Citizendia
Your Ad Here

For the late American actress, see Kim Stanley. Kim Stanley ( February 11, 1925 &ndash August 20, 2001) was an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy Award -winning
Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005
Born March 23, 1952 (1952-03-23) (age 56)
Waukegan, Illinois
Occupation Writer
Nationality Flag of the United States United States
Genres Science Fiction

Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American science fiction writer, probably best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. The 63rd World Science Fiction Convention ( Worldcon) was called Interaction, and was held in Glasgow, Scotland 4&ndash8 August 2005 Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Waukegan ( IPA: /wɔˈkigən/ is a city in Lake County, Illinois. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms

His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the 15 years of research and lifelong fascination with Mars which culminated in his most famous work. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" He has, due to his fascination with Mars, become a member of the Mars Society. The Mars Society is an international Space advocacy Non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the exploration and settlement of Mars.

Robinson's work has been labeled by reviewers as "literary science fiction". [1]

Contents

Biography

Kim Stanley Robinson was born in Waukegan, Illinois but grew up in Southern California. Waukegan ( IPA: /wɔˈkigən/ is a city in Lake County, Illinois. In 1974 he received a B.A. in literature (University of California, San Diego). A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and The University of California San Diego (popularly known as UC San Diego or UCSD) is a public Research university in San Diego, California In 1975 he gained a M.A. in English from Boston University. For similarly-named academic institutions see Education in Boston MA. He received a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, San Diego in 1982. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. The University of California San Diego (popularly known as UC San Diego or UCSD) is a public Research university in San Diego, California Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) His doctoral thesis, The Novels of Philip K. Dick, was published in 1984. Philip Kindred Dick (December 16 – March 2) was an American Science fiction Novelist and Short story Writer. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar)

Robinson is an enthusiastic mountain climber, and mountain climbing appears in several of his works, most notably Antarctica, Mars trilogy, "Green Mars" (a short story found in The Martians) and Forty Signs of Rain. Antarctica (1997 is a novel written by Kim Stanley Robinson. It deals with a variety of characters living at or visiting an Antarctic research station Forty Signs of Rain (2004 is the first book in the Hard science fiction " Science in the Capital " Trilogy by Kim Stanley

In 1982 he married Lisa Howland Nowell, an environmental chemist. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) They have two sons. Robinson has lived in California, Washington, D.C., and Switzerland (during the 1980s). California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation He now lives in Davis, California. Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento &ndash

Important works

Three Californias

Main article: Three Californias Trilogy

This trilogy is also referred to as the Orange County trilogy, and is the first of Robinson's important works. The Three Californias Trilogy (also known as the Wild Shore Triptych and the Orange County Trilogy) consists of three books The component books are titled The Wild Shore (1984), The Gold Coast (1988) and Pacific Edge (1990). It is not a trilogy in the traditional sense; rather than telling a single story, the books present three different future Californias.

The Wild Shore portrays a California struggling to return to civilization after having been crippled, along with the rest of America, by a nuclear war. The Gold Coast portrays an over-industrialized California increasingly obsessed with and dependent on technology and torn apart by the struggles between arms manufacturers and terrorists. The Pacific Edge presents a California in which ecologically sane, manageable practices have become the norm and the scars of the past are slowly being healed.

Though they initially appear unconnected, the three books actually work together to present a unified statement. The first shows humanity crippled by a lack of technology, the second humanity swamped and almost completely dehumanized by too much technology (along with the attendant environmental damage), and the third a workable, livable compromise between the two. Although the third is, in effect, a Utopian novel, there is still conflict, sadness, and tragedy. The utopia and its offshoot the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures The stories all contain a common character, whose circumstances serve to put the three alternatives in perspective.

The Mars trilogy

Main article: Mars trilogy

This trilogy is Robinson's most well known work. It is an extended work of hard science fiction dealing with the first settlement of Mars by a group of scientists and engineers. Hard science fiction is a category of Science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail or on scientific accuracy or on both Its three volumes are Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, the titles of which mark the changes which the planet undergoes over the course of the story. The tale begins with the first colonists leaving Earth for Mars in 2027, and covers the next 200 years of future history. This article focuses on future histories in general For Robert A By the conclusion of the story Mars is heavily populated and terraformed, with a flourishing and complex political and social dimension.

