Theodore Sturgeon (February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American science fiction author. Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He was born Edward Hamilton Waldo in Staten Island, New York; in 1929, after a divorce, his mother married William Sturgeon, and Edward changed his name to Theodore the better to match his nickname, "Ted". Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage.

Sturgeon died on May 8, 1985, of lung fibrosis, in Eugene, Oregon. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Interstitial lung disease (ILD, also known as diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD, refers to a group of Lung diseases affecting the Interstitium The city of Eugene ( "yoo-JEEN") is the County seat of Lane County, Oregon, ^[1] Sturgeon lived for several years in the neighboring city of Springfield. Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States, separated from Eugene Oregon primarily by the I-5 highway. ^[2]

Work

He sold his first story in 1938 to the newspaper McClure's Syndicate, which bought much of his early (non-fantastic) work; his first genre appearance was "Ether Breather" in Astounding Science Fiction a year later. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American Science fiction Magazine. At first he wrote mainly short stories, primarily for genre magazines such as Astounding and Unknown, but also for general-interest publications such as Argosy Magazine. Unknown (also known as Unknown Worlds) was a pulp Fantasy fiction magazine, edited by John W He used the pen name "E. A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity Waldo Hunter" when two of his stories ran in the same issue of Astounding. A few of his early stories were signed "Theodore H. Sturgeon".

Sturgeon ghost-wrote an Ellery Queen mystery novel, The Player on the Other Side (Random House, 1963). A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person Ellery Queen is both a Fictional character and a Pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David Nathan This novel gained critical praise from critic H. R. F. Keating, who "had almost finished writing Crime and Mystery: the 100 Best Books, in which I had included The Player on the Other Side . . . placing the book squarely in the Queen canon"^[3] when he learned that it had been written by Sturgeon. Similarly, "William DeAndrea, author and . . . winner of Mystery Writers of America awards, selecting his ten favourite mystery novels for the magazine Armchair Detective, picked The Player on the Other Side as one of them. He said: 'This book changed my life . . . and made a raving mystery fan (and therefore ultimately a mystery writer) out of me. . . . The book must be 'one of the most skilful pastiches in the history of literature. An amazing piece of work, whomever did it'. "^[3]

Fantastic Adventures, August 1951, featuring Sturgeon's story "Excalibur and the Atom" (cover art by Robert Gibson Jones). Fantastic Adventures was a fantasy and Science fiction magazine published in the United States from 1939 to 1953

Many of Sturgeon's works have a poetic, even an elegiac, quality. Elegiac refers either to those compositions that are like elegies or to a specific poetic meter used in Classical elegies He was known to use a technique known as "rhythmic prose", in which his prose text would drop into a standard meter. This has the effect of creating a subtle shift in mood, usually without alerting the reader to its cause.

His most famous novel More Than Human (1953) won serious academic recognition, particularly in Europe, where it was seen as high-quality literature. More Than Human is a Science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon published in 1953.

Sturgeon wrote the screenplays for the Star Trek episodes "Shore Leave" (1966) and "Amok Time" (1967, later published as a "Fotonovel" in 1978). Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through Shore leave is the Leave that professional Sailors get to spend on dry land Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. " Amok Time " is an episode of Star Trek The Original Series. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The latter is known for his invention of the Pon farr, the Vulcan mating ritual, the first use of the phrase "Live long and prosper" and the first use of the Vulcan hand symbol. Pon farr is an element of the fictional Star Trek universe that occurs both in the canonical TV series and in Fan fiction based upon the series Vulcans are a Humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek universe who hail from the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt Sturgeon also wrote several episodes of Star Trek that were never produced. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through One of these was notable for having first introduced the Prime Directive. In the Fictional universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive, Starfleet 's General Order #1 is the most prominent guiding principle of the He also wrote an episode of the Saturday morning show Land of the Lost, "The Pylon Express", in 1975. Land of the Lost ( 1974 – 1976) is a children's Television series created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Two of Sturgeon's stories were adapted for The New Twilight Zone. The New Twilight Zone is the popular nickname for the 1985 revival of Rod Serling 's acclaimed 1950/60s Television series, The Twilight Zone One, "A Saucer of Loneliness", was broadcast in 1986 and was dedicated to his memory. "A Saucer of Loneliness" is a short story by His 1944 novella, "KillDozer", was the inspiration for the 1970s made-for-TV movie, Marvel comic book, and alternative rock band of the same name. "Killdozer!" is a Science fiction / horror Novella by Theodore Sturgeon originally published in the magazine Astounding This article is about the movie picture For information on original story see Killdozer! (story. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Killdozer was the name of a Noise rock / Sludge metal band formed in Madison Wisconsin in 1983 with members Bill Hobson Dan Hobson and Michael

