Robert A. Heinlein
Heinlein signing autographs at the 1976 Worldcon
Pen name	Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, John Riverside, Caleb Saunders, Simon York
Occupation	Novelist, short story author, essayist, screenwriter
Genres	Science fiction, Fantasy
Literary movement	Science fiction, Fantasy
Influences H. G. Wells, James Branch Cabell, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain
Influenced Allen Steele, Spider Robinson, George R. R. Martin, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, John Varley

Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American novelist and science fiction writer. A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. 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 Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting This is a list of modern literary movements: that is movements after the Renaissance. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political James Branch Cabell ( April 14, 1879 - May 5, 1958) was an American Author of Fantasy fiction and Belles Edgar Rice Burroughs ( September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author best known for his creation of the jungle hero Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 was an English Author and poet Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30 1835 – April 21 1910 better known by the Pen name Mark Twain, was an American Humorist, satirist Allen Mulherin Steele Jr (born January 19, 1958) is an American Science fiction author. Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning Science fiction George Raymond Richard Martin ( September 20, 1948) sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American Author and Screenwriter 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 John Varley is the name of John Varley (painter (1778–1842 English painter and astrologer John Varley (author (born 1947 American Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story 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 Often called "the dean of science fiction writers"^[1], he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard science fiction". 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 He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first writer to break into mainstream, general magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, in the late 1940s, with unvarnished science fiction. The Saturday Evening Post was a weekly Magazine published in the United States from August 4, 1821 to February 8, He was among the first authors of bestselling, novel-length science fiction in the modern, mass-market era. For many years, Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction. Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (16 December 1917–19 March 2008 was a British Science fiction Author, Inventor, and ^[2][3]

Within the framework of his science fiction stories Heinlein repeatedly integrated recognizable social themes: The importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress non-conformist thought. Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force "Self-reliance" redirects here For the related concept of economic self-reliance see Self-sufficiency. Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws He also examined the relationship between physical and emotional love, explored various unorthodox family structures, and speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices. Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. His iconoclastic approach to these themes led to wildly divergent perceptions of his works and attempts to place mutually contradictory labels on his work. For example, his 1959 novel Starship Troopers was regarded as advocating militarism and to some extent fascism, although many passages in the book disparage the inflexibility and stupidity of a purely militaristic mindset. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology By contrast, his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land put him in the unexpected role of pied piper to the sexual revolution and the counterculture, and through this book he was credited with popularizing the notion of polyamory, or responsible nonmonogamy. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a legend about the abduction of many children from the town of Hamelin ( Hameln) Germany. The sexual revolution refers to the well-documented changes in social thought and codes of behaviour related to sexuality throughout the Western world that continues to evolve Counterculture (also " counter-culture " is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a Cultural group, or Polyamory (from Greek el πολυ meaning many or several and Latin la amor “love” is the desire practice or acceptance of having more than one

Heinlein won four Hugo Awards for his novels. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year In addition, fifty years after publication, three of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos" — awards given retrospectively for years in which no Hugos had been awarded. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year He also won the first Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers of America for lifetime achievement. The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is an Award given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA (ˈsɪfwə or /ˈsɛfwə/ was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight.

After his death, his wife Virginia Heinlein issued a compilation of Heinlein's correspondence and notes into a somewhat autobiographical examination of his career, published in 1989 under the title Grumbles from the Grave. Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein ( April 22, 1916 &ndash January 18, 2003) born Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld, was the third wife Grumbles from the Grave is as close as Robert A Heinlein, ex-naval officer and prominent Science fiction writer came to writing an autobiography

Heinlein's archive is housed by the Special Collections department of the University Library at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The collection includes manuscript drafts, correspondence, photographs and artifacts. A substantial portion of the archive has been digitized and is available online through the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Archives.

In his fiction, Heinlein coined words that have become part of the English language, including "grok", "TANSTAAFL" and "waldo". To grok (ˈgrɒk is to share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity TANSTAAFL is an acronym for the adage " There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch " popularized by Science fiction Writer Robert A A remote manipulator, also known as a telefactor, telemanipulator, or waldo (after the short story " Waldo " by Robert A

Contents 1 Life 2 Works 2.1 Series 2.2 Early work, 1939–1958 2.3 1959–1960: the seminal years 2.4 Middle period work, 1961–1973 2.5 Later work, 1980–1987 2.6 Posthumous publications 3 Ideas, themes, and influence 3.1 Politics 3.2 Race 3.3 Individualism and self-determination 3.4 Sexual liberation 3.5 Philosophy 3.6 Influence 4 Bibliography 5 Footnotes 6 See also 7 References 7.1 Critical 7.2 Biographical 8 External links

Life

Heinlein (pronounced Hine-line)^[4][5] was born on July 7, 1907, to Rex Ivar and Bam Lyle Heinlein, in Butler, Missouri. The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States that educates and commissions officers of the United States A yearbook, also known as an annual is a book to record highlight and commemorate the past year of a School or a book published annually Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Butler is a city in Bates County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4209 at the 2000 census His childhood was spent in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages ^[6] The outlook and values of this time and place (in his own words, "The Bible Belt") had a definite influence on his fiction, especially his later works, as experiences from his childhood were heavily drawn upon both for setting and for cultural atmosphere in Time Enough for Love and To Sail Beyond the Sunset, among others. Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. To Sail Beyond the Sunset is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A However, he would later break with many of its values and mores — especially those concerning morality as it applies to issues such as religion and sexuality — both in his writing and in his personal life. Mores (ˈmɔːreɪz are norms or customs Mores derive from the established practices of a society rather than its written Laws.

The military was the second great influence on Heinlein; throughout his life, he strongly believed in loyalty, leadership, and other ideals associated with the military. Heinlein graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929, and served as an officer in the United States Navy. The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States that educates and commissions officers of the United States He served on the USS Lexington in 1931. Construction The Lexington is named after the battle of Lexington that took place in Lexington Massachusetts in 1775 During this time, Heinlein worked on radio communications, then in its nascent phase, with the aircraft carrier's planes. The Captain of the vessel was Ernest King who was later to serve as the Chief of Naval Operations during the Second World War. Heinlein was frequently interviewed during his later years by military historians on King and his services as the commander of the US Navy's first modern aircraft carrier. Heinlein served aboard USS Roper in 1933–1934, reaching the rank of lieutenant. Interwar period Following shakedown off the New England coast Roper sailed east in mid-June 1919 and after stops at Ponta Delgada Gibraltar, and Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services

On June 21, 1929, he married the former Eleanor Curry of Kansas City in Los Angeles,^[7] but this marriage lasted only about a year. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[4] He married his second wife, Leslyn Macdonald, in 1932. Leslyn was a political radical, and Isaac Asimov recalled that Heinlein later told him that, during these years, he was, like her, "a flaming liberal". Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian ^[8]

In 1934, Heinlein was discharged from the Navy due to pulmonary tuberculosis. lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common During a lengthy hospitalization, he developed the idea of the waterbed, and his detailed descriptions of it in three of his books constituted sufficient prior art to prevent a US patent on water beds when they became common in the 1960s and later^[9]. A waterbed or water mattress is a bed or Mattress filled with water Prior art (also known as or State of the art, which also has other meanings in most systems of Patent law constitutes all Information that A patent is a set of Exclusive rights granted by a State to an inventor or his assignee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an

After his discharge, Heinlein attended a few weeks of graduate classes in mathematics and physics at the University of California, Los Angeles, but quit either because of his health or from a desire to enter politics. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United ^[10]

He supported himself at several occupations, including real estate and silver mining, but for some years found money in short supply. Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Heinlein was active in Upton Sinclair's socialist End Poverty in California movement in the early 1930s. Upton Beall Sinclair Jr ( September 20, 1878 &ndash November 25, 1968) was a Pulitzer Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Short for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for well-known Muckraking writer and former Socialist Upton Sinclair to implement When Sinclair gained the Democratic nomination for governor of California in 1934, Heinlein worked actively in the unsuccessful campaign. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government whose responsibilities include making annual "State of the State" addresses Heinlein himself ran for the California State Assembly in 1938, but was unsuccessful. The California State Assembly is the Lower house of the California State Legislature. ^[11] In later years, Heinlein kept his socialist past secret, writing about his political experiences coyly, and usually under the veil of fictionalization. In 1954, he wrote, ". . . many Americans . . . were asserting loudly that McCarthy had created a 'reign of terror'. Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14 1908 – May 2 1957 was an American politician who served as a Republican U Are you terrified? I am not, and I have in my background much political activity well to the left of Senator McCarthy's position. "^[12]

While not destitute after the campaign — he had a small disability pension from the Navy — Heinlein turned to writing in order to pay off his mortgage (possibly on his house at 8777 Lookout Mountain Avenue, Los Angeles, referred to in "—And He Built a Crooked House—"^[13]), and in 1939, his first published story, "Life-Line", was printed in Astounding Science-Fiction magazine. Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American Science fiction Magazine. He was quickly acknowledged as a leader of the new movement toward "social" science fiction. Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of Science fiction concerned less with technology and Space opera and more with Sociological He was the guest of honor at Denvention, the 1941 Worldcon, held in Denver. During World War II, he did aeronautical engineering for the Navy, recruiting Isaac Asimov and L. Sprague de Camp to work at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian Lyon Sprague de Camp, ( November 27 1907 – November 6 2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy author The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, formerly Navy Yard, was the first Naval shipyard of the United States.

