William Tenn

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William Tenn (2002)

William Tenn (actually Philip Klass ; * 9. May 1920 in London , † 7. February 2010 in Mount Lebanon , Pennsylvania ) was an American science fiction - writer and literary scholar .

Life

Tenn came to the United States with his family in 1922. He served in the US Army during World War II and began writing science fiction after his release. He was an employee of Bell Laboratories and taught English and comparative literature at the State College of Pennsylvania from the 1960s . Since 1988 he lived in Mount Lebanon.

He wrote his first SF story in 1945, was a representative of the so-called Golden Age of science fiction and was considered the most important satirist of the genre of that time.

Invasions of planets, be it those of humans on other planets (e.g. Venus and the Seven Sexes ), be it those of aliens on Earth (e.g. The Liberation of Earth ), always proceed differently than in traditional SF Clichés; at the same time, these narratives often represent a critique of contemporary society and politics.

Tenn's drafts of future societies on earth also testify to a keen eye for human weaknesses: In Eastward Ho! after the collapse of the social system, the Indians are superior again, while the Europeans are pushed back; The Masculinist Revolt represents a reckoning with male and female chauvinism.

The New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. , or NESFA for short, published Tenn's entire work of short stories and the longer fiction texts in 2001 and 2004 under the title Immodest Proposals and Here Comes Civilization . His essays are collected in the third volume, Dancing Naked .

In 1999 Tenn was honored with the SFWA Award as Author Emeritus . He received the Forry Award in 2006 for his life's work as a science fiction author .

In 2010 Tenn died at the age of 89.

bibliography

Novels
  • Of Men and Monsters (1968)
    • German: Of people and monsters. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3290, 1972.
Collections
  • Of All Possible Worlds (1955)
    • German: Possible worlds. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3333, 1973.
  • The Human Angle (1956)
    • German: The human point of view. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3313, 1972.
  • Time in Advance (1958)
    • German: The world of the future. Pabel (Utopia Future # 249), 1966.
  • The Seven Sexes (1968)
    • German: Das Robothaus. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3297, 1972.
  • The Square Root of Man (1968)
    • English: Venus - planet for men. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3341, 1973.
  • The Wooden Star (1968)
    • German: Null-P. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3349, 1973.
  • Dancing Naked: The Unexpurgated William Tenn (2004, essays)

The Complete Science Fiction of William Tenn

  • Vol. 1: Immodest Proposals (2001)
  • Vol. 2: Here Comes Civilization (2001)
Short stories

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.