Although Sturgeon is well known among readers of classic science-fiction anthologies (at the height of his popularity in the 1950s he was the most anthologized author alive) and much respected by critics (John Clute writes in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: "His influence upon writers like Harlan Ellison and Samuel R. Delany was seminal, and in his life and work he was a powerful and generally liberating influence in post-WWII US sf"), he is not much known among the general public and won comparatively few awards (though it must be noted that his best work was published before the establishment and consolidation of the leading genre awards, while his later production was scarcer and weaker). The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive John Frederick Clute (1940-) is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969 The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is a Reference work on Science fiction. Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific American Writer of Short stories, Novellas, Teleplays Samuel Ray Delany Jr (born April 1, 1942, New York City) is an award-winning American Science fiction He was listed as a primary influence of the much more famous Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut had stated that his character Kilgore Trout was based on Theodore Sturgeon. Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22 1920 is an American mainstream, Fantasy, horror, Science fiction and mystery Kurt Vonnegut Jr (November 11 1922 – April 11 2007 (ˈvɒnəgət was a prolific and genre-bending American Novelist known for works blending Satire, Black Kilgore Trout is a Fictional character created by author Kurt Vonnegut.

Sturgeon's Law

Main article: Sturgeon's law

In 1951, Sturgeon coined what is now known as Sturgeon's Law: "Ninety percent of SF [science fiction] is crud, but then, ninety percent of everything is crud. Sturgeon’s Law is the name given to two different Adages derived from quotes by Science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon. " This was originally known as Sturgeon's Revelation; Sturgeon has said that "Sturgeon's Law" was originally "Nothing is always absolutely so. " However, the former phrase is now widely referred to as Sturgeon's Law. He is also known for his dedication to a credo of critical thinking that challenged all normative assumptions: "ask the next question. " He represented this credo by the symbol of a Q with an arrow through it, an example of which he wore around his neck and used as part of his signature in the last 15 years of his life.

Life and family

Sturgeon was a distant relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25 1803 &ndash April 27 1882 was an American essayist philosopher poet and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century

Sturgeon had one brother, Peter Sturgeon, who wrote technical material for the pharmaceutical industry and eventually the WHO, and who has been credited with bringing Mensa to the United States. Mensa is the largest oldest and most famous high-IQ society in the world William Sturgeon (sometimes known as Argyll), their stepfather, was a Methodist minister, and both brothers eventually became atheists. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Atheism

Sturgeon held a wide variety of jobs during his lifetime. As an adolescent, he wanted to be a circus acrobat; an episode of rheumatic fever prevented him from pursuing this. Rheumatic fever is an Autoimmune inflammatory Disease which may develop two to three weeks after a Group A streptococcal infection (such as From 1935 (aged 17) to 1938, he was a sailor in the merchant marine, and elements of that experience found their way into several stories. He sold refrigerators door to door. He managed a hotel in the West Indies around 1940-1941, worked in several construction and infrastructure jobs (driving a bulldozer in Puerto Rico, operating a gas station and truck lubrication center, work at a drydock) for the US Army in the early war years, and by 1944 was an advertising copywriter. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform In addition to freelance fiction and television writing, he also operated a literary agency (which was eventually transferred to Scott Meredith), worked for Fortune Magazine and other Time Magazine Inc. Scott Meredith née Arthur Scott Feldman (born 1923 New York City, NY; died 1993 Manhasset, NY) was a prominent American literary agent and Fortune is a Global Business Magazine published by Time Inc's Fortune|Money Group properties on circulation, and edited various publications. Sturgeon had somewhat irregular output, frequently suffering from writer's block. Writer's block is a Phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing usually due to lack of inspiration or Creativity.

