Cyril M. Kornbluth
Encyclopedia
Cyril M. Kornbluth was an American
science fiction
author
and a notable member of the Futurians
. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner and Jordan Park. The "M" in Kornbluth's name may have been in tribute to his wife, Mary Byers; Frederik Pohl
confirmed the lack of any actual middle name in at least one interview.
in New York City
. As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians
, the influential group of science fiction fans
and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Isaac Asimov
, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim
, Robert A. W. Lowndes
, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association
.
Kornbluth served in the US Army
during World War II
(European Theatre
). He received a Bronze Star
for his service in the Battle of the Bulge
, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun
crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education, which had been interrupted by the war, at the University of Chicago
.
's fanzine
Escape (Vol 1 No 2, August 1939); his first collaboration, "Stepsons of Mars," written with Richard Wilson and published under the name "Ivar Towers," appeared in the April 1940 Astonishing
. His other short fiction includes "The Little Black Bag
", "The Marching Morons
", "The Altar at Midnight," "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie," "Gomez" and "The Advent on Channel 12."
"MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" (1957) is supposedly written by Kornbluth using notes by "Cecil Corwin", who has been declared insane and incarcerated, from where he is smuggling out in fortune cookies the ultimate secret of life. This fate is said to be Kornbluth's response to the unauthorized publication of "Mask of Demeter" (as by "Corwin" and "Martin Pearson" [Donald A. Wollheim]) in 1953.
"The Little Black Bag" was first televised as a live act on the television show "Tales of Tomorrow" on May 30, 1952. It was later adapted for television by the BBC
in 1969 for its Out of the Unknown
series. In 1970, the same story was adapted by Rod Serling
for an episode of his Night Gallery
series. This dramatization starred Burgess Meredith
as the alcoholic Dr. William Fall, who had long lost his doctors license and become a street wino/alcoholic. He finds a bag containing advanced medical technology from the future (2098), which, after an unsuccessful attempt to pawn it, he uses benevolently — reclaiming his career and redeeming his soul... but not that of the guttersnipe he takes in as his money hungry assistant.
"The Marching Morons
" is one of Kornbluth's most famous short stories; it is a satirical look at a far future in which the world's population consists of five billion idiots and a few million geniuses — the precarious minority of the "elite" working desperately to keep things running behind the scenes. Part of its appeal is that readers identify with the beleaguered geniuses (which is entirely compatible with science fiction fans' broadly held opinion of their relationship with the mundane
majority). In his introduction to The Best of C.M. Kornbluth, Pohl states that "The Marching Morons" is a direct sequel to "The Little Black Bag": it is easy to miss this, as "Bag" is set in the contemporary present while "Morons" takes place several centuries from now, and there is no character who appears in both stories. The titular black bag in the first story is actually an artifact from the time period of "The Marching Morons": a medical kit filled with self-driven instruments enabling a far-future moron to "play doctor." A future Earth similar to "The Marching Morons" - a civilisation of morons protected by a small minority of hidden geniuses - is used again in the final stages of Kornbluth & Pohl's Search the Sky.
Many of Kornbluth's novels were written as collaborations: either with Judith Merril
(using the pseudonym Cyril Judd
), or with Frederik Pohl. By far the most successful and important of these were the novels Gladiator-At-Law
and The Space Merchants
. The Space Merchants
contributed significantly to the maturing and to the wider academic respectability of the science fiction genre, not only in America but also in Europe. Kornbluth also wrote several novels under his own name, the most successful being The Syndic and Not This August
.
. Scheduled to meet with Bob Mills
in New York City
, Kornbluth had to shovel out his driveway, which left him running behind. Racing to make his train, he suffered a heart attack
on the platform of the train station.
A number of short stories remained unfinished at Kornbluth's death; these were eventually completed and published by Pohl. One of these stories, "The Meeting" (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, November 1972), was the co-winner of the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Short Story
; it tied with R. A. Lafferty
's "Eurema's Dam." Almost all of Kornbluth's solo SF stories have been collected as His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth (NESFA Press
, 1997).
, in his memoir The Futurians
, and Isaac Asimov
, in his memoirs In Memory Yet Green
and I. Asimov: A Memoir, all give vivid descriptions of Kornbluth as a man of odd personal habits and vivid eccentricities. Among the traits which they describe:
Anthony Boucher
praised the collection, saying "Kornbluth's sharp observation is everywhere present, and in most of the stories his bitter insight." P. Schuyler Miller
reviewed the collection favorably for Astounding Science Fiction.
Spider Robinson
praised this collection, saying "I haven't enjoyed a book so much in years."
's Series of Unfortunate Events as a member of V.F.D.
