Alfred Elton van Vogt (; April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born science fiction author.
The Science Fiction Writers of America named him their 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996). ==Early life== Alfred Vogt (both "Elton" and "van" were added much later) was born on April 26, 1912 on his grandparents' farm in Edenburg, Manitoba, a tiny (and now defunct) Russian Mennonite community east of Gretna, Manitoba, Canada in the Mennonite West Reserve.
Alfred Vogt found these moves difficult, later remarking: By the 1920s, living in Winnipeg, father Henry worked as an agent for a steamship company, but the stock market crash of 1929 proved financially disastrous, and the family could not afford to send Alfred to college.
Alfred Vogt found these moves difficult, later remarking: By the 1920s, living in Winnipeg, father Henry worked as an agent for a steamship company, but the stock market crash of 1929 proved financially disastrous, and the family could not afford to send Alfred to college.
While continuing to pen melodramatic "true confessions" stories through 1937, he also began writing short radio dramas for local radio station CKY, as well as conducting interviews published in trade magazines.
van Vogt" both personally and professionally. ==Career== By 1938, van Vogt decided to switch to writing science fiction, a genre he enjoyed reading.
He was inspired by the August 1938 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, which he picked up at a newsstand.
A revised version of "Vault of the Beast" would be published in 1940. Also in 1939, still living in Winnipeg, van Vogt married Edna Mayne Hull, a fellow Manitoban.
Hull, who had previously worked as a private secretary, would act as van Vogt's typist, and be credited with writing several SF stories of her own throughout the early 1940s. The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 caused a change in van Vogt's circumstances.
Several later books were originally published in Europe, and at least one novel only ever appeared in foreign language editions and was never published in its original English. ==Final years== When the 1979 film Alien appeared, it was noted that the plot closely matched the plots of both Black Destroyer and Discord in Scarlet, both published in Astounding magazine in 1939, and then later published in the 1950 book Voyage of the Space Beagle.
A revised version of "Vault of the Beast" would be published in 1940. Also in 1939, still living in Winnipeg, van Vogt married Edna Mayne Hull, a fellow Manitoban.
Hull, who had previously worked as a private secretary, would act as van Vogt's typist, and be credited with writing several SF stories of her own throughout the early 1940s. The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 caused a change in van Vogt's circumstances.
(Van Vogt and Kramer thus debuted in the issue of Astounding that is sometimes identified as the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.) Among his most famous works of this era, "Far Centaurus" appeared in the January 1944 edition of Astounding. Van Vogt's first completed novel, and one of his most famous, is Slan (Arkham House, 1946), which Campbell serialized in Astounding September to December 1940.
Using what became one of van Vogt's recurring themes, it told the story of a nine-year-old superman living in a world in which his kind are slain by Homo sapiens. Others saw van Vogt's talent from his first story, and in May 1941, van Vogt decided to become a full-time writer, quitting his job at the Canadian Department of National Defence.
Freed from the necessity of living in Ottawa, he and his wife lived for a time in the Gatineau region of Quebec before moving to Toronto in the fall of 1941. Prolific throughout this period, van Vogt wrote many of his more famous short stories and novels in the years from 1941 through 1944.
A fix-up of five stories by Hull, originally published 1942 to 1946.
(Van Vogt and Kramer thus debuted in the issue of Astounding that is sometimes identified as the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.) Among his most famous works of this era, "Far Centaurus" appeared in the January 1944 edition of Astounding. Van Vogt's first completed novel, and one of his most famous, is Slan (Arkham House, 1946), which Campbell serialized in Astounding September to December 1940.
Freed from the necessity of living in Ottawa, he and his wife lived for a time in the Gatineau region of Quebec before moving to Toronto in the fall of 1941. Prolific throughout this period, van Vogt wrote many of his more famous short stories and novels in the years from 1941 through 1944.
As well, several (though not all) of the stories that were compiled to make up the novels The Weapon Shops of Isher, The Mixed Men and The War Against the Rull were also published during this time. ===California and post-war writing (1944–1950)=== In November 1944, van Vogt and Hull moved to Hollywood; van Vogt would spend the rest of his life in California.
van Vogt" in his public life for several years, and as part of the process of obtaining American citizenship in 1945 he finally and formally changed his legal name from Alfred Vogt to Alfred Elton van Vogt.
Around this time, he became particularly interested in the general semantics of Alfred Korzybski. He subsequently wrote a novel merging these overarching themes, The World of Ā, originally serialized in Astounding in 1945.
Van Vogt had first met Hubbard in 1945, and became interested in his Dianetics theories, which were published shortly thereafter.
In a 1945 chapter-long essay reprinted in In Search of Wonder, entitled "Cosmic Jerrybuilder: A.
(Van Vogt and Kramer thus debuted in the issue of Astounding that is sometimes identified as the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.) Among his most famous works of this era, "Far Centaurus" appeared in the January 1944 edition of Astounding. Van Vogt's first completed novel, and one of his most famous, is Slan (Arkham House, 1946), which Campbell serialized in Astounding September to December 1940.