Many threads of different characters' lives are woven together in the Mars Trilogy. The reader may come to sympathize with one particular character as a protagonist, only to have the story line switch focus so that another character who the reader was beginning to perceive as antagonistic is then presented in a protagonistic manner. Science, sociology and politics are all covered in great detail, evolving realistically over the course of the narrative. Robinson's fascination with science and technology is clear, though he balances this with a strong streak of humanity. Robinson's personal interests, including ecological sustainability, sexual dimorphism and the scientific method, come through strongly. Sustainability, in a general sense is the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena His passion for mountain climbing also shows through clearly.

The Martians

Billed as a companion piece, The Martians (1999) is a collection of short stories involving many of the same characters and settings introduced in the "Mars Trilogy". Some stories occur before, during, after, or instead of, the events of the trilogy; some expanding on existing characters and others introducing new ones. It also includes the Constitution of Mars and poetry written 'in character' by a citizen of Mars.

Antarctica

Main article: Antarctica (novel)

Antarctica (1997) follows very closely in the footsteps of the Mars trilogy, and covers much of the same ground despite the differences in setting. Antarctica (1997 is a novel written by Kim Stanley Robinson. It deals with a variety of characters living at or visiting an Antarctic research station It is set on the icy continent of the title, much closer to the present day, but evokes many of the same themes, dealing as it does with scientists in an isolated environment, the effect which this has on their personalities and interactions. It even evokes the same sense of beauty and wonder at a bleak, hostile environment.

As with all of Robinson's later work, ecological sustainability is a major theme in Antarctica. Much of the action is catalysed by the recent expiration of the Antarctic Treaty and the threat of invasion and despoiling of the near-pristine environment by corporate interests. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate International relations with respect to

The Years of Rice and Salt

Main article: The Years of Rice and Salt

The Years of Rice and Salt (2002) is an epic work of alternate history dealing with a world in which the Black Plague wiped out 99% of the European population (instead of the actual 30%), leaving the world free for Asian expansion. The Years of Rice and Salt ( 2002) is an alternate history Novel with major Buddhist and Islamic religious elements written Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia It covers ten generations of history, focusing on the successive reincarnations of the same few characters as they pass through varying genders, social classes and (in one notable example) species.

The Years of Rice and Salt features Muslim, Chinese and Hindu culture and philosophy. Not only because of the long time scale, but because of its realistic-utopian elements, and the frequent reflections about human nature, The Years of Rice and Salt resembles the Mars books, brought to Earth. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001

Science in the Capital series

The "Science in the Capital" series encompasses three novels: Forty Signs of Rain (2004), Fifty Degrees Below (2005), and Sixty Days and Counting (2007). Forty Signs of Rain (2004 is the first book in the Hard science fiction " Science in the Capital " Trilogy by Kim Stanley "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Fifty Degrees Below (2005 is the second book in the Hard science fiction Science in the Capital Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sixty Days and Counting ( 2007) is the third book in the Hard science fiction Science in the Capital Trilogy by Kim

This series explores the consequences of global warming, both on a global level, and as it affects the main characters: several employees of the National Science Foundation and those close to them. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the The National Science Foundation (NSF is a United States Government agency that supports fundamental Research and Education in all the non-medical A recurring theme of Robinson's that returns in this series is that of Buddhist philosophy, which is represented in the series by the agency of ambassadors from Khembalung, a fictional Buddhist micro-state located on an offshore island in the Ganges delta. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent Their state is threatened by rising sea levels, and the reaction of the Khembalis is compared to that of the Washingtonians.

Other novels

Short stories

KSR published his first two short stories in Orbit 18 in 1976. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Orbit is a long-running series of anthologies of new fiction edited by Damon Knight; often featuring work by such writers as Gene Wolfe, Joanna Russ Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Most are collected in The Planet on the Table (1986), Remaking History (1991) and Vinland the Dream (2001). Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Four humorous novellas featuring American expatriates in Nepal are collected in Escape from Kathmandu (1989). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An expatriate (in abbreviated form expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Escape from Kathmandu by Kim Stanley Robinson is a 1989 collection of Novellas about a group of American Expatriates in Nepal Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The Martians (1999) (discussed above) further explores the world of The Mars Trilogy. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)

List (not quite complete):

Non-fiction

Robinson's doctoral thesis was on The Novels of Philip K. Dick (1984). Philip Kindred Dick (December 16 – March 2) was an American Science fiction Novelist and Short story Writer. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) A hardcover version was published by UMI Research Press.