Theodore Sturgeon vividly recalled being in the same room with L. Ron Hubbard, when Hubbard became testy with someone there and retorted, "Y'know, we're all wasting our time writing this hack science fiction! You wanta make real money, you gotta start a religion!" Reportedly Sturgeon also told this story to others.

Sturgeon played guitar and wrote music which he sometimes performed at Science Fiction Conventions. Science fiction conventions are gatherings of the community of fans (called Science fiction fandom) of various forms of Speculative fiction including Science

Sturgeon was married three times, had two long-term committed relationships outside of marriage, divorced once, and fathered a total of seven children. His first wife was Dorothe Fillingame (married 1940, divorced 1945) with whom he had two daughters, Patricia and Cynthia. He was married to singer Mary Mair from 1949 until an annulment in 1951. Later in 1951, he wed Marion McGahan with whom he had Robin (his first son, b. 1952); daughters Tandy (b. 1954) and Noël (b. 1956); and son Timothy (b. 1960). His fourth long-term committed relationship was with reporter and photographer W. Bonnie Golden, with whom he had his third son, Andros (b. 1970). Finally, his last long-term committed relationship was with writer and educator Jayne Engelhart Tannehill, with whom he remained until the time of his death.

Sturgeon was a lifelong pipe smoker. Since pipe smoke is not inhaled in the lungs this probably had little connection with his death from lung fibrosis; rather, the condition may have been caused by exposure to asbestos during his Merchant Marine stint as a young man. Smoke is the collection of airborne solid and liquid Particulates and Gases ref> ''Smoke Production and Properties'' - SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering Interstitial lung disease (ILD, also known as diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD, refers to a group of Lung diseases affecting the Interstitium Asbestos is a group of Minerals with long thin fibrous Crystals The word "asbestos" (῾ἀσβεστος is derived from a Greek adjective

Novels

Credited to Theodore Sturgeon

• The Dreaming Jewels (1950) Also published as The Synthetic Man
• More Than Human (1953) Fix-up of three linked novellas, the first and third written around the previously published "Baby Is Three"
• The Cosmic Rape (1958) Abridged version published as To Marry Medusa
• Venus Plus X (1960)
• Some of Your Blood (1961)
• Godbody (1986)

Novelisations

Sturgeon, under his own name, was hired to write novelisations of the following movies based on their scripts (links go to articles about the movies):

• The King and Four Queens (1956)
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
• The Rare Breed (1966)

Pseudonymous novels

• I, Libertine (1956): Historical novel created as a for-hire hoax. The Dreaming Jewels is a Science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon, published in 1950 Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. More Than Human is a Science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon published in 1953. A fix-up (or fixup) is a Novel created from short stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published Baby Is Three is a Science fiction short story by Theodore Sturgeon. The Cosmic Rape is a Science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon, originally published as an original paperback in August 1958 Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Cosmic Rape is a Science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon, originally published as an original paperback in August 1958 Venus Plus X is a Science fiction novel written by Theodore Sturgeon, published in 1960 Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Some of Your Blood is a short horror novel in epistolary form by Theodore Sturgeon, first published in 1961. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The King and Four Queens (1956 a western movie involves a middle-aged Cowboy adventurer ( Clark Gable) who learns that a stolen fortune remains buried Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a Science fiction film produced and directed by Irwin Allen. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Rare Breed is a 1966 American Western film starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Juliet Mills Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. I Libertine was a literary Hoax that began as a practical joke by late-night radio Raconteur Jean Shepherd. Credited to "Frederick R. Ewing", written from a premise by Jean Shepherd. Jean Parker Shepherd ( July 26, 1921 - October 16, 1999) was an American Raconteur, Radio and TV personality
• The Player on The Other Side (1963): Mystery novel published as by Ellery Queen and ghost-written with Queen's assistance and supervision. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ellery Queen is both a Fictional character and a Pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David Nathan A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person

Short Stories

Sturgeon published numerous short story collections during his lifetime, many drawing on his most prolific writing years of the 1940s and 1950s.

