Poul Anderson

Poul Anderson
Anderson (center) at Polcon in 1985
Anderson (center) at Polcon in 1985
Born
Poul William Anderson

(1926-11-25)November 25, 1926
Bristol, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 31, 2001(2001-07-31) (aged 74)
Orinda, California, U.S.[1]
Pen nameA. A. Craig
Michael Karageorge
Winston P. Sanders
P. A. Kingsley[2]
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Period1948–2001
GenreScience fiction
Fantasy
Mystery
Historical fiction
Notable works
  • The Broken Sword
  • Tau Zero
  • Three Hearts and Three Lions
An early cover story in August 1961

Poul William Anderson (/ˈpoʊəl/ POH-əl;[3] November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001)[4] was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He won the Hugo Award seven times and the Nebula Award three times, and was nominated many more times for awards.[5][6]

Biography

Poul Anderson was born on November 25, 1926, in Bristol, Pennsylvania to Danish parents.[7] Soon after his birth, his father, Anton Anderson, relocated the family to Texas, where they lived for more than ten years. After Anton Anderson's death, his widow took the children to Denmark. The family returned to the United States after the beginning of World War II, settling eventually on a Minnesota farm.

While he was an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, Anderson's first stories were published by editor John W. Campbell in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction: "Tomorrow's Children" by Anderson and F. N. Waldrop in March 1947 and a sequel, "Chain of Logic" by Anderson alone, in July.[a] He earned his BA in physics with honors but became a freelance writer after he graduated in 1948. His third story was printed in the December Astounding.[8]

Anderson married Karen Kruse in 1953 and relocated with her to the San Francisco Bay area.[9] Their daughter Astrid (later married to science fiction author Greg Bear[10]) was born in 1954. They made their home in Orinda, California.[11] Over the years Poul gave many readings at The Other Change of Hobbit bookstore in Berkeley; his widow later donated his typewriter and desk to the store.

In 1954, he published the fantasy novel The Broken Sword, one of his best-known works.

In 1965, Algis Budrys said that Anderson "has for some time been science fiction's best storyteller".[12] He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) in 1966 and of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), also during the mid-1960s. The latter was a group of Heroic fantasy authors organized by Lin Carter, originally eight in number, with entry by credentials as a fantasy writer alone. Anderson was the sixth President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972.

Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[13][14]

The Science Fiction Writers of America made Anderson its 16th SFWA Grand Master in 1998.[15] In 2000's fifth class, he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame as one of two deceased and two living writers.[16]

He died of prostate cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. A few of his novels were first published posthumously.

Awards, honors and nominations

Anderson's novella Witch of the Demon Seas (published under his "A. A. Craig" byline) was the cover story in the January 1951 issue of Planet Stories.
Anderson's novelette "Inside Earth" was the cover story in the April 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.
  • Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy (1978)[17]
  • Hugo Award (seven wins)[5]
  • John W. Campbell Memorial Award (2000)[18]
  • Inkpot Award (1986)[19]
  • Locus Award (41 nominations; one win, 1972)[20]
  • Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (one win (1975))[21]
  • Nebula Award (three wins)[6]
  • Pegasus Award (best adaptation, with Anne Passovoy) (1998)
  • Prometheus Award (Best Novel in 1996, as well as five Hall of Fame award and a Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2001)[22]
  • SFWA Grand Master (1997)[15]
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (2000)[16]
  • Asteroid 7758 Poulanderson, discovered by Eleanor Helin at Palomar in 1990, was named in his honor.[23] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on September 2, 2001, a month after his death (M.P.C. 43381).[24]

Bibliography

See also

  • icon Speculative fiction portal
  • Golden Age of Science Fiction

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Anderson continued his first two stories more than a decade later. He added a novella and an epilogue, constituting the collection of four pieces (termed a novel), Twilight World: A Science Fiction Novel of Tomorrow's Children (Dodd, Mead). Waldrop was not credited.[8]

References

  1. ^ Douglas Martin (August 3, 2001). "Poul Anderson, Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  2. ^ Lee Gold. "Tracking Down The First Deliberate Use Of "Filk Song"". Retrieved August 11, 2007.
  3. ^ Martin, Douglas (August 3, 2001). "Poul Anderson, Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 74". New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2025. He told his wife she could name their first child, and she chose Poul (pronounced PO-ull).
  4. ^ David V Barrett (August 4, 2001). "Obituary: Poul Anderson (Prolific writer of science fiction's golden age)". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Pennsylvania Center for the Book". Worlds Without End. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: Complete Nebula Award novel listing". Worlds Without End. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Barrett, David V. (August 6, 2001). "Poul Anderson: Prolific Writer of Science Fiction's Golden Age". The Guardian. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Poul Anderson at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  9. ^ Martin, Douglas (August 3, 2001). "Poul Anderson, Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Holland, Steve (December 29, 2022). "Greg Bear obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "Writer Poul Anderson, 74, Dies". Washington Post. August 3, 2001. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Budrys, Algis (February 1965). "Galaxy Bookshelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 153–159.
  13. ^ Heinlein, Robert A (1986). The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. New England Library. ISBN 0-450-39315-1.
  14. ^ Heinlein's Dedications Page Jane Davitt & Tim Morgan. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  15. ^ a b "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master" Archived July 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame" Archived May 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Mid American Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Inc. Retrieved March 22, 2013. This was the official website of the hall of fame to 2004.
  17. ^ "Anderson, Poul" Archived October 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees. Locus Publications. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  18. ^ "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: 2000 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  19. ^ "Inkpot Award". December 6, 2012.
  20. ^ "Anderson, Poul". The Locus Index to SF Awards: Locus Award Nominees List. Locus Publications. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  21. ^ "Mythopoeic Society Award Winners". Mythopoeic Society.
  22. ^ "Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award: Complete Prometheus Award novel listing". Worlds Without End. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  23. ^ "7758 Poulanderson (1990 KT)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  24. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved November 21, 2019.

Sources

  • Miesel, Sandra (1978). Against Time's Arrow: The High Crusade of Poul Anderson. Borgo Press. ISBN 0-89370-124-6.
  • Tuck, Donald H. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. pp. 8–10. ISBN 0-911682-20-1.
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