Robinson also edited, and wrote the introduction to, the anthology Future Primitive: The New Ecotopias (1994). Future Primitive - The New Ecotopias, edited by Kim Stanley Robinson, republishes notable short works of Utopian fiction and Dystopian fiction, incorporating

Major themes

Ecological sustainability

Virtually all of Robinson's novels have an ecological component; sustainability would have to be counted among his primary themes. (A strong contender for the primary theme would be the nature of a plausible utopia. ) The Orange County Trilogy is about the way in which the technological intersects with the natural, highlighting the importance of keeping the two in balance. In the Mars Trilogy, one of the principal divisions among the population of Mars is based upon dissenting views on terraforming; It is heavily debated whether or not the seemingly barren Martian landscape has a similar ecological or spiritual value to a living ecosphere like Earth's. The terraforming (literally "Earth-shaping" of a Planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its Forty Signs of Rain is entirely ecologically themed, taking as it does global warming for its principal theme. Forty Signs of Rain (2004 is the first book in the Hard science fiction " Science in the Capital " Trilogy by Kim Stanley Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the

Economic and social justice

Robinson's work often explores alternatives to modern capitalist society. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where In the Mars Trilogy, it is argued that capitalism is an outgrowth of feudalism which could be replaced in the future by a more democratic economic system. Worker-ownership and cooperatives figure prominently in Green Mars and Blue Mars as a replacement for traditional corporations. A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business The Orange County Trilogy explores similar arrangements; Pacific Edge includes the idea of attacking the legal framework behind corporate domination to promote social egalitarianism.

Robinson's work often portrays a free market based on individualism and entrepreneurialism, tempered with individual morality. A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers This is shown in contrast to the heartlessness of corporate-dominated economies. Although Robinson has been accused of being "anti-capitalist," his books portray a heroic form of frontier capitalism, as opposed to capitalism that is staunched by entrenched corporations. A frontier is a Political and Geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary, or of a different nature Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where As such, Robinson's works often portray the worlds of tomorrow as strikingly similar to the American Western frontier, including the American affection for the freedom and wildness of the frontier. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

The environmental and economic/social themes in Robinson's books stand in marked contrast to the Libertarian streak prevalent in much of science fiction (Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle being prominent examples), and his work has been called "the most successful attempt to reach a mass audience with an anti-capitalist utopian vision since Ursula K. Le Guin's 1974 novel, The Dispossessed. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Libertarian science fiction is a sub-genre of Science fiction that focuses on the politics and social order implied by libertarian philosophies with an emphasis on Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7 1907 – May 8 1988 was an American Novelist and Science fiction Writer. Poul William Anderson ( November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American Science fiction author who wrote during a Golden Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938 Los Angeles California) is a US Science fiction author. Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American Science fiction Writer, Essayist and Journalist Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Dispossessed An Ambiguous Utopia is a 1974 Utopian Science fiction novel by Ursula K "[2]

Scientists as citizens

Robinson's work often features scientists as heroes. They are portrayed in a mundane way compared to most work featuring scientists; rather than being adventurers or action heroes, Robinson's scientists become critically important because of research discoveries, networking and collaboration with other scientists, political lobbying, or becoming public figures. The Mars Trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt rely heavily on the idea that scientists must take responsibility for ensuring public understanding and responsible use of their discoveries. The Years of Rice and Salt ( 2002) is an alternate history Novel with major Buddhist and Islamic religious elements written Robinson's scientists often emerge as the best people to direct public policy on important environmental and technological questions, on which politicians are often ignorant.

Awards

Robinson won the Hugo Award for Best Novel with Green Mars (1994) and Blue Mars (1997); the Nebula Award for Best Novel with Red Mars (1993); the Nebula Award for Best Novella with The Blind Geometer (1986); the World Fantasy Award with Black Air (1983); a John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel with Pacific Edge (1991); and Locus Awards for The Wild Shore (1985), A Short, Sharp Shock (1991), Green Mars (1994), Blue Mars (1997), The Martians (2000), and The Years of Rice and Salt (2003)[3]. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The stated year is that of publication awards are given in the following year The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. This page describes the award for best science fiction novel for other awards see Campbell Award (disambiguation The Locus Awards were established in 1971 and are presented to winners of Locus Magazine 's annual readers' poll

References

  1. ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Features - Robinson explores what-if of the future
  2. ^ Utopic Fiction and the Mars Novels of Kim Stanley Robinson - R A I N T A X I o n l i n e
  3. ^ Kelly, Mark R. (2007). The LOCUS index to SF awards. Locus Publications. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor

External links

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression Hour 25 was a Radio program focusing on Science fiction, Fantasy, and Science.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic