Poul Anderson

POUL ANDERSON

Before he died from cancer in August 2001 at age 74, science fiction author Poul Anderson had published over 100 novels, making him one of the most prolific writers from the venerable generation that included Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. While much of his work was considered hard science fiction, Anderson became just as popular for his fantasy and humor writing, including a series of stories co-authored with Gordon R. Dickson about a race of cute furry aliens who attempt to mimic human culture with outrageous results.

Anderson began to write while a college student majoring in physics at the University of Minnesota in the late 1940s, when he published his first short story in Astounding Science Fiction magazine. By 1954, he had written his first (and still popular) novel Brain Wave, in which the Earth shifts away from a force field that had adversely affected intelligent life for eons, suddenly leaving both animals and humans much smarter.

Much of Anderson's work anticipated a somewhat dark, complex future for humanity, which can be best appreciated by reading two of his many series: the Psychotechnic League books and the Dominc Flandry novels. Together, these works make up the Technic History, a sprawling vision that combines hard science with softer, character-based fiction. Andersonb s fantasy classics, heavily influenced by Norse mythology, include The Broken Sword (1954), Three Hearts And Three Lions (1961) and A Midsummer Tempest (1974).

As his audience grew, so did peer appreciation: during his lifetime, Anderson won seven Hugo awards, three Nebula awards and one Gandalf Grand Master award. In 1997 he was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and in 2000, he was honored with a place in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.