That same year, he was inducted as an inaugural member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 1946, van Vogt and his first wife, Edna Mayne Hull, were Guests of Honor at the fourth World Science Fiction Convention. In 1980, van Vogt received a "Casper Award" (precursor to the Canadian Prix Aurora Awards) for Lifetime Achievement. The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
A fix-up of five stories by Hull, originally published 1942 to 1946.
A sequel, The Players of Ā (later re-titled The Pawns of Null-A) was serialized in 1948–49. At the same time, in his fiction, van Vogt was consistently sympathetic to absolute monarchy as a form of government.
These sympathies were the subject of much critical discussion during van Vogt's career, and afterwards. Van Vogt published "Enchanted Village" in the July 1950 issue of Other Worlds Science Stories.
It was reprinted in over 20 collections or anthologies, and appeared many times in translation. ===Dianetics and fix-ups (1950–1961)=== In 1950, van Vogt was briefly appointed as head of L.
In practical terms, what this meant was that from 1951 through 1961, van Vogt's focus was on Dianetics, and no new story ideas flowed from his typewriter. ===Fix-ups=== However, during the 1950s, van Vogt retrospectively patched together many of his previously published stories into novels, sometimes creating new interstitial material to help bridge gaps in the narrative.
Several later books were originally published in Europe, and at least one novel only ever appeared in foreign language editions and was never published in its original English. ==Final years== When the 1979 film Alien appeared, it was noted that the plot closely matched the plots of both Black Destroyer and Discord in Scarlet, both published in Astounding magazine in 1939, and then later published in the 1950 book Voyage of the Space Beagle.
Sawyer, a fellow Canadian writer of science fiction, remarked: It is generally held that the "damnable SFWA politics" concerns Damon Knight, the founder of the SFWA, who abhorred van Vogt's style and politics and thoroughly demolished his literary reputation in the 1950s. Harlan Ellison was more explicit in 1999 introduction to Futures Past: The Best Short Fiction of A.
A 25-page chapbook of a short story originally published in 1950. Slan Hunter by Kevin J.
In practical terms, what this meant was that from 1951 through 1961, van Vogt's focus was on Dianetics, and no new story ideas flowed from his typewriter. ===Fix-ups=== However, during the 1950s, van Vogt retrospectively patched together many of his previously published stories into novels, sometimes creating new interstitial material to help bridge gaps in the narrative.
(Also, one non-fiction work, The Hypnotism Handbook, appeared in 1956, though it had apparently been written much earlier.) After more than a decade of running their Dianetics center, Hull and van Vogt closed it in 1961.
Campbell. The works of van Vogt were translated into French by the surrealist Boris Vian (The World of Null-A as Le Monde des Å in 1958), and van Vogt's works were "viewed as great literature of the surrealist school".
Very shortly after that, van Vogt and his wife opened their own Dianetics center, partly financed by his writings, until he "signed off" around 1961.
In practical terms, what this meant was that from 1951 through 1961, van Vogt's focus was on Dianetics, and no new story ideas flowed from his typewriter. ===Fix-ups=== However, during the 1950s, van Vogt retrospectively patched together many of his previously published stories into novels, sometimes creating new interstitial material to help bridge gaps in the narrative.
(Also, one non-fiction work, The Hypnotism Handbook, appeared in 1956, though it had apparently been written much earlier.) After more than a decade of running their Dianetics center, Hull and van Vogt closed it in 1961.
Nevertheless, van Vogt maintained his association with the overall organization and was still president of the Californian Association of Dianetic Auditors into the 1980s. ==Return to writing and later career (1962–1986)== Though the constant re-packaging of his older work meant that he had never really been away from the book publishing world, van Vogt had not published any wholly new fiction for almost 12 years when he decided to return to writing in 1962.
Contemporary reviews were lukewarm at best, and van Vogt thereafter returned to science fiction. From 1963 through the mid-1980s, van Vogt once again published new material on a regular basis, though fix-ups and reworked material also appeared relatively often.
Certain later editions (from 1965) credit both authors. The Enchanted Village (1979).
He also wrote novels by expanding previously published short stories; works of this type include The Darkness on Diamondia (1972) and Future Glitter (also known as Tyranopolis; 1973). Novels that were written simply as novels, and not serialized magazine pieces or fix-ups, were very rare in van Vogt's oeuvre, but began to appear regularly beginning in the 1970s.
He also wrote novels by expanding previously published short stories; works of this type include The Darkness on Diamondia (1972) and Future Glitter (also known as Tyranopolis; 1973). Novels that were written simply as novels, and not serialized magazine pieces or fix-ups, were very rare in van Vogt's oeuvre, but began to appear regularly beginning in the 1970s.