, a secret organization dedicated to the promotion of literacy, classical learning, and crime prevention.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and a notable member of the Futurians
Futurians
The Futurians were a group of science fiction fans, many of whom became editors and writers as well. The Futurians were based in New York City and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and science fiction fandom in the years 1937-1945.-Origins of the group:As described...
. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner and Jordan Park. The "M" in Kornbluth's name may have been in tribute to his wife, Mary Byers; Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
confirmed the lack of any actual middle name in at least one interview.
Biography
Kornbluth was born and grew up in InwoodInwood, Manhattan
Inwood is the northernmost neighborhood on Manhattan Island in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-Geography:Inwood is physically bounded by the Harlem River to the north and east, and the Hudson River to the west. It extends southward to Fort Tryon Park and alternatively Dyckman Street or...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians
Futurians
The Futurians were a group of science fiction fans, many of whom became editors and writers as well. The Futurians were based in New York City and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and science fiction fandom in the years 1937-1945.-Origins of the group:As described...
, the influential group of science fiction fans
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim
Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim was an American science fiction ' editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell....
, Robert A. W. Lowndes
Robert A. W. Lowndes
Robert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest-sized magazines...
, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association
Fantasy Amateur Press Association
The Fantasy Amateur Press Association or FAPA is science fiction fandom's longest-established amateur press association . It was founded in 1937 by Donald A. Wollheim and John Michel. They were inspired to create FAPA by their memberships in some of the non-science fiction amateur press...
.
Kornbluth served in the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(European Theatre
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
). He received a Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
for his service in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...
crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education, which had been interrupted by the war, at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Work
Kornbluth began writing at 15. His first solo story, "The Rocket of 1955," was published in Richard WilsonRichard Wilson (author)
Richard Wilson was a Nebula Award winning American science fiction writer and fan. He was a member of the Futurians, and was married at one time to Leslie Perri....
's fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Escape (Vol 1 No 2, August 1939); his first collaboration, "Stepsons of Mars," written with Richard Wilson and published under the name "Ivar Towers," appeared in the April 1940 Astonishing
Astonishing Stories
Astonishing Stories was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Popular Publications between 1940 and 1943. It was founded under Popular's "Fictioneers" imprint, which paid lower rates than Popular's other magazines. The magazine's first editor was Frederik Pohl, who also edited a...
. His other short fiction includes "The Little Black Bag
The Little Black Bag
"The Little Black Bag" is a short story by science fiction author Cyril M. Kornbluth, first published in the July, 1950 edition of Astounding Science Fiction. It is a prequel of sorts to the story "The Marching Morons"...
", "The Marching Morons
The Marching Morons
"The Marching Morons" is a science fiction story written by Cyril M. Kornbluth, originally published in Galaxy in April 1951. It was included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two after being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965....
", "The Altar at Midnight," "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie," "Gomez" and "The Advent on Channel 12."
"MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" (1957) is supposedly written by Kornbluth using notes by "Cecil Corwin", who has been declared insane and incarcerated, from where he is smuggling out in fortune cookies the ultimate secret of life. This fate is said to be Kornbluth's response to the unauthorized publication of "Mask of Demeter" (as by "Corwin" and "Martin Pearson" [Donald A. Wollheim]) in 1953.
"The Little Black Bag" was first televised as a live act on the television show "Tales of Tomorrow" on May 30, 1952. It was later adapted for television by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1969 for its Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was an independent dramatisation of a separate science fiction short story...
series. In 1970, the same story was adapted by Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
for an episode of his Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
series. This dramatization starred Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
as the alcoholic Dr. William Fall, who had long lost his doctors license and become a street wino/alcoholic. He finds a bag containing advanced medical technology from the future (2098), which, after an unsuccessful attempt to pawn it, he uses benevolently — reclaiming his career and redeeming his soul... but not that of the guttersnipe he takes in as his money hungry assistant.
"The Marching Morons
The Marching Morons
"The Marching Morons" is a science fiction story written by Cyril M. Kornbluth, originally published in Galaxy in April 1951. It was included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two after being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965....
" is one of Kornbluth's most famous short stories; it is a satirical look at a far future in which the world's population consists of five billion idiots and a few million geniuses — the precarious minority of the "elite" working desperately to keep things running behind the scenes. Part of its appeal is that readers identify with the beleaguered geniuses (which is entirely compatible with science fiction fans' broadly held opinion of their relationship with the mundane
Mundane
In subcultural and fictional uses, a mundane is a person who does not belong to a particular group, according to the members of that group; the implication is that such persons, lacking imagination, are concerned solely with the mundane: the quotidian and ordinary...
majority). In his introduction to The Best of C.M. Kornbluth, Pohl states that "The Marching Morons" is a direct sequel to "The Little Black Bag": it is easy to miss this, as "Bag" is set in the contemporary present while "Morons" takes place several centuries from now, and there is no character who appears in both stories. The titular black bag in the first story is actually an artifact from the time period of "The Marching Morons": a medical kit filled with self-driven instruments enabling a far-future moron to "play doctor." A future Earth similar to "The Marching Morons" - a civilisation of morons protected by a small minority of hidden geniuses - is used again in the final stages of Kornbluth & Pohl's Search the Sky.
