Circle (1935)
  • Islands of the Sun (1935)
  • Gray Arms of Death (1935)
  • The Ruler of Fate (1936)
  • Death's Cold Daughter (1936)
  • The Great Illusion (1936, part 2 of 5)
  • Entropy Reversed (1937)
  • The Blue Spot (1937)
  • The Ice Entity (1937)
  • Spider Island (1937)
  • The Infinite Enemy (1937)
  • The Mark of the Monster (1937)
  • The Devil in Steel (1937)
  • Released Entropy (1937)
  • Dreadful Sleep (1938)
  • The Chivaree (1938)
  • The Dead Spot (1938)
  • The Crucible of Power (1939)
    • German: The Trial by Fire of Power. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • Nonstop to Mars (1939)
    • German: Nonstop to Mars. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • Passage to Saturn (1939)
  • Star Bright (1939)
  • The Angel from Hell (1939, also as Nils O. Sonderlund)
  • As in the Beginning (1940)
  • Hindsight (1940)
    • German: Late insight. In: Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg (ed.): The best stories from 1940. Moewig (Playboy Science Fiction # 6711), 1980, ISBN 3-8118-6711-3 .
  • Mistress of Machine-Age Madness (1940, also as Nils O. Sonderlund)
  • The Sun Maker (1940)
  • Crystal of Death (1940)
  • The Girl in the Bottle (1940)
  • Racketeers in the Sky (1940)
  • Ashes of Iron (1940)
  • Darker Than You Think (1940)
  • The Star of Dreams (1941)
  • The Iron God (1941)
  • Backlash (1941)
  • Breakdown (1942)
    • German: collapse. In: Martin Greenberg (Ed.): 8 Science Fiction Stories. Heyne (Heyne Anthologies # 8), 1964. Also as: Breakdown. Translated by Eva Malsch. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • Conscience, Ltd. (1943)
  • Cold Front Coming (1945)
  • The Equalizer (1947)
    • German: The equalizer. Translated by Leni Sobez. In: The Pandora Effect and Other Stories. 1970. Also called: The Equalizer. Translated by Eva Malsch. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • The Moon and Mr. Wick (1950)
  • Beyond Mars, Book No. 1 (1952)
  • Beyond Mars, Book No. 2 (1953)
  • The Cold Green Eye (1953)
    • English: The cold green eye. Translated by Leni Sobez. In: The Pandora Effect and Other Stories. 1970. Also as: The cold green eye. Translated by Eva Malsch. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980. Also called: The cold green eye. Translated by Lore Straßl . In: Josh Pachter (ed.): Top Fantasy: Part Two. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 4518, 1988, ISBN 3-453-02775-2 .
  • Hocus-Pocus Universe (1953)
  • Operation: Gravity (1953)
    • English: Operation Gravity. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • Beyond Mars (1954)
  • The Hitch-Hiker's Package (1954)
  • Guinevere for Everybody (1955)
    • German: consumer articles. Translated by Yoma Cap. In: Frederik Pohl, Wolfgang Jeschke (eds.): Titan 2. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3507, 1976, ISBN 3-453-30397-0 . Also as: Guinevere for everyone. Translated by Eva Malsch. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • You Can't Beat a Marine (1956)
  • Beans (1958)
  • Second Man to the Moon (1959)
  • The Masked World (1963)
  • Jamboree (1969)
    • German: The Boy Scout Meeting. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • The Highest Dive (1976)
    • German: A jump into the water. In: The Best Stories by Jack Williamson. 1980.
  • Farside Station (1978)
  • ... All Ye Who Enter Here (1981)
  • A Break for the Dinosaurs (1982)
    • English: A chance for the dinosaurs. In: Isaac Asimov, Alice Laurance (ed.): Speculations. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 4274, 1986, ISBN 3-453-31254-6 .
  • Seedship (1982)
  • Space Family Smiths (1983)
  • At the Human Limit (1985)
  • The Mental Man (1988)
  • The Birds' Turn (1992)
  • Venus Is Hell (1992)
  • The Litlins (1993)
  • The Ice Gods (1994)
  • Dark Star (1995)
    • German: Der Dunkelstern. In: Ronald M. Hahn (Ed.): Der Dunkelstern. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 5934, 1998, ISBN 3-453-13331-5 .
  • The Death of a Star (1996)
  • The Fractal Man (1996)
  • The Firefly Tree (1997)
  • The Hole in the World (1997)
  • The Purchase of Earth (1998)
  • The Story Roger Never Told (1998)
  • Terraforming Terra (1998)
  • The Pet Rocks Mystery (1998)
  • Miss Million (1999)
  • Engines of Creation (1999)
  • Agents of the Moon (2000)
  • Eden Star (2000)
  • The Ultimate Earth (2000)
  • The Nth Step (2001)
  • Nitrogen Plus (2001)
  • Afterlife (2002)
  • The Planet of Youth (2002)
  • Shakespeare & Co. (2002)
  • The Man from Somewhere (2003)
  • Black Hole Station (2004)
  • Devil's Star (2004)
  • Previews of Hell (2004)
  • The Crystal Castle (2004)
  • The Rajah McCarthy and the Jungle Tomato (2004)
  • The Red Beak of Thoth (2004, with Edmond Hamilton)
  • Dream of Earth (2004)
  • The Half Men (2005)
  • Ghost Town (2005)
  • The Cat That Loved Shakespeare (2005)
  • The Mists of Time (2006)
  • A Christmas Carol (2007)
  • The Forbidden Window (2008)
  • The Golden Glass (2008)
  • The Moon Bird (2008)
  • The Planets are Calling (2008)
  • Tricentennial Century (2008)

Non-fiction

  • Science Fiction Comes to College: A Survey of Courses Offered (1971)
  • HG Wells: Critic of Progress (1973)
  • Teaching Science Fiction: Education for Tomorrow (1980)
  • Wonder's Child. My Life in Science Fiction (1984, autobiography, expanded and updated version 2005)

editor

literature

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Williamson, Jack
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Williamson, John Stewart; Stewart, Will (pen name); Sonderlund, Nils O. (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American novelist and science fiction, horror, and fantasy writer
DATE OF BIRTH April 29, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Bisbee (Arizona) , Arizona Territory
DATE OF DEATH November 10, 2006
Place of death Portales , New Mexico