In 1974, Knight retracted some of his criticism after finding out about Vogt's writing down his dreams as a part of his working methods: Knight's criticism greatly damaged van Vogt's reputation.
van Vogt (1976) [differs to 1974 edition] Away and Beyond (1977) Pendulum (1978) (almost all original stories and articles) Futures Past: The Best Short Fiction of A.E.
Van Vogt sued the production company for plagiarism, and eventually collected an out-of-court settlement of $50,000 from 20th Century Fox. In increasingly frail health, van Vogt published his final short story in 1986. ==Personal life== Van Vogt's first wife, Edna Mayne Hull, died in 1975.
Several later books were originally published in Europe, and at least one novel only ever appeared in foreign language editions and was never published in its original English. ==Final years== When the 1979 film Alien appeared, it was noted that the plot closely matched the plots of both Black Destroyer and Discord in Scarlet, both published in Astounding magazine in 1939, and then later published in the 1950 book Voyage of the Space Beagle.
Van Vogt married Lydia Bereginsky in 1979; they remained together until his death. ==Death== On January 26, 2000, A.
Nevertheless, van Vogt maintained his association with the overall organization and was still president of the Californian Association of Dianetic Auditors into the 1980s. ==Return to writing and later career (1962–1986)== Though the constant re-packaging of his older work meant that he had never really been away from the book publishing world, van Vogt had not published any wholly new fiction for almost 12 years when he decided to return to writing in 1962.
That same year, he was inducted as an inaugural member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 1946, van Vogt and his first wife, Edna Mayne Hull, were Guests of Honor at the fourth World Science Fiction Convention. In 1980, van Vogt received a "Casper Award" (precursor to the Canadian Prix Aurora Awards) for Lifetime Achievement. The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
Campbell Letters, Campbell says, "The son-of-a-gun gets hold of you in the first paragraph, ties a knot around you, and keeps it tied in every paragraph thereafter—including the ultimate last one". Harlan Ellison (who had begun reading van Vogt as a teenager) wrote, "Van was the first writer to shine light on the restricted ways in which I had been taught to view the universe and the human condition". Writing in 1984, David Hartwell said: The literary critic Leslie A.
Van Vogt sued the production company for plagiarism, and eventually collected an out-of-court settlement of $50,000 from 20th Century Fox. In increasingly frail health, van Vogt published his final short story in 1986. ==Personal life== Van Vogt's first wife, Edna Mayne Hull, died in 1975.
The Science Fiction Writers of America named him their 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996). ==Early life== Alfred Vogt (both "Elton" and "van" were added much later) was born on April 26, 1912 on his grandparents' farm in Edenburg, Manitoba, a tiny (and now defunct) Russian Mennonite community east of Gretna, Manitoba, Canada in the Mennonite West Reserve.
For example, Darrell Schweitzer writing to The New York Review of Science Fiction in 1999 quoted a passage from the original van Vogt novelette "The Mixed Men", which he was then reading, and remarked: ==Recognition== The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
That same year, he was inducted as an inaugural member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 1946, van Vogt and his first wife, Edna Mayne Hull, were Guests of Honor at the fourth World Science Fiction Convention. In 1980, van Vogt received a "Casper Award" (precursor to the Canadian Prix Aurora Awards) for Lifetime Achievement. The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
The Science Fiction Writers of America named him their 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996). ==Early life== Alfred Vogt (both "Elton" and "van" were added much later) was born on April 26, 1912 on his grandparents' farm in Edenburg, Manitoba, a tiny (and now defunct) Russian Mennonite community east of Gretna, Manitoba, Canada in the Mennonite West Reserve.
For example, Darrell Schweitzer writing to The New York Review of Science Fiction in 1999 quoted a passage from the original van Vogt novelette "The Mixed Men", which he was then reading, and remarked: ==Recognition== The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
Also in 1996, van Vogt received a Special Award from the World Science Fiction Convention "for six decades of golden age science fiction".
That same year, he was inducted as an inaugural member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 1946, van Vogt and his first wife, Edna Mayne Hull, were Guests of Honor at the fourth World Science Fiction Convention. In 1980, van Vogt received a "Casper Award" (precursor to the Canadian Prix Aurora Awards) for Lifetime Achievement. The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
van Vogt: In 1996, van Vogt received a Special Award from the World Science Fiction Convention "for six decades of golden age science fiction".
For example, Darrell Schweitzer writing to The New York Review of Science Fiction in 1999 quoted a passage from the original van Vogt novelette "The Mixed Men", which he was then reading, and remarked: ==Recognition== The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996).
Sawyer, a fellow Canadian writer of science fiction, remarked: It is generally held that the "damnable SFWA politics" concerns Damon Knight, the founder of the SFWA, who abhorred van Vogt's style and politics and thoroughly demolished his literary reputation in the 1950s. Harlan Ellison was more explicit in 1999 introduction to Futures Past: The Best Short Fiction of A.
Alfred Elton van Vogt (; April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born science fiction author.
Van Vogt married Lydia Bereginsky in 1979; they remained together until his death. ==Death== On January 26, 2000, A.
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