Award-winning SF author Poul Anderson, the prolific author of more than 100 books, died July 31 (2001) of prostate cancer at his home in Orinda, Calif., according to his publisher, Tor Books. He was 74. With a career spanning more than 50 years, Anderson was considered one of the best writers in the genre, having penned hundreds of short stories and dozens of novels; more than 100 of his novels and short-story collections have been published.
Anderson - born in Pennsylvania of Scandinavian parents, a culture that informed his writing - was just 20 years old when he published his first short story in 1947, according to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. In 1948, he earned a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota. Among his early novels are the SF Brain Wave and the fantasy Three Hearts and Three Lions. Anderson also wrote under the pseudonyms Michael Karageorge and Winston P. Sanders. With SF author Gordon R. Dickson, Anderson also wrote stories about Hokas, a species of furry aliens.
On July 6, Anderson's 2000 novel Genesis won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel of the year, the latest in a long string of honors that included three Nebula Awards and seven Hugo Awards, according to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Anderson was a former president of the SFWA and guest of honor at the World Science Fiction Convention. In 1997 he received SFWA's Grandmaster Award, and in 2000 he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Anderson is survived by his wife and writing partner, Karen; his daughter, Astrid; brother, John; two grandchildren; two nieces; and SF writer Greg Bear, his son-in-law. This author has been recommended by 53 other readers. | |
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