Canadian-American science fiction writer (1923?2001)
Gordon Rupert Dickson
(November 1, 1923 ? January 31, 2001) was a
Canadian
-
American
science fiction
writer. He was inducted into the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
in 2000.
[1]
Biography
[
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]
Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to
Minneapolis
in 1937.
[2]
He served in the United States Army, from 1943 to 1946, and received a Bachelor of Arts from the
University of Minnesota
, in 1948.
[3]
From 1948 through 1950 he attended the University of Minnesota for graduate work.
[
citation needed
]
His first published
speculative fiction
was the short story "Trespass!", written jointly with
Poul Anderson
, in the Spring 1950 issue of
Fantastic Stories Quarterly
(ed.
Sam Merwin
), the inaugural number of
Fantastic Story Magazine
as it came to be titled. Next year three of his solo efforts were published by
John W. Campbell
in
Astounding Science Fiction
and one appeared in
Planet Stories
. Anderson and Dickson also inaugurated the Hoka series with "The Sheriff of Canyon Gulch" (
Other Worlds Science Stories
, May 1951).
[4]
Dickson's series of novels include the
Childe Cycle
(sometimes called the Dorsai series) and the
Dragon Knight
. He won three
Hugo Awards
and one
Nebula Award
.
For a great part of his life, he suffered from the effects of
asthma
. He died of complications from severe asthma.
[5]
Personality
[
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]
John Clute
has characterized Dickson as a "gregarious, engaging, genial, successful man of letters" who had not been an introvert.
[6]
Clute considers Dickson a
science fiction romantic
.
[6]
Nevertheless, Clute stresses in connection to Dickson that
science fiction
welcomes "images of heightened solitude, romantically vague, limitless landscapes, and an anguished submission to afflatus", due to its origin in
Gothic fiction
.
[2]
Style
[
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]
Clute has pointed out that Dickson, like
Poul Anderson
, with whom he collaborated in the
Hoka series
, "[tends] to infuse an austere Nordic pathos into wooded, rural midwestern American settings.'
[6]
His works often have mercenaries as their protagonists and deal with aliens that are "less deracinated and more lovable than humans" (Clute).
[6]
They "are inclined to take on a heightened, sagalike complexion" (Clute),
[6]
particularly by the insertion of lyric poetry that is sometimes inferior.
[6]
Archival materials
[
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]
In 1974 Dickson donated to the Manuscripts Division of the
University of Minnesota Libraries
notes, outlines, and drafts for more than 240 short stories and 36 novels and novelettes. These included materials for
Alien Art
,
The Outposter
,
The Pritcher Mass
,
None But Man
, and
Soldier Ask Not
. They were made available to researchers without restriction.
[7]
Selected works
[
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]
Childe Cycle
[
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]
Dragon Knight series
[
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]
- The Dragon and the George
(1976)
- The Dragon Knight
(1990)
- The Dragon on the Border
(1992)
- The Dragon at War
(1992)
- The Dragon, the Earl, and the Troll
(1994)
- The Dragon and the Djinn
(1996)
- The Dragon and the Gnarly King
(1997)
- The Dragon in Lyonesse
(1998)
- The Dragon and the Fair Maid of Kent
(2000)
Hoka series
[
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]
Novels
[
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]
- Alien from Arcturus
(1956) (expanded as
Arcturus Landing
)
- Mankind on the Run
(1956) (variant title:
On the Run
, 1979)
- Time to Teleport
(1960)
- Naked to the Stars
(1961)
- Spacial Delivery
(1961)
- Delusion World
(1961)
- The Alien Way
(1965)
- Space Winners
(1965)
- Mission to Universe
(1965) (rev. 1977)
- The Space Swimmers
(1967)
- Planet Run
(1967) (with
Keith Laumer
)
- Spacepaw
(1969)
- Wolfling
(1969)
- None But Man
(1969)
- Hour of the Horde
(1970)
- Sleepwalkers’ World
(1971)
- The Outposter
(1972)
- The Pritcher Mass
(1972)
- Alien Art
(1973)
- The R-Master
(1973) (revised as
The Last Master
, 1984)
- Gremlins, Go Home
(1974) (with
Ben Bova
)
- The Lifeship
(variant title:
Lifeboat
) (1977) (with
Harry Harrison
)
- Time Storm
(1977)
- The Far Call
(1978)
- Home from the Shore
(1978)
- Pro
(1978) (illustrated by James R. Odbert) (
Ace
Illustrated Novel)
- Masters of Everon
(1980)
- The Last Master
(1984)
- Jamie the Red
(1984) (with
Roland Green
)
- The Forever Man
(1986)
- Way of the Pilgrim
(1987)
- The Earth Lords
(1989)
- Wolf and Iron
(1990)
- The Magnificent Wilf
(1995)
- The Right to Arm Bears
(2000) omnibus of
Spacial Delivery
,
Spacepaw
, "The Law-Twister Shorty"
Short story collections
[
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]
Children's books
[
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]
- Secret under the Sea
(1960)
- Secret under Antarctica
(1963)
- Secret under the Caribbean
(1964)
- Secrets of the Deep
(1985) omnibus of the three above
Awards
[
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]
Dickson received the 1977 Skylark ?
Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction
from
NESFA
? for his contribution to SF
[8]
and he was inducted by the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
in 2000.
[1]
He won several annual literary awards for particular works.
[8]
- Hugo Award
- Nebula Award
- August Derleth Award
(best novel, British Fantasy Society)
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
"Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame"
Archived
2013-05-21 at the
Wayback Machine
. Mid American Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-22. This was the official website of the Hall of Fame to 2004.
- ^
a
b
John Clute
:
Gordon R. Dickson (1923?)
. In:
Richard Bleiler
(ed.):
Science Fiction Writers. Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day.
Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York 1982, p. 345
- ^
"Authors : Dickson, Gordon R : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia"
.
www.sf-encyclopedia.com
. Retrieved
2020-04-23
.
- ^
a
b
Gordon R. Dickson
at the
Internet Speculative Fiction Database
(ISFDB). Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^
"Gordon R. Dickson -- Science Fiction Writer, 77"
.
The New York Times
. February 16, 2001
. Retrieved
April 1,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
John Clute:
Gordon R. Dickson (1923?)
. In: Richard Bleiler (ed.):
Science Fiction Writers. Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day.
Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York 1982, p. 346
- ^
Goggin, Daniel T.; Delle Donne, Carmen R. (July 1974).
"News Notes"
.
The American Archivist
.
37
(3).
Society of American Archivists
: 492?493.
JSTOR
40291682
.
The Manuscripts Division of the University of Minnesota Libraries has received the papers and manuscripts (...). Also received were the papers and manuscripts of two prominent science-fiction writers, Clifford D. Simak and Gordon R. Dickson, both residents of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. (...)Dickson deposited notes, outlines, and draft for more than 240 short stories and 36 novels and novelettes. Materials for titles as
Alien Art
,
The Outposter
,
The Pritcher Mass
,
None But Man
, and
Soldier Ask Not
is included in the collection. It is open to researchers without restriction.
- ^
a
b
"Dickson, Gordon R."
Archived
2012-10-16 at the
Wayback Machine
.
The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees
.
Locus Publications
. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- Citations
- Kumar, Kavita (February 1, 2001).
"Obituary: Gordon R. Dickson, 77, science fiction writer"
.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
. Archived from
the original
on June 6, 2011
. Retrieved
April 1,
2010
.
- Levinson, Paul (February 1, 2001).
"Gordon R. Dickson (1923-2001)"
. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Archived from
the original
on February 22, 2015
. Retrieved
April 1,
2010
.
External links
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]
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