Many of Kornbluth's novels were written as collaborations: either with Judith Merril
Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman , who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist....
(using the pseudonym Cyril Judd
Cyril Judd
Cyril Judd was a joint pseudonym used by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Judith Merril for their two novels:* Gunner Cade ; serialised in Astounding Science Fiction in 1952....
), or with Frederik Pohl. By far the most successful and important of these were the novels Gladiator-At-Law
Gladiator-At-Law
Gladiator-At-Law is a satirical science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. It was first published in 1955 by Ballantine Books and republished in 1986 by Baen Books.-Plot introduction:The plot is typically topsy-turvy...
and The Space Merchants
The Space Merchants
The Space Merchants is a science fiction novel, written by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth in 1952. Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine as a serial entitled Gravy Planet, the novel was first published as a single volume in 1953, and has sold heavily since...
. The Space Merchants
The Space Merchants
The Space Merchants is a science fiction novel, written by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth in 1952. Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine as a serial entitled Gravy Planet, the novel was first published as a single volume in 1953, and has sold heavily since...
contributed significantly to the maturing and to the wider academic respectability of the science fiction genre, not only in America but also in Europe. Kornbluth also wrote several novels under his own name, the most successful being The Syndic and Not This August
Not This August
Not This August, also known as Christmas Eve, is a science fiction novel by C.M. Kornbluth. It was originally published in 1955 by Doubleday. It was serialized in Maclean's Magazine in May and June 1955. A revised edition with a new foreword and afterword by Frederik Pohl was published in 1981 by...
.
Death
Kornbluth died at age 34 in Levittown, New YorkLevittown, New York
Levittown is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead located on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. Levittown is midway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 51,881....
. Scheduled to meet with Bob Mills
Robert P. Mills
Robert Park Mills was an American crime- and science fiction magazine editor and literary agent.Mills was the managing editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine beginning in 1948 and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from its inception in 1949; he took over as editor upon the resignation...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Kornbluth had to shovel out his driveway, which left him running behind. Racing to make his train, he suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on the platform of the train station.
A number of short stories remained unfinished at Kornbluth's death; these were eventually completed and published by Pohl. One of these stories, "The Meeting" (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
, November 1972), was the co-winner of the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Short Story
Hugo Award for Best Short Story
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
; it tied with R. A. Lafferty
R. A. Lafferty
Raphael Aloysius Lafferty was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure, as well as for his etymological wit...
's "Eurema's Dam." Almost all of Kornbluth's solo SF stories have been collected as His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth (NESFA Press
NESFA Press
NESFA Press is the publishing arm of the New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. The NESFA Press primarily produces three types of books:...
, 1997).
Personality and habits
Frederik Pohl, in his autobiography The Way the Future Was, Damon KnightDamon Knight
Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...
, in his memoir The Futurians
Futurians
The Futurians were a group of science fiction fans, many of whom became editors and writers as well. The Futurians were based in New York City and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and science fiction fandom in the years 1937-1945.-Origins of the group:As described...
, and Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, in his memoirs In Memory Yet Green
In Memory Yet Green
In Memory Yet Green, In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920-1954, is the first volume of Isaac Asimov's two-volume autobiography. It was published in 1979. This first volume covers the years 1920 to 1954, which lead up to the point just prior to Asimov becoming a full time...
and I. Asimov: A Memoir, all give vivid descriptions of Kornbluth as a man of odd personal habits and vivid eccentricities. Among the traits which they describe:
- Kornbluth decided to educate himself by reading his way through an entire encyclopedia from A to Z; in the course of this effort, he acquired a great deal of esoteric knowledge that found its way into his stories...in alphabetical order by subject. When Kornbluth wrote a story that mentioned the ancient Roman weapon ballista, PohlPohlPohl is a surname which may refer to:* Augustinus Pohl-Dungen* Ernest Pohl , a Polish football player**Ernest Pohl Stadium, also called Górnik Zabrze Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium in Zabrze, Poland, named for Ernest Pohl...
knew that Kornbluth had finished the "A" volume and had started the "B". - According to Frederik Pohl, Kornbluth never brushed his teeth, and they were literally green. Deeply embarrassed by this, Kornbluth developed the habit of holding his hand in front of his mouth when speaking.