As the war wound down in 1945, Heinlein began re-evaluating his career. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the outbreak of the Cold War, galvanized him to write nonfiction on political topics; in addition, he wanted to break into better-paying markets. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the He published four influential stories for The Saturday Evening Post, leading off, in February 1947, with "The Green Hills of Earth", which made him the first science fiction writer to break out of the "pulp ghetto". The Saturday Evening Post was a weekly Magazine published in the United States from August 4, 1821 to February 8, " The Green Hills of Earth " is a Science fiction Short story by Robert A In 1950, Destination Moon — the documentary-like film for which he had written the story and scenario, co-written the script, and invented many of the effects — won an Academy Award for special effects. Destination Moon is a 1950 American Science fiction Feature film produced by George Pál, who later produced "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called Most importantly, he embarked on a series of juvenile novels for Scribner's that was to last through the 1950s. Children's literature is an age category of literature written for published for or marketed to Children roughly through age 12 Charles Scribner's Sons is a publisher The firm published Scribner's Magazine for many years

Heinlein divorced his second wife in 1947, and the following year married Virginia "Ginny" Gerstenfeld, to whom he would remain married until his death forty years later. Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein ( April 22, 1916 &ndash January 18, 2003) born Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld, was the third wife Shortly thereafter the couple moved to Colorado, but in 1965 her health was affected by the altitude, so the couple moved to Bonny Doon, California. Bonny Doon California is an Unincorporated community,northwest of Santa Cruz California. Heinlein’s circular California house, which, like his Colorado house, he designed with Virginia and built himself, can be seen on Google Maps for "6000 Bonny Doon Road, Santa Cruz, California", on the east side of Bonny Doon Road just north of where Shake Mill Road dead-ends into Bonny Doon Road from the west.

Ginny undoubtedly served as a model for many of his intelligent, fiercely independent female characters. In 1953–1954, the Heinleins voyaged around the world (mostly via ocean liner and cargo liner), which Heinlein described in Tramp Royale, and which also provided background material for science fiction novels set aboard spaceships, such as Podkayne of Mars. Tramp Royale is a nonfiction travelogue by science fiction writer Robert A Podkayne of Mars is a Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Worlds of If (November 1962 January She acted as the first reader of his manuscripts, and was reputed to be a better engineer than Heinlein himself. A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way ^[14]

Isaac Asimov believed that Heinlein made a drastic swing to the right politically at the same time he married Ginny. Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities ^[15] The couple formed the Patrick Henry League in 1958 and worked on the 1964 Barry Goldwater campaign, and Tramp Royale contains two lengthy apologias for the McCarthy hearings. Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14 1908 – May 2 1957 was an American politician who served as a Republican U Yet during this period Heinlein wrote Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), which is generally considered to advance very liberal themes and in fact became the unofficial "bible of the hippie movement" in the late 1960s. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A

The Heinlein juveniles, novels for young adults, may turn out to be his most important work. "Heinlein juveniles" is a phrase that refers to the twelve novels written by Robert A Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA fiction, or simply YA) is Fiction written for published for or marketed to adolescents roughly between the He had used topical materials throughout his series, but in 1959, his Starship Troopers was regarded by the Scribner's editorial staff as too controversial for their prestige line and was rejected. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine Heinlein felt himself released from the constraints of writing for children and began to write "my own stuff, my own way", and came out with a series of challenging books that redrew the boundaries of science fiction, including his best-known work, Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966). Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A

Beginning in 1970, however, Heinlein had a series of health crises, punctuated by strenuous activity in his hobby of stonemasonry. The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of Civilization - creating Buildings structures and Sculpture using stone from the earth (In a private correspondence, he referred to that as his "usual and favorite occupation between books". ^[16]) The decade began with a life-threatening attack of peritonitis, recovery from which required more than two years, but as soon as he was well enough to write, he began work on Time Enough for Love (1973), which introduced many of the themes found in his later fiction. Peritonitis is defined as Inflammation of the Peritoneum (the Serous membrane which lines part of the abdominal cavity and some of the Viscera Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973.

In the mid-1970s, he wrote two articles for the Britannica Compton Yearbook. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc ^[17] He and Ginny crisscrossed the country helping to reorganize blood donation in the United States, and he was guest of honor at the Worldcon for the third time at MidAmeriCon Kansas City, Missouri in 1976. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages While vacationing in Tahiti in early 1978, he suffered a transient ischemic attack. A transient ischemic attack ( TIA, often colloquially referred to as “ mini stroke ” is caused by the changes in the blood supply to a particular area of the Over the next few months, he became more and more exhausted, and his health again began to decline. The problem was determined to be a blocked carotid artery, and he had one of the earliest carotid bypass operations to correct it. Heinlein and Virginia had been smokers^[18] and smoking appears often in his fiction, as well as strikable self-lighting cigarettes. Asked to appear before a Joint Committee of the U.S. House and Senate that year, he testified on his belief that spin-offs from space technology were benefiting the infirm and the elderly. See also Committee A Joint Committee is a term used in politics to refer to a committee made up of members of both chambers of a Bicameral parliament The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new Organization or Entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a Television series based on a pre-existing Space technology is Technology that is related to entering space, maintaining and using systems during Spaceflight and returning people and things His surgical treatment re-energized Heinlein, and he wrote five novels from 1980 until he died in his sleep from emphysema and congestive heart failure on May 8, 1988. Emphysema is a chronic obstructive Pulmonary disease ( COPD) formerly termed a chronic obstructive Lung disease (COLD Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)

At the time, he was putting together the early notes for another World as Myth novel. Pantheistic solipsism is a technical term (properly "Pantheistic multiple-ego solipsism" that has been advanced for the World as Myth idea proposed by Science Several of his works have been published posthumously. ^[19]

Works

Series

Over the course of his career Heinlein wrote three somewhat overlapping series.

• Future History series
• Lazarus Long series
• World as Myth series

Early work, 1939–1958

The first novel that Heinlein wrote, For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs (1939), did not see print during his lifetime, but Robert James later tracked down the manuscript and it was published in 2003. This article focuses on future histories in general For Robert A Lazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of Science fiction Novels by Robert A The idea of World as Myth was created by science fiction writer Robert A For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Widely regarded as a failure as a novel,^[6] being little more than a disguised lecture on Heinlein's social theories, it is intriguing as a window into the development of Heinlein's radical ideas about man as a social animal, including his interest in free love. Social theory is an essential tool used by scholars in the analysis of society through the use of theoretical frameworks social structures and phenomena are analyzed and placed in context A social animal is a loosely defined term for an Organism that is highly interactive with other members of its Species to the point of having a recognizable The term free love has been used since at least the nineteenth century to describe a Social movement that rejects Marriage, which is seen as a form The root of many themes found in his later stories can be found in this book. It also contained much material that could be considered background for his other novels, including a detailed description of the protagonist's treatment to avoid being forced to enter Coventry.