Note that some reprints of these titles (especially paperback editions) may cut one or two stories from the line-up. Statistics herein refer to the original editions only.

Collections published during Sturgeon's lifetime

The following table includes volumes where up to three stories (representing no more than half the book) were previously anthologized in a Sturgeon collection.

The following volumes consisted entirely of previously anthologized material.

Complete short stories

North Atlantic Books has been releasing the chronologically assembled The Complete Short Stories of Theodore Sturgeon since 1994. Without Sorcery is a collection of Science fiction and fantasy Short stories by author Theodore Sturgeon. North Atlantic Books is a Publisher in Berkeley California that releases books on Spirituality and the Martial arts. Projected to run to 13 volumes, the currently available volumes include:

1. The Ultimate Egoist (1937 to 1940)
2. Microcosmic God (1940 to 1941)
3. Killdozer (1941 to 1946)
4. Thunder and Roses (1946 to 1948)
5. The Perfect Host (1948 to 1950)
6. Baby is Three (1950 to 1952)
7. A Saucer of Loneliness (1953)
8. Bright Segment (1953 to 1955, as well as two "lost" stories from 1946)
9. And Now the News. . . (1955 to 1957)
10. The Man Who Lost the Sea (1957 to 1960)
11. The Nail and the Oracle (1961 to 1969)

Representative short stories

Sturgeon was better known for his short stories and novellas. The best known include:

• "Ether Breather" (September 1939, his first published science-fiction story)
• "Derm Fool" (March 1940)
• "It" (August 1940)
• "Microcosmic God" (April 1941)
• "Yesterday Was Monday" (1941)
• "Killdozer!" (November, 1944)
• "Bianca's Hands" (May, 1947)
• "Thunder and Roses" (November 1947)
• "The Perfect Host" (November 1948)
• "Minority Report" (June 1949, no connection to the 2002 movie, which was based on a later story by Philip K. Dick)
• "One Foot and the Grave" (September 1949)
• "A Saucer of Loneliness" (February 1953)
• "The World Well Lost" (June 1953)
• "Mr. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Microcosmic God" is a Science fiction Novelette by Theodore Sturgeon. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Killdozer!" is a Science fiction / horror Novella by Theodore Sturgeon originally published in the magazine Astounding Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Philip Kindred Dick (December 16 – March 2) was an American Science fiction Novelist and Short story Writer. "A Saucer of Loneliness" is a short story by " The World Well Lost " is a science-fiction short story by Theodore Sturgeon, first published in the June 1953 issue of Universe. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Costello, Hero" (December 1953)
• "The [Widget], The [Wadget], and Boff" (1955)
• "The Skills of Xanadu" (July 1956)
• "The Other Man" (September 1956)
• "Need" (1960)
• "How to Forget Baseball" (Sports Illustrated, December 1964)
• "The Nail and the Oracle" (Playboy, October 1964)
• "Slow Sculpture" (Galaxy, February 1970) — winner of a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award
• "Occam's Scalpel" (August, 1971, with an introduction by Terry Carr)
• "Vengeance Is" (1980, Dark Forces anthology edited by Kirby McCauley)
• "If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?" (1967, Dangerous Visions anthology edited by Harlan Ellison) — Nebula Award 1967 Nominee Novella
• "The Man Who Learned Loving" — Nebula Award 1969 Nominee Short Story

Autobiography

• Argyll, Sturgeon's autobiography

References

External links

• The Theodore Sturgeon Page - an informative and comprehensive fan site
• The Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust - owners of Sturgeon copyrights, information on Sturgeon publications
• Theodore Sturgeon at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Theodore Sturgeon at the Internet Movie Database
• Theodore Sturgeon's online fiction at Free Speculative Fiction Online
• Gary Westfahl's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Film