- Kornbluth disliked black coffee, but felt obliged to acquire a taste for it because he believed that professional authors were "supposed to" drink black coffee. He trained himself by putting gradually less cream into each cup of coffee he drank, until he eventually "weaned himself" (Knight's description) and switched to black coffee.
Novels
- Outpost Mars (1952) (with Judith Merril, writing as Cyril JuddCyril JuddCyril Judd was a joint pseudonym used by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Judith Merril for their two novels:* Gunner Cade ; serialised in Astounding Science Fiction in 1952....
), first published as a GalaxyGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
serial entitled Mars Child (May–July 1951) and later reprinted as Galaxy novel #46 retitled Sin in Space (1961). - The Space MerchantsThe Space MerchantsThe Space Merchants is a science fiction novel, written by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth in 1952. Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine as a serial entitled Gravy Planet, the novel was first published as a single volume in 1953, and has sold heavily since...
(1952) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a GalaxyGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
serial entitled Gravy Planet (June–August 1952) - Gunner Cade (1952) (with Judith Merril, writing as Cyril JuddCyril JuddCyril Judd was a joint pseudonym used by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Judith Merril for their two novels:* Gunner Cade ; serialised in Astounding Science Fiction in 1952....
, first published as an Astounding Science Fiction serial (March–May 1952)) - Takeoff (1952)
- The Syndic (1953) Winner of the Prometheus AwardPrometheus AwardThe Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction novels given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society, which also publishes a quarterly journal Prometheus. L. Neil Smith established the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newly founded Libertarian Futurist...
- Search the SkySearch the Sky (SF novel)Search the Sky is a satirical science fiction novel written by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth and first published in 1954 by Ballantine Books.-Plot summary:...
(1954) (with Frederik Pohl) substantially revised by Pohl (1985) - Gladiator at Law (1955) (with Frederik Pohl, first published as a GalaxyGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
serial (June–August 1954)) revised by Pohl (1986) - WolfbaneWolfbane (novel)Wolfbane is a science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth, published in 1959. It was serialized in Galaxy in 1957, with illustrations by Wally Wood....
(1959) (with Frederik Pohl) (first published as a GalaxyGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
serial (Oct-Nov 1957)) substantially rewritten by Pohl (1986) - Not This AugustNot This AugustNot This August, also known as Christmas Eve, is a science fiction novel by C.M. Kornbluth. It was originally published in 1955 by Doubleday. It was serialized in Maclean's Magazine in May and June 1955. A revised edition with a new foreword and afterword by Frederik Pohl was published in 1981 by...
(1955) (AKA Christmas Eve) revised by Pohl (1981) - Venus, Inc. (1985) (with Frederik Pohl; this is an omnibus edition of The Space MerchantsThe Space MerchantsThe Space Merchants is a science fiction novel, written by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth in 1952. Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine as a serial entitled Gravy Planet, the novel was first published as a single volume in 1953, and has sold heavily since...
(1952) and Pohl's solo novel, The Merchant’s War (1984))
Collections
- The Explorers (1954)
- "Foreword," [Frederik Pohl]
- "Gomez," [original here]
- "The Mindworm," 1950
- "The Rocket of 1955," 1939
- "The Altar at Midnight," 1952
- "Thirteen O’Clock" [as by Cecil Corwin], (1941) "Peter Packer" series
- "The Goodly Creatures," 1952
- "Friend to Man," 1951
- "With These Hands," 1951
- "That Share of Glory," 1962
Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
praised the collection, saying "Kornbluth's sharp observation is everywhere present, and in most of the stories his bitter insight." P. Schuyler Miller
P. Schuyler Miller
Peter Schuyler Miller was an American science fiction writer and critic.-Life:Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a life-long interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as an amateur archaeologist and a member of the New York State Archaeological Association.He...
reviewed the collection favorably for Astounding Science Fiction.
- The Mindworm and other stories (1955)
- "The Mindworm," (1950)
- "Gomez," 1954
- "The Rocket of 1955," 1939
- "The Altar at Midnight," 1952
- "The Little Black Bag," 1950
- "The Goodly Creatures," 1952
- "Friend to Man," 1951
- "With These Hands," 1951
- "That Share of Glory," 1952
- "The Luckiest Man in Denv" [as by Simon Eisner], · 1952
- "The Silly Season," 1950
- "The Marching Morons · nv Galaxy Apr ’51
- A Mile Beyond the Moon (1958) [abridged for its 1962 paperback reprint, see below]
- "Make Mine Mars," 1952
- "The Meddlers," 1953 [not in 1962 paperback]
- "The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy," 1958
- "The Little Black Bag," 1950 (related to "The Marching Morons")
- "Everybody Knows Joe," 1953
- "Time Bum," 1953
- "Passion Pills," [original here] [not in 1962 paperback]
- "Virginia," 1958