It appears that Heinlein at least attempted to live in a manner consistent with these ideals, even in the 1930s, and had an open relationship in his marriage to his second wife, Leslyn. He was also a nudist;^[4] nudism and body taboos are frequently discussed in his work. Naturism or nudism is a cultural and Political movement advocating and defending social Nudity in private and in public. A taboo is a strong Social prohibition (or ban) against words objects actions or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group culture At the height of the cold war, he built a bomb shelter under his house, like the one featured in Farnham's Freehold. For the general article about fortified structures see Bunker. Farnham's Freehold is a Science fiction Novel set in the near future by Robert A ^[4]

After For Us, The Living, Heinlein began selling (to magazines) first short stories, then novels, set in a Future History, complete with a time line of significant political, cultural, and technological changes. This article focuses on future histories in general For Robert A A chart of the future history was published in the May 1941 issue of Astounding. Over time, Heinlein wrote many novels and short stories that deviated freely from the Future History on some points, while maintaining consistency in some other areas. The Future History was also eventually overtaken by actual events. These discrepancies were explained, after a fashion, in his later World as Myth stories. Pantheistic solipsism is a technical term (properly "Pantheistic multiple-ego solipsism" that has been advanced for the World as Myth idea proposed by Science

Heinlein's first novel published as a book, Rocket Ship Galileo, was initially rejected because going to the moon was considered too far out, but he soon found a publisher, Scribner's, that began publishing a Heinlein juvenile once a year for the Christmas season. Rocket Ship Galileo is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, published in 1947, about three teenagers who participate Charles Scribner's Sons is a publisher The firm published Scribner's Magazine for many years Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA fiction, or simply YA) is Fiction written for published for or marketed to adolescents roughly between the ^[20] Eight of these books were illustrated by Clifford Geary in a distinctive white-on-black scratchboard style. Clifford N Geary is an American illustrator noted for illustrating science books and Science fiction novels especially Robert A Scratchboard or scraperboard is a technique where drawings are created using sharp knives and tools for etching into a thin layer of white China clay that is coated with ^[21] Some representative novels of this type are Have Space Suit—Will Travel, Farmer in the Sky, and Starman Jones. Have Space Suit—Will Travel is a juvenile Science fiction Novel by Robert A Farmer In The Sky is a 1950 Science fiction novel by Robert A Starman Jones is a 1953 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about a farm boy with an Eidetic memory (photographic memory Many of these were first published in serial form under other titles, e. g. , Farmer in the Sky was published as "Satellite Scout" in the Boy Scout magazine Boys' Life. Farmer In The Sky is a 1950 Science fiction novel by Robert A The Boy Scouts of America ( BSA) is the largest youth organization in the United States with over five million Boys' Life is the monthly Magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA There has been speculation that Heinlein's intense obsession with his privacy^[22] was due at least in part to the apparent contradiction between his unconventional private life and his career as an author of books for children, but For Us, The Living also explicitly discusses the political importance Heinlein attached to privacy as a matter of principle.

The novels that Heinlein wrote for a young audience are commonly referred to as "the Heinlein juveniles", and they feature a mixture of adolescent and adult themes. Many of the issues that he takes on in these books have to do with the kinds of problems that adolescents experience. His protagonists are usually very intelligent teenagers who have to make their way in the adult society they see around them. The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. On the surface, they are simple tales of adventure, achievement, and dealing with stupid teachers and jealous peers. However, Heinlein was a vocal proponent of the notion that juvenile readers were far more sophisticated and able to handle complex or difficult themes than most people realized. Thus even his juvenile stories often had a maturity to them that made them readable for adults. Red Planet, for example, portrays some very subversive themes, including a revolution in which young students are involved; his editor demanded substantial changes in this book's discussion of topics such as the use of weapons by children and the misidentified gender of the Martian character. Red Planet is a 1949 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about students at boarding school on the planet Mars. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social Heinlein was always aware of the editorial limitations put in place by the editors of his novels and stories, and while he observed those restrictions on the surface, was often successful in introducing ideas not often seen in other authors' juvenile SF.

In 1957, James Blish wrote that one reason for Heinlein's success "has been the high grade of machinery which goes, today as always, into his story-telling. James Benjamin Blish ( East Orange, New Jersey, May 23, 1921 – Henley-on-Thames, July 30, 1975) was an Heinlein seems to have known from the beginning, as if instinctively, technical lessons about fiction which other writers must learn the hard way (or often enough, never learn). He does not always operate the machinery to the best advantage, but he always seems to be aware of it. "^[23]

1959–1960: the seminal years

Heinlein decisively ended his juvenile novels with Starship Troopers (1959) likely the most controversial work in science fiction and his personal riposte to leftists calling for President Dwight D. Eisenhower to stop nuclear testing in 1958. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general "[Heinlein] called for the formation of the Patrick Henry League and spent the next several weeks writing and publishing his own polemic that lambasted 'Communist-line goals concealed in idealistic-sounding nonsense' and urged Americans not to become 'soft-headed'. . . . Critics labeled Heinlein everything from a Nazi to a racist. "

"'The "Patrick Henry" ad shocked 'em,' he wrote many years later. "Starship Troopers outraged 'em. "

A coming-of-age story about duty, citizenship, and the role of the military in a free society, Starship Troopers resonates with modern concerns. ^[24] The book proposes that suffrage be given only to those who have earned it through military or other devoted social service, with no conscription. Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority The choice for the form of the devoted service was up to the government, with military service being a strong possibility. The point was that you placed your wellbeing at the hands of the government in return for a voice in that government. Psychosocially, you were invested in the government, just as one invests in a business. Further, as long as you were actively in whatever service you found yourself in (career military, for example) your suffrage did not apply -- only after you were out of the service did you gain the franchise.

Middle period work, 1961–1973

From about 1961 (Stranger in a Strange Land) to 1973 (Time Enough for Love), Heinlein wrote some of his more libertarian novels (in terms of sexual mores). Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. His work during this period explored his most important themes, such as individualism, libertarianism, and free expression of physical and emotional love. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the He did not publish Stranger in a Strange Land until some time after it was written, and the themes of free love and radical individualism are prominently featured in his long-unpublished first novel, For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs. For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A ^[25] The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress tells of a war of independence of Lunar colonies, with significant commentary regarding the threat posed by any government — including a republic — to individual freedom. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A

Although Heinlein had previously written a few short stories in the fantasy genre, during this period he wrote his first fantasy novel, Glory Road, and in Stranger in a Strange Land and I Will Fear No Evil, he began to mix hard science with fantasy, mysticism, and satire of organized religion. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Glory Road is a Fantasy Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction I Will Fear No Evil is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Galaxy (July August/September Critics William H. Patterson, Jr. , and Andrew Thornton^[26] believe that this is simply an expression of Heinlein's longstanding philosophical opposition to positivism. Positivism is the Philosophy that the only authentic knowledge is knowledge that is based on actual sense experience Heinlein stated that he was influenced by James Branch Cabell in taking this new literary direction. James Branch Cabell ( April 14, 1879 - May 5, 1958) was an American Author of Fantasy fiction and Belles The next-to-last novel of this period, I Will Fear No Evil, is according to critic James Gifford "almost universally regarded as a literary failure", and he attributes its shortcomings to Heinlein's near-death from peritonitis. Peritonitis is defined as Inflammation of the Peritoneum (the Serous membrane which lines part of the abdominal cavity and some of the Viscera ^[27]

Later work, 1980–1987

After a seven-year hiatus brought on by poor health, Heinlein produced five new novels in the period from 1980 (The Number of the Beast) to 1987 (To Sail Beyond the Sunset). The Number of the Beast is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A To Sail Beyond the Sunset is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A These books have a thread of common characters and time and place. They most explicitly communicated Heinlein's philosophies and beliefs, and many long, didactic passages of dialog and exposition deal with government, sex, and religion. These novels are controversial among his readers, and some critics have written about them very negatively. ^[28] Heinlein's four Hugo awards were all for books written before this period.

Some of these books, such as The Number of the Beast and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, start out as tightly constructed adventure stories, but transform into philosophical fantasias at the end. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A It is a matter of opinion whether this demonstrates a lack of attention to craftsmanship or a conscious effort to expand the boundaries of science fiction into a kind of magical realism, continuing the process of literary exploration that he had begun with Stranger in a Strange Land. Magic realism, or magical realism, is an artistic Genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" Most of the novels from this period are recognized by critics as forming an offshoot from the Future History series, and referred to by the term World as Myth. Pantheistic solipsism is a technical term (properly "Pantheistic multiple-ego solipsism" that has been advanced for the World as Myth idea proposed by Science ^[29]

The tendency toward authorial self-reference begun in Stranger in a Strange Land and Time Enough For Love becomes even more evident in novels such as The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, whose first-person protagonist is a disabled military veteran who becomes a writer, and finds love with a female character who, like all of Heinlein's strong female characters, appears to be based closely on his wife Ginny.