  • Anecdote (1939)
  • Eleven PM (1939)
  • The Apotheosis of John Chillicothe (1939)
  • Alexander the Bait (1946)
    • German: Alexander, the decoy. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973.
  • Child's Play (1947)
  • Mistress Sary (1947)
  • Errand Boy (1947)
    • German: The messenger boy. In: The robot house. 1972.
  • Me, Myself, and I (1947, also as Kenneth Putnam)
  • Confusion Cargo (1947, also as Kenneth Putnam)
    • German: A flight with obstacles. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973.
  • Dud (1948, as Kenneth Putnam)
  • The House Dutiful (1948)
    • German: Das Robothaus. In: The robot house. 1972.
  • Consulate (1948)
    • German: The Mars Consul. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973.
  • Brooklyn Project (1948)
    • German: The Brooklyn Project. In: Robert Silverberg (ed.): The murderers of Mohammeds. Marion von Schröder (Science Fiction & Fantastica), 1970.
  • The Ionian Cycle (1948, also as Castaway Planet , 1950, as EV Zinns)
  • The Human Angle (1948)
    • German: The human point of view. In: The human point of view. 1972.
  • Venus and the Seven Sexes (1949)
  • The Remarkable Flirgleflip (1950, also called Flirgleflip , 1950)
    • German: Der Flirgelflipper. In: Possible worlds. 1973.
  • The Puzzle of Priipiirii (1950)
  • The Last Bounce (1950)
  • A Lamp for Medusa (1951, also as Medusa Was a Lady! )
  • Generation of Noah (1951, also as The Quick and the Bomb , 1951)
    • German: Noah's children. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • Zero-P (1951)
    • German: Null-P. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • Betelgeuse Bridge (1951)
    • German: Visit from Betelgeuse. Translated by Thomas Schlück . In: Walter Ernsting (Ed.): Galaxy 8. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3093, 1967. Also as: Visit from Betelgeuse. Translated by Yoma Cap. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • A Matter of Frequency (1951)
  • Hallock's Madness (1951)
  • Venus Is a Man's World (1951)
    • English: Venus - planet for men. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973.
  • Everybody Loves Irving Bommer (1951)
    • English: Everyone loves Irving Bommer. In: Possible worlds. 1973.
  • The Jester (1951)
  • "Will You Walk a Little Faster?" (1951)
    • German: The offer. Translated by Yoma Cap. In: Zero-P. 1973. Also as: Don't you want to go a little faster? Translated by Rosemarie Hundertmarck. In: Isaac Asimov , Martin Greenberg , Joseph Olander (eds.): Question mark future. Moewig (Playboy Science Fiction # 6736), 1984, ISBN 3-8118-6736-9 .
  • Firewater (1952)
  • The Deserter (1953)
    • German: The deserter. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • Ricardo's Virus (1953)
  • The Liberation of Earth (1953)
    • German: The Liberation of the Earth. Translated by Thomas Schlück. In: James Sallis (ed.): The war book. Peter Hammer, 1972, ISBN 3-87294-032-5 . 1973. Also as: The Liberation of the Earth. Translated by Heinz Zwack. In: Possible worlds. 1973.
  • The Custodian (1953)
    • German: The Keeper. In: Possible worlds. 1973.
  • Project Hush (1954)
    • German: Pst! Enemy hears with!. In: Lothar Heinecke (Ed.): Galaxis Science Fiction, # 12. Moewig, 1959. Also as: Company Pst. In: The human point of view. 1972.
  • The Tenants (1954)
    • German: The new tenants. In: Possible worlds. 1973.
  • Down Among the Dead Men (1954)
    • German: In the realm of the dead. In: Lothar Heinecke (Ed.): Galaxis Science Fiction, # 10. Moewig, 1958. Also as: Unter Toten. In: Possible worlds. 1973. Also as: Down with the dead. In: Brian W. Aldiss, Wolfgang Jeschke (eds.): Titan 22. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 4118, 1984, ISBN 3-453-31078-0 .
  • Party of the Two Parts (1954)
    • German: The Galactic Criminal. In: Hans Stefan Santesson (Ed.): The secret invaders. Moewig (Terra Nova # 165), 1971. Also as: The two-part. In: The human point of view. 1972.
  • Murdering Myra (1955)
  • The Servant Problem (1955)
    • German: The servant problem. In: The human point of view. 1972.
  • The Flat-Eyed Monster (1955)
    • English: The flat-eyed monster. Translated by Walter Ernsting. In: Walter Ernsting (Ed.): Galaxy 6. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3077, 1966. Also as: The flat-eyed monster. In: The human point of view. 1972.
  • The Discovery of Morniel Mathaway (1955)
    • German: Visit from the year 2487. In: Walter Ernsting (Hrsg.): Galaxy 5. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3068, 1966. Also as: Greetings from the year 2487. In: The human standpoint. 1972.
  • The Sickness (1955)
  • It Ends with a Flicker (1956, also as Of All Possible Worlds , 1956)
    • German: The better world. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • Wednesday's Child (1956)
    • German: Wednesdays child. In: The human point of view. 1972. Also as: Wednesday child. In: John Carnell (Ed.): Panoptikum des Schreckens. Pabel (Vampire Paperback # 6), 1974.
  • A Man of Family (1956)
    • German: A man with a family. In: The human point of view. 1972.
  • Time in Advance (1956)
  • She Only Goes Out at Night ... (1956)
    • English: Beloved Vampire. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973. Also as: Because she only goes out at night…. In: Charles G. Waugh, Martin Greenberg (1941-2011) (Eds.): Vampire. Bastei Lübbe General series # 13134, 1988, ISBN 3-404-13134-7 .
  • Winthrop Was Stubborn (1957, also as Time Waits for Winthrop , 1957)
  • The Dark Star (1957)
    • German: The flight to Mars. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • Sanctuary (1957)
    • German: Asylum in the future. In: The robot house. 1972.
  • Eastward Ho! (1958)
    • German: The free country. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • Lisbon Cubed (1958)
    • English: Paradise of Spies. In: Zero-P. 1973.
  • The Malted Milk Monster (1959)
    • German: The ice cream monster. In: The robot house. 1972.
  • The Men in the Walls (1963)
  • Bernie the Faust (1963)
    • German: Bernie. In: The robot house. 1972.
  • The Masculinist Revolt (1965)
  • My Mother Was a Witch (1966)
    • English: My mother, the witch. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973.
  • The Lemon-Green Spaghetti-Loud Dynamite-Dribble Day (1967, also as Did Your Coffee Taste Funny This Morning?, 1967)
    • English: The lemon-green, spaghetti-loud day. In: Venus - planet for men. 1973.
  • The Bugmaster (1968)
  • On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi (1974)
    • English: We have a rabbi on Venus. In: Wolfgang Jeschke (Ed.): Science Fiction Story Reader 9. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 3574, 1978.
  • There Were People on Bikini, There Were People on Attu (1983)
  • The Enormous Totthache (1985)
  • The Girl with Some Kind of Past. And George. (1993)
    • German: The glory of the family. And George. In: Friedel Wahren (Ed.): Asimovs Science Fiction 50th episode. Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy # 5921, 1997.
  • The Ghost Standard (1994)
Anthologies (as editor)
  • Children of Wonder (1953, also as Outsiders: Children of Wonder , 1954)
  • Once Against the Law (1968, with Donald E. Westlake)
  • A Lamp for Medusa / The Players of Hell (1968, with Dave Van Arnam)
  • Whom the Gods Would Slay / The Men in the Walls (2013, with Paul W. Fairman)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See obituary in: Das Science Fiction Jahr 2011 , ed. by Sascha Mamczak , Sebastian Pirling and Wolfgang Jeschke , Wilhelm Heyne Verlag Munich 2011, p. 263f. ISBN 978-3-453-53379-0
personal data
SURNAME Tenn, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Klass, Philip (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English science fiction writer and literary scholar
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH February 7, 2010
Place of death Mount Lebanon , Pennsylvania