The 1982 novel Friday, a more conventional adventure story (borrowing a character and backstory from the earlier short story "Gulf", also containing suggestions of connection to The Puppet Masters) continued a Heinlein theme of expecting what he saw as the continued disintegration of Earth's society, to the point where the title character is strongly encouraged to seek a new life off-planet. Friday is a 1982 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein. It is the story of a female "artificial person" the titular character The Puppet Masters is a 1951 Science fiction novel by Robert A It concludes with a traditional Heinlein note, as in "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" or "Time Enough for Love" that freedom is to be found on the frontiers.

The 1984 novel Job: A Comedy of Justice is a sharp satire of organized religion. Job A Comedy of Justice is a novel by Robert A Heinlein published in 1984.

Posthumous publications

Several Heinlein works have been published since his death, including the aforementioned For Us, The Living as well as 1989's Grumbles from the Grave, a collection of letters between Heinlein and his editors and agent, 1992's Tramp Royale, a travelogue of a southern hemisphere tour the Heinleins took in the 1950s, Take Back Your Government, a how-to book about participatory democracy written in 1946, and a tribute volume called Requiem: Collected Works and Tributes to the Grand Master, containing some additional short works previously unpublished in book form. For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Grumbles from the Grave is as close as Robert A Heinlein, ex-naval officer and prominent Science fiction writer came to writing an autobiography Tramp Royale is a nonfiction travelogue by science fiction writer Robert A Take Back Your Government! A Practical Handbook for the Private Citizen Who Wants Democracy to Work was an early work by Robert A This book also contains the short story Requiem (short story by Heinlein Off the Main Sequence, published in 2005, includes three short stories never before collected in any Heinlein book (Heinlein called them "stinkeroos". Off the Main Sequence The Other Science Fiction Stories of Robert A )

Spider Robinson, a colleague, friend, and admirer of Heinlein, wrote Variable Star, based on an outline and notes for a juvenile novel that Heinlein prepared in 1955. Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning Science fiction For the astronomical object see Variable star. Variable Star is a 2006 novel written by Spider Robinson The novel was published as a collaboration, with Heinlein's name above Robinson's on the cover, in 2006.

Ideas, themes, and influence

Politics

Heinlein's writing may appear to oscillate wildly across the political spectrum. A political spectrum (plural Spectra) is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes His first novel, For Us, The Living, consists largely of speeches advocating the Social Credit system, and the early story "Misfit" deals with an organization that seems to be Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps translated into outer space. Social Credit is a socio-economic Philosophy wherein Consumers fully provided with adequate Purchasing power, establish the policy of production Misfit is a Science fiction Short story by Robert A Heinlein. Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC) was a Work relief program for young men from unemployed families established on March 21, 1933, by U While Stranger in a Strange Land was embraced by the hippie counterculture, and Glory Road can be read as an antiwar piece, some have deemed Starship Troopers militaristic, and To Sail Beyond the Sunset, published during the Reagan administration, stridently right-wing. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A The Hippie Subculture was originally a Youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world Counterculture (also " counter-culture " is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a Cultural group, or Glory Road is a Fantasy Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction The term anti-war usually refers to the opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or To Sail Beyond the Sunset is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities To contrast this, the presence of the "CCC" in Misfit does not constitute advocation, and the military of Starship Troopers does not control the government but the other way around -- Heinlein is most specific about that during the didactic pieces. Often critics take one aspect of a postulated society or commentary about some aspect of society, and ignore the full context in which it was presented.

Certain threads in Heinlein's political thought remain inarguably constant. A strong current of libertarianism runs through his work, as expressed most clearly in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A His early juvenile novels often contain a surprisingly strong anti-authority message, as in his first published novel Rocket Ship Galileo, which has a group of boys blasting off in a rocket ship in defiance of a court order. In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium Rocket Ship Galileo is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, published in 1947, about three teenagers who participate A similar defiance of a court order to take a moon trip takes place in the short story "Requiem". In The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, the unjust Lunar Authority that controls the lunar colony is usually referred to simply as "Authority" which points to a clear interpretation of the book as a parable for the evils of authority in general, rather than the evils of one particular authority. A public benefit corporation is a Public Corporation chartered by a State designed to perform some public service Space colonization (also called space settlement, space humanization, Space habitation, etc A parable is a brief succinct story in Prose or verse, that illustrates a Moral or Religious lesson The book's own theme echoing the American Revolution as a defiance of unrepresentational "authority-in-absentia" also highlights this.

Heinlein was opposed to any encroachment of religion into government; he pilloried organized religion in Job: A Comedy of Justice, and, with more subtlety and ambivalence, in Stranger in a Strange Land. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Job A Comedy of Justice is a novel by Robert A Heinlein published in 1984. His future history includes a period called the Interregnum, in which a backwoods revivalist becomes dictator of the United States; Revolt in 2100 depicts a revolutionary underground overthrowing that religious dictatorship. A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a religious body and to gain new converts A dictator is an Authoritarian ruler (eg Absolutist or autocratic) who assumes sole and absolute power without hereditary ascension such as an Absolute Positive descriptions of the military (Between Planets, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Red Planet, Starship Troopers) tend to emphasize the individual actions of volunteers in the spirit of the Minutemen of colonial America. Between Planets is a 1951 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Blue Book magazine The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A Red Planet is a 1949 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about students at boarding school on the planet Mars. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial militia during the American Revolutionary War. Conscription and the military as an extension of the government are portrayed in Time Enough for Love, Glory Road, and Starship Troopers as being poor substitutes for the volunteers who, ideally, should be defending a free society. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. Glory Road is a Fantasy Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine In a free society, all individuals act voluntarily Individuals in a free society find it safe to be unpopular

To those on the right, Heinlein's ardent anti-communism during the Cold War era might appear to contradict his earlier efforts in the socialist EPIC and Social Credit movements; however, it should be noted that both the Socialist Party and the Communist Party were very active during the 1930s, and the distinction between socialism and Soviet communism was well understood by those on the left. Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Short for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for well-known Muckraking writer and former Socialist Upton Sinclair to implement Social Credit is a socio-economic Philosophy wherein Consumers fully provided with adequate Purchasing power, establish the policy of production The Socialist Party of America (SPA was a socialist Political party in the United States. The Communist Party of the United States of America ( CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist Political party in the United States. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Heinlein spelled out his strong concerns regarding communism in a number of non-fiction pieces, including "Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?", an anti-communist polemic published as a newspaper advertisement in 1958; and articles such as "Pravda Means Truth" and "Inside Intourist", in which he recounted his visit to the USSR and advised Western readers on how to evade official supervision on such a trip. Patrick Henry ( May 29, 1736 June 6, 1799) was a prominent figure in the American Revolution, known and remembered for his " Polemics (pəˈlɛmɪks/ /poʊ- is the practice of disputing or controverting religious, philosophical, or political matters Pravda (Правда "The Truth" was a leading Newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Intourist (Интурист contraction of иностранный турист 'foreign tourist' is a Russian Travel agency, 66%-owned by Moscow -based The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings

Many of Heinlein's stories explicitly spell out a view of history that could be compared to Marx's: social structures are dictated by the materialistic environment. Heinlein would perhaps have been more comfortable with a comparison with Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis. For other people of this same name see Frederick Jackson and Frederick Turner Frederick Jackson Turner ( November 14, 1861 The Frontier Thesis or Turner Thesis is the conclusion of Frederick Jackson Turner that the wellsprings of American exceptionalism and vitality have always In Red Planet, Doctor MacRae links attempts at gun control to the increase in population density on Mars. Gun politics is a set of legal issues surrounding the ownership use and regulation of firearms as well as safety issues related to firearms both through their direct use and through (This discussion was edited out of the original version of the book at the insistence of the publisher. ) In Farmer in the Sky, overpopulation of Earth has led to hunger, and emigration to Ganymede provides a "life insurance policy" for the species as a whole; Heinlein puts a lecture in the mouth of one of his characters toward the end of the book in which it is explained that the mathematical logic of Malthusianism can lead only to disaster for the home planet. Farmer In The Sky is a 1950 Science fiction novel by Robert A TemplateInfobox Planet.--> Ganymede (ˈgænɨmiːd, or as Greek Malthusianism refers to the political/economic thought of Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus whose ideas were first developed during the Industrial revolution. A subplot in Time Enough for Love involves demands by farmers upon Lazarus Long's bank, which Heinlein portrays as the inevitable tendency of a pioneer society evolving into a more dense (and, by implication, more decadent and less free) society. Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. This episode is an interesting example of Heinlein's tendency (in opposition to Marx) to view history as cyclical rather than progressive.

Race

Heinlein grew up in the era of racial segregation in the United States and wrote some of his most influential fiction at the height of the US civil rights movement. The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African His early juveniles were very much ahead of their time both in their explicit rejection of racism and in their inclusion of non-white protagonists — in the context of science fiction before the 1960s, the mere existence of dark-skinned characters was a remarkable novelty, with green occurring more often than brown. For example, his second juvenile, the 1948 Space Cadet, explicitly uses aliens as a metaphor for human racial minorities: "That's just race prejudice. Space Cadet is a 1948 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about Matt Dodson who joins the Space Patrol to help preserve peace in the Solar System A Venerian is easier to like than a man. " ". . . that's not fair . . . Matt hasn't got any race prejudice. . . Take Lieutenant Peters — did it make any difference to us that he's as black as the ace of spades?" In this example, as in books written throughout his career, Heinlein challenges his readers' possible racial stereotypes by introducing a strong, sympathetic character, only to reveal much later that he is of African descent. This also occurs in, e. g. , The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and Tunnel in the Sky; in several cases, the covers of the books show characters as being light-skinned, when in fact the text states, or at least implies, that they are dark-skinned or of African descent. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Tunnel in the Sky is a Science fiction book written by Robert A ^[30] The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress and Podkayne of Mars both contain incidents of racial prejudice or injustice against their protagonists. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A Podkayne of Mars is a Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Worlds of If (November 1962 January ^[31] Heinlein repeatedly denounced racism in his non-fiction works, including numerous examples in Expanded Universe. The full title of this 1980 collection of stories and essays by Robert A

Race was a central theme in some of Heinlein's fiction. The most prominent example is Farnham's Freehold, which casts a white family into a future in which white people are the slaves of black rulers. Farnham's Freehold is a Science fiction Novel set in the near future by Robert A White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. In the 1941^[32] novel Sixth Column (also known as The Day After Tomorrow), a resistance movement defends itself against an invasion by an Asian fascist state (the "Pan-Asians") using a "super-science" technology that allows ray weapons to be tuned to specific races. Sixth Column, also known under the title The Day After Tomorrow, is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A The idea for the story was pushed on Heinlein by editor John W. Campbell, and Heinlein wrote later that he had "had to reslant it to remove racist aspects of the original story line" and that he did not "consider it to be an artistic success";^[33] the reslanting may have been another instance of Heinlein’s subtle inclusion of non-white sympathetic characters. John Wood Campbell Jr (June 8 1910 – July 11 1971 was an important Science fiction editor and writer ^[34] Sixth Column concentrates more on the Japanese, and was first serialized in 1941, the year of the Pearl Harbor attack, although it was not published in book form until 1949, the year of the revolution in China. Sixth Column, also known under the title The Day After Tomorrow, is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Tunnel in the Sky and Farmer in the Sky were both written after the revolution. Tunnel in the Sky is a Science fiction book written by Robert A Farmer In The Sky is a 1950 Science fiction novel by Robert A The protagonist in Starship Troopers is Filipino, and "Tiger" Kondo in The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is a cameo appearance by Yoji Kondo, a NASA scientist of Heinlein's acquaintance who also edited the tribute volume Requiem. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Dr Yoji Kondo is an astrophysicist who also writes Science fiction under the pseudonym Eric Kotani. This book also contains the short story Requiem (short story by Heinlein The protagonist in Between Planets is assisted by a Chinese restaurant owner, a major character in the book. Between Planets is a 1951 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Blue Book magazine In The Star Beast, a harried African bureaucrat is sympathetically portrayed as the behind-the-scenes master of the world government's foreign policy, while several other (presumably white) officials are portrayed variously as misguided, foolish, or well-meaning but parochial and prejudiced. The Star Beast is a 1954 science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about a high school senior who discovers that his late father's extra-terrestrial

Some of the alien species in Heinlein's fiction can be interpreted in terms of an allegorical representation of human ethnic groups. Double Star, Red Planet, and Stranger in a Strange Land all deal with tolerance and understanding between humans and Martians. Double Star is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first serialized in Astounding Science Fiction Red Planet is a 1949 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about students at boarding school on the planet Mars. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A Several of his stories, such as "Jerry Was a Man", The Star Beast, and Red Planet, involve the idea of non-humans who are incorrectly judged as being less than human. "Jerry Was a Man" ( 1947) is a Short story by Robert A The Star Beast is a 1954 science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about a high school senior who discovers that his late father's extra-terrestrial Red Planet is a 1949 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about students at boarding school on the planet Mars. Although it has been suggested that the strongly hierarchical and anti-individualistic "bugs" in Starship Troopers were meant to represent the Chinese or Japanese, Heinlein wrote the book in response to the unilateral ending of nuclear testing by the U. S. , so it is more likely that they were intended to represent communism. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Indeed, Heinlein suggests in the book that the bugs are a good example of communism being something that humans cannot adhere successfully to, since humans are of individual minds, whereas the bugs, being a collective, can all contribute to the whole without consideration of individual desire. The slugs in The Puppet Masters are likewise explicitly and repeatedly identified as metaphors for communism. A problem with interpreting aliens as stand-ins for races of Homo sapiens is that Heinlein's aliens generally occupy an entirely different mental world than humans. For example, an alien race depicted in Methuselah's Children, the Jockaira, are sentient domesticated animals ruled by a second, godlike species. Methuselah's Children is a 1941 Science fiction Novel by Robert A In his early juvenile fiction, the Martians and Venerians are usually depicted as ancient, wise races who seldom deign to interfere in human affairs.

Individualism and self-determination

Many of Heinlein's novels are stories of revolts against political oppression, for example:

• Residents of a lunar penal colony, aided by a self-aware computer, rebel against the Warden and Lunar Authority (and eventually Earth) in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A
• Colonists rebel against Earth in Between Planets and Red Planet, and in the back story to Podkayne of Mars
• A break—implicitly of a revolutionary nature—between Earth and colonial Ganymede is predicted in Farmer in the Sky. Between Planets is a 1951 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Blue Book magazine Red Planet is a 1949 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about students at boarding school on the planet Mars. Podkayne of Mars is a Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Worlds of If (November 1962 January Farmer In The Sky is a 1950 Science fiction novel by Robert A The visiting Earth official who makes the prediction announces that he will be staying with the colony.
• Secularists overthrow a religious dictatorship in "If This Goes On—". "If This Goes On—" is a Science fiction short novel by Robert A
• A group of soldiers take on the mantle of power after the governments of the world break down as part of the back story in Starship Troopers. Starship Troopers is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published (in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine

But in keeping with his belief in individualism, his work for adults — and sometimes even his work for juveniles — often portrays both the oppressors and the oppressed with considerable ambiguity. In titles such as Double Star and Glory Road, a monarch is depicted positively, and in The Star Beast, a publicity-shy bureaucrat is sympathetically portrayed as the behind-the-scenes controller of the planetary government's foreign relations — while his boss, a career politician, is portrayed as a fool. Double Star is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first serialized in Astounding Science Fiction Glory Road is a Fantasy Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction The Star Beast is a 1954 science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about a high school senior who discovers that his late father's extra-terrestrial In The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, prerevolutionary life under the Lunar Authority is portrayed as a kind of anarchist or libertarian utopia; projections of economic disaster are the true (and secret) justification for the revolution, which brings with it the evils of republican government. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the Republicanism is the Ideology of governing a nation as a Republic, with an emphasis on Liberty, Rule of law, Popular sovereignty Novels such as Stranger in a Strange Land and Friday revolve around individual rebellions against oppression by society rather than by government. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A Friday is a 1982 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein. It is the story of a female "artificial person" the titular character The common thread, then, is the struggle for self-determination of individuals, rather than of nations. Self-determination is defined as free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion and especially as the freedom of the people of a given Territory to determine their However, many of Heinlein's stories revolve around the protagonist's duty (which may be to a nation or to a stray kitten), and a common theme is the character's free choice as to whether to make a self-sacrificing decision.

Heinlein believed that individualism did not go hand-in-hand with ignorance. He believed that an appropriate level of adult competence was achieved through a wide-ranging education, whether this occurred in a classroom or not (as in Citizen of the Galaxy). Citizen of the Galaxy is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction In his juvenile novels, more than once a character looks with disdain at a student's choice of classwork, saying "Why didn't you study something useful?" In Time Enough For Love, Lazarus Long gives a long list of capabilities that anyone should have, concluding, "Specialization is for insects. Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. Lazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of Science fiction Novels by Robert A The competent man or competent woman is a Stock character who can do anything perfectly or at least exhibits a very wide range of abilities and knowledge making "

The ability of the individual to create himself is explored deeply in stories such as I Will Fear No Evil, "All You Zombies—", and "By His Bootstraps". I Will Fear No Evil is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Galaxy (July August/September For the song by The Hooters, see All You Zombies "'—All " By His Bootstraps " is a Science fiction Short story by Robert A We are invited to wonder, what would humanity be if we shaped customs to benefit us, and not the other way around? In Heinlein's view, as outlined in For Us, The Living, humanity would not only be happier, but perceptually, behaviorally, and morally aligned with reality. For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A

Sexual liberation

For Heinlein, personal liberation included sexual liberation, and free love was a major subject of his writing starting from the 1939 For Us, The Living. The sexual revolution refers to the well-documented changes in social thought and codes of behaviour related to sexuality throughout the Western world that continues to evolve The term free love has been used since at least the nineteenth century to describe a Social movement that rejects Marriage, which is seen as a form For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Beyond This Horizon (1942) cleverly subverts traditional gender roles in a scene in which the protagonist demonstrates his archaic gunpowder gun for his friend and discusses how useful it would be in dueling — after which the discussion turns to the shade of his nail polish. Beyond This Horizon is a Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein. A gender role is defined as a set of perceived behavioural norms associated particularly with Males or Females in a given social group or system Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat "All You Zombies—" (1959) is the story of a person who undergoes sex reassignment therapy, goes back in time, has sex with herself, and gives birth to herself. For the song by The Hooters, see All You Zombies "'—All Sex reassignment therapy (SRT is an Umbrella term for all medical procedures regarding sex reassignment of both Transgender and Intersexual people

Sexual freedom and the elimination of sexual jealousy are a major theme of Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), in which the progressive minded yet culturally canalized reporter, Ben Caxton, acts as a dramatic foil for the less parochial characters, Jubal Harshaw and Mike. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A A foil is a character that contrasts with another character usually the protagonist and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality Jubal Harshaw is a fictional character featured in Stranger in a Strange Land, a Novel by Robert A Paralleling Ben's gradual philosophical awakening, the nurse Gillian Boardman learns to embrace her innate tendency toward exhibitionism and to be more accepting of other people's sexuality (e. Although the implications of each may overlap in special circumstances generally exhibitionism is not to be confused with Indecent exposure. g. , Duke's fondness for pornography). Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of Sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer Stranger's treatment of homosexuality is ambiguous. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. As discussed in more detail in the book's Wikipedia article, two negative references to homosexuality have been interpreted by some readers as being homophobic, but both deal with Jill's hang-ups, and one is a discussion of Jill's thoughts. BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps It is therefore unclear if they reflect Heinlein's own point of view. In The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, homosexuality is ill-regarded, but accepted as necessary, in an overwhelmingly male society, by the book's point-of-view character. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 Science fiction Novel by American writer Robert A In contrast, homosexuality is regarded with approval — even gusto — in books such as 1970s I Will Fear No Evil, which posits the social recognition of six innate genders, consisting of all possible combinations of male and female, with straight, gay, and bisexual. I Will Fear No Evil is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialised in Galaxy (July August/September Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation In The Number of the Beast, a male character discusses unsuccessful homosexual experimentation as a teenager, eventually stating that, while his previous experimentation had failed, if his friend and son-in-law Zeb Carter was to display a sexual interest in him, he would do his best to enjoy the experience and make Zeb feel as if he had desired it all along. The Number of the Beast is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Human sexual behavior or different human sexual practices encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners ( Mating and display

In later books, Heinlein dealt with incest and the sexual nature of children. Incest refers to any sexual activity between closely related persons (often within the immediate family that is illegal or socially Taboo. In Time Enough For Love, Lazarus Long uses genetic arguments to initially dissuade a brother and sister he has adopted from sexual experimentation with each other, but he later arranges for them to be married, having discovered that they (in an extremely rare but scientifically possible circumstance) are not brother and sister on a genetic level; he also consummates his strong sexual attraction to his own mother, whom he goes back in time to see again. Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. Lazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of Science fiction Novels by Robert A Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** In some of Heinlein's books, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, for instance, sexual urges between daughters and fathers are exemplified and briefly discussed on several occasions. To Sail Beyond the Sunset is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Later in the same book, the protagonist/narrator (Maureen Johnson) discovers that her two youngest children are engaged in heterosexual incest. After failing to dissuade them from the relationship, she forcibly returns the two to their father, and never mentions them again. The protagonist of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls recalls a homosexual experience with a Boy Scouts leader, which he didn't find unpleasant. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual In Heinlein's treatment of the possibility of sex between adults and adolescents, some readers may feel that he dodges many of the valid reasons for the taboo by portraying the sexual attractions or actual sex as taking place only between Nietzschean supermen, who are so enlightened that they can avoid all the ethical and emotional pitfalls. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist The Übermensch ( German; English: Overman, Superman) is a Concept in the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Also, the individuals involved in almost all cases are fully mature (if not "overmature", as in centuries-old), with stable personalities. The question of incest at this point, in Heinlein's characterizations, is more one of genetic compatibility and progeny issues than morality.

Arguably, Heinlein's treatment of female characters provides an example of a sexually liberated attitude, working against generally accepted stereotypes. Beginning with For Us, the Living, Heinlein's female characters of all ages were generally competent, intelligent, courageous, powerful, and in control of their lives and situations to the extent circumstances permitted. For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Those few of his female characters who are weak or helpless are held in contempt by other characters (including other females). Yet even the strongest of these characters (Podkayne of Mars and Star in Glory Road are examples) nonetheless suggest that they are willing to submit to physical punishment or control from stronger male figures.

In other characters, Heinlein also incorporated elements of the mid-twentieth century female stereotype in certain characters. A stereotype (from Greek: stereo + týpos = "solid impression" is a generalized perception of first impressions behaviors presumed by a group In Double Star, for example, the secretary, Penny, while smart and competent, allows her emotions to affect her work — and eventually fulfills the dream of many Fifties secretaries by marrying her boss. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive Elspeth, in Starman Jones, pretends to be less intelligent than she is and permits Max to "teach" her three-dimensional chess (of which she is a champion) in order to have a better chance to catch his romantic interest. A character in Citizen of the Galaxy similarly allows Thorby to "teach" her mathematics (despite the fact, unknown to Thorby, that she has taught advanced mathematics) for a similar purpose. However, many of the juveniles feature intelligent young women who help save the day (from The Star Beast to Between Planets) — and are romantically inclined towards the protagonist, though not all such relationships end in marriage. In having the females assume a submissive attitude, he generally makes it clear that this relates to an issue with an inherently male desire to appear in control during the development of a relationship, not a weakness or need of women to surrender it.

Philosophy

In To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Heinlein has the main character, Maureen, state that the purpose of metaphysics is to ask questions: Why are we here? Where are we going after we die? (and so on), and that "you are not allowed to answer the questions". To Sail Beyond the Sunset is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Maureen Johnson Smith Long (1882-1982? most often referred to as Maureen Johnson, is a fictional character in several Science fiction novels written by Robert Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science Asking the questions is the point for metaphysics, but answering them is not, because once you answer them, you cross the line into religion. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Maureen does not state a reason for this; she simply remarks that such questions are "beautiful" but lack answers. Maureen's son/lover Lazarus Long makes a related remark in Time Enough For Love. Lazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of Science fiction Novels by Robert A Time Enough for Love is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, first published in 1973. In order for us to answer the "big questions" about the universe, Lazarus states at one point, it would be necessary to stand outside the universe.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Heinlein was deeply interested in Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics and attended a number of seminars on the subject. Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (kɔ'ʐɨpski ( July 3, 1879 &ndash March 1, 1950) was a Polish-American Philosopher The term General Semantics refers to a non- Aristotelian Educational Discipline created by Alfred Korzybski (1879–1950 during the years His views on epistemology seem to have flowed from that interest, and his fictional characters continue to express Korzybskian views to the very end of his writing career. Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge Many of his stories, such as "Gulf", "If This Goes On—", and Stranger in a Strange Land, depend strongly on the premise, extrapolated from the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, that by using a correctly designed language, one can liberate oneself mentally, or even become a superman. Gulf ( 1949) is a Novella by Robert A Heinlein, originally published as a serial in the November and December 1949 issues of "If This Goes On—" is a Science fiction short novel by Robert A Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A In Linguistics, the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis ( SWH) (also known as the " Linguistic relativity hypothesis " postulates a systematic relationship A constructed or artificial language known colloquially or informally as a conlang is a Language whose Phonology, Grammar He was also strongly affected by the religious philosopher P. D. Ouspensky. Peter D Ouspensky ( March 4, 1878 – October 2, 1947) ( Pyotr Demianovich Ouspenskii, also Uspenskii or Uspensky ^[6] Freudianism and psychoanalysis were at the height of their influence during the peak of Heinlein's career, and stories such as Time for the Stars indulged in psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Psychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and his followers which is devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior Time for the Stars is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein published by Scribner's in 1956 as one of the However, he was skeptical about Freudianism, especially after a struggle with an editor who insisted on reading Freudian sexual symbolism into his juvenile novels. Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA fiction, or simply YA) is Fiction written for published for or marketed to adolescents roughly between the Heinlein was fascinated by the social credit movement in the 1930s. Social Credit is a socio-economic Philosophy wherein Consumers fully provided with adequate Purchasing power, establish the policy of production This is shown in his 1938 novel For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs, which was finally published in 2003, long after his death. For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A He was strongly committed to cultural relativism, and the sociologist Margaret Mader in his novel Citizen of the Galaxy is clearly a reference to Margaret Mead. Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual Human 's Beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of his or her own Culture. Citizen of the Galaxy is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A Heinlein, originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction Margaret Mead ( December 16, 1901, Philadelphia &ndash November 15, 1978, New York City) was an American In the World War II era, cultural relativism was the only intellectual framework that offered a clearly reasoned alternative to racism, which Heinlein was ahead of his time in opposing. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that Many of these sociological and psychological theories have been criticized, debunked, or heavily modified in the last fifty years, and Heinlein's use of them may now appear credulous and dated to many readers. The critic Patterson says "Korzybski is now widely regarded as a crank",^[35] although others disagree.

Influence

Heinlein is usually identified, along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, as one of the three masters of science fiction to arise in the so-called Golden Age of science fiction, associated with John W. Campbell and his magazine Astounding. Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (16 December 1917–19 March 2008 was a British Science fiction Author, Inventor, and John Wood Campbell Jr (June 8 1910 – July 11 1971 was an important Science fiction editor and writer Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American Science fiction Magazine. However, in the 1950s he was a leader in bringing science fiction out of the low-paying and less prestigious pulp ghetto. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Most of his works, including short stories, have been continuously in print in many languages since their initial appearance and are still available as new paperbacks years after his death.

Robert Heinlein was also influenced by the American writer, philosopher and humorist Charles Fort who is credited as a major influence on most of the leading science-fiction writers of the 20th-century. Charles Hoy Fort ( 6 August, 1874 &ndash 3 May, 1932) was a Dutch-American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena "Fort's writing was to have an immense influence on the field. . . . His wry sense of humor and refusal to take himself as seriously as did his followers excused many of his faults. I found his eccentric -- even explosive -- style stimulating and indeed mind-expanding. " said Arthur C. Clark in Astounding Days (Gollancz 1989). Heinlein was a long-time member of the International Fortean Organization also known as INFO, the successor to the original Fortean Society until his death. The International Fortean Organization (INFO is a network of Fortean researchers/writers both amateur and professional many of whom have developed life-long friendships and The International Fortean Organization (INFO is a network of Fortean researchers/writers both amateur and professional many of whom have developed life-long friendships and The Fortean Society was started in the United States in 1931 by Tiffany Thayer in order to promote the ideas of American writer Charles Fort. Heinlein's letters were often displayed on the walls of the INFO offices and his active participation in the organization is mentioned in the INFO Journal.

He was at the top of his form during, and himself helped to initiate, the trend toward social science fiction, which went along with a general maturing of the genre away from space opera to a more literary approach touching on such adult issues as politics and human sexuality. Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of Science fiction concerned less with technology and Space opera and more with Sociological Space opera is a subgenre of Speculative fiction or Science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often Melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings In reaction to this trend, hard science fiction began to be distinguished as a separate subgenre, but paradoxically Heinlein is also considered a seminal figure in hard science fiction, due to his extensive knowledge of engineering, and the careful scientific research demonstrated in his stories. 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 Heinlein himself stated — with obvious pride — that in the days before pocket calculators, he and his wife Virginia once worked for several days on a mathematical equation describing an Earth-Mars rocket orbit, which was then subsumed in a single sentence of the novel Space Cadet. Space Cadet is a 1948 Science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein about Matt Dodson who joins the Space Patrol to help preserve peace in the Solar System Part of this may be tied to Heinlein's almost uniquely effective ability to see, as he defined it, not only the primary and secondary effects of technology (the automobile leads to the disappearance of the horse, primary, and to the fact that few Americans have any real experience of horses, secondary) but to the tertiary and deeper effects of technology (for example, the effect of the automobile on loosening social mores, by allowing people to "get away" from people that might gossip about them). In this, Heinlein was a master: He foresaw Interstate Highways (The Roads Must Roll), concern over nuclear power generation (Blowups Happen), international nuclear stalemate (Solution Unsatisfactory -- i. " The Roads Must Roll " is a 1940 Science fiction Short story by Robert A " Blowups Happen " is a Science fiction Short story by Robert A Solution Unsatisfactory is a Science fiction Short story by Robert A e. , the Cold War) as well as numerous other lesser examples. Rarely was the technology he described the end solution, but almost always he saw the effect that "sort" of technology would have on society. He is also credited with describing two technologies (Waldoes and Waterbeds) that later came into widespread use. A remote manipulator, also known as a telefactor, telemanipulator, or waldo (after the short story " Waldo " by Robert A A waterbed or water mattress is a bed or Mattress filled with water Heinlein can also be credited, post-Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, with writing the first modern variations of almost every hard SF archetype.

Heinlein has had a nearly ubiquitous influence on other science fiction writers. In a 1953 poll of leading science fiction authors, he was cited more frequently as an influence than any other modern writer. ^[36] In 1974, he won the first Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers of America for lifetime achievement. The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is an Award given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA (ˈsɪfwə or /ˈsɛfwə/ was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight. Critic James Gifford writes that "Although many other writers have exceeded Heinlein's output, few can claim to match his broad and seminal influence. Scores of science fiction writers from the prewar Golden Age through the present day loudly and enthusiastically credit Heinlein for blazing the trails of their own careers, and shaping their styles and stories. " ^[37]

Outside the science fiction community, several words and phrases coined or adopted by Heinlein have passed into common English usage: waldo, TANSTAAFL, moonbat,^[38] and grok. TANSTAAFL is an acronym for the adage " There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch " popularized by Science fiction Writer Robert A Moonbat (also "barking moonbat" and "moonbat crazy" is a term often used currently in U To grok (ˈgrɒk is to share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity

In 1962, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (then still using his birth name, Tim Zell) founded the Church of All Worlds, a Neopagan religious organization modeled in many ways after the treatment of religion in the novel Stranger in a Strange Land. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart ( b Timothy Zell, also formerly known as Otter G'Zell) ( b The Church of All Worlds (CAW is a neopagan religious group whose stated mission is to evolve a network of information mythology and experience that provides a context and Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical This spiritual path included several ideas from the book, including polyamory, non-mainstream family structures, social libertarianism, water-sharing rituals, an acceptance of all religious paths by a single tradition, and the use of several terms such as "grok", "Thou art God", and "Never Thirst". Polyamory (from Greek el πολυ meaning many or several and Latin la amor “love” is the desire practice or acceptance of having more than one Though Heinlein was neither a member nor a promoter of the Church, it was done with frequent correspondence between Zell and Heinlein, and he was a paid subscriber to their magazine Green Egg. Green Egg is an Neopagan magazine published by the Church of All Worlds from 1967 through 1976 and 1988 through 2000 and restarted in 2007 This Church still exists as a 501(C)(3) religious organization incorporated in California, with membership worldwide, and it remains an active part of the neopagan community today ^[39]. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

He was influential in making space exploration seem to the public more like a practical possibility. History First orbital flights The first successful orbital launch was of the Soviet unmanned Sputnik His stories in publications such as The Saturday Evening Post took a matter-of-fact approach to their outer-space setting, rather than the "gee whiz" tone that had previously been common. The Saturday Evening Post was a weekly Magazine published in the United States from August 4, 1821 to February 8, The documentary-like film Destination Moon advocated a Space Race with the Soviet Union almost a decade before such an idea became commonplace, and was promoted by an unprecedented publicity campaign in print publications. Destination Moon is a 1950 American Science fiction Feature film produced by George Pál, who later produced The Space Race was a competition of space exploration between the Soviet Union and the United States, which lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Many of the astronauts and others working in the U. S. space program grew up on a diet of the Heinlein juveniles, best evidenced by the naming of a crater on Mars after him, and a tribute interspersed by the Apollo 15 astronauts into their radio conversations while on the moon. Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA fiction, or simply YA) is Fiction written for published for or marketed to adolescents roughly between the ^[40]

Heinlein was also a guest commentator for Walter Cronkite during Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 moon landing. Walter Leland Cronkite Jr (born November 4 1916) is a retired American broadcast journalist, best known as Anchorman for the Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5 1930 is a former American Astronaut, Test pilot, University Professor, and United States

There is an active campaign to persuade the Secretary of the Navy to name the new Zumwalt class destroyer DDG-1001 the USS Robert A. The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. Controversy Lawmakers and others have questioned whether the Zumwalt class costs too much and whether it provides the capabilities the U Heinlein. [8]

Main-belt Asteroid 6371 Heinlein (1985 GS), discovered on 15 April 1985 by Edward L. G. Bowell, was named after him. The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the Planets Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but 6371 Heinlein (1985 GS is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on April 15, 1985 by Bowell E

Bibliography

Main article is the Robert A. Heinlein bibliography. The Science fiction writer Robert A Heinlein (1907&ndash1988 was productive during a writing career that spanned the last 49 years of

Heinlein published 32 novels, 59 short stories and 16 collections during his life. Four films, two TV series, several episodes of a radio series, and a board game have been derived more or less directly from his work. He wrote a screenplay for one of the films. Heinlein edited an anthology of other writers' SF short stories.

Three non-fiction books and two poems have been published posthumously. One novel has been published posthumously and another, based on a sketchy outline by Heinlein, was published in September 2006. For Us The Living A Comedy of Customs is a Science fiction Novel by Robert A For the astronomical object see Variable star. Variable Star is a 2006 novel written by Spider Robinson Four collections have been published posthumously.

Footnotes

See also

List of Robert A. Heinlein characters

References

Critical

• H. Bruce Franklin. This is a list of characters in the fiction of Robert A Heinlein: A Alex Hergensheimer / Alec Graham - Allucquere - 1980. Robert A. Heinlein: America as Science Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-502746-9.

A critique of Heinlein from a Marxist perspective. Somewhat out of date, since Franklin was not aware of Heinlein's work with the EPIC Movement. Short for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for well-known Muckraking writer and former Socialist Upton Sinclair to implement Includes a biographical chapter, which incorporates some original research on Heinlein's family background, but contains many of the same omissions and inaccuracies as other 20th century bios of Heinlein.

• James Gifford. 2000 Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader's Companion. Sacramento: Nitrosyncretic Press. ISBN 0-9679874-1-5 (hardcover), 0967987407 (trade paperback).

A comprehensive bibliography, with roughly one page of commentary on each of Heinlein's works.

• Alexei Panshin. Alexei Adams Panshin (born August 14, 1940) is an American author and Science fiction (SF critic 1968. Heinlein in Dimension. Advent. ISBN 0-911682-12-0. Online edition at [9]
• William H. Patterson, Jr. and Andrew Thornton. 2001. The Martian Named Smith: Critical Perspectives on Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Sacramento: Nitrosyncretic Press. ISBN 0-9679874-2-3.
• Powell, Jim. The Triumph of Liberty (New York: Free Press, 2000). See profile of Heinlein in the chapter "Out of this World".
• Tom Shippey. Thomas Alan Shippey (born September 9, 1943) is a scholar of Medieval literature, including Anglo-Saxon England, and of modern Fantasy 2000. "Starship Troopers, Galactic Heroes, Mercenary Princes: the Military and its Discontents in Science Fiction", in Alan Sandison and Robert Dingley, ed. s, Histories of the Future: Studies in Fact, Fantasy and Science Fiction. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-23604-2.
• James Blish, writing as William Atheling, Jr. James Benjamin Blish ( East Orange, New Jersey, May 23, 1921 – Henley-on-Thames, July 30, 1975) was an 1970. More Issues at Hand. Chicago: Advent:Publishers, Inc.
• Ugo Bellagamba and Eric Picholle. 2008. Solutions Non Satisfaisantes, une Anatomie de Robert A. Heinlein. Les Moutons electriques (Lyon, France). ISBN 978-2-915793-37-6 [in French]

Biographical

• Robert A. Heinlein. 2004. For Us, the Living. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0-7432-5998-X.

Includes an introduction by Spider Robinson, an afterword by Robert E. Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning Science fiction James with a long biography, and a shorter biographical sketch.

• William H. Patterson, Jr. (1999). "Robert Heinlein - A biographical sketch". The Heinlein Journal 1999 (5): 7–36.   Also available at Robert A. Heinlein, a Biographical Sketch. Retrieved June 1, 2005. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

A lengthy essay that treats Heinlein's own autobiographical statements with skepticism.

• The Heinlein Society and their FAQ. Retrieved May 30, 2005. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Contains a shorter version of the Patterson bio.

• Robert A. Heinlein. 1989. Grumbles From the Grave. New York: Del Rey.

Incorporates a substantial biographical sketch by Virginia Heinlein, which hews closely to his earlier official bios, omitting the same facts (the first of his three marriages, his early left-wing political activities) and repeating the same fictional anecdotes (the short story contest).

• Elizabeth Zoe Vicary. 2000. American National Biography Online article, Heinlein, Robert Anson. Retrieved June 1, 2005 (not available for free). Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Repeats many incorrect statements from Heinlein's fictionalized professional bio.

• Robert A. Heinlein. 1980. Expanded Universe. The full title of this 1980 collection of stories and essays by Robert A New York: Ace. ISBN 0-441-21888-1.

Autobiographical notes are interspersed between the pieces in the anthology.

Reprinted by Baen, hardcover October 2003, ISBN 0-7434-7159-8

Reprinted by Baen, paperback July 2005, ISBN 0-7434-9915-8

Electronic edition available at: webscription.net (not free)

External links

Bibliography links are in the Robert A. Heinlein bibliography article. The Science fiction writer Robert A Heinlein (1907&ndash1988 was productive during a writing career that spanned the last 49 years of

• The Heinlein Society and their FAQ.
• Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award Also see Damon Knight's biography of Charles Fort. Charles Hoy Fort ( 6 August, 1874 &ndash 3 May, 1932) was a Dutch-American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena
• Robert & Virginia Heinlein Prize
• Robert A. Heinlein, Grandmaster of Science Fiction
• Centennial Celebration in Kansas City, July 7, 2007. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
• 1952 Popular Mechanics tour of Heinlein's Colorado house. accessed June 3, 2005
• Robert A. Heinlein at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Robert Heinlein at the IMDB
• Illustrated List of Heinlein Fiction
• Robert A.Heinlein's online fiction at Free Speculative Fiction Online; including article "The Last Days of the United States"
• Robert Heinlein at 100
• Heinlein Archives
• Robert A. Heinlein, Dean of Science Fiction Writers, tribute site
• Finding aid for the Robert A. and Virginia G. Heinlein Papers

Persondata
NAME	Heinlein, Robert Anson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	McDonald, Anson (pseudonym); Monroe, Lyle (pseudonym); Riverside, John (pseudonym); Saunders, Caleb (pseudonym);York, Simon (pseudonym)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Science fiction writer
DATE OF BIRTH	July 7, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH	Butler, Missouri
DATE OF DEATH	May 8, 1988
PLACE OF DEATH	Carmel, California

Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Butler is a city in Bates County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4209 at the 2000 census Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Carmel-by-the-Sea, usually called simply Carmel, is a small town endowed with a rich artistic history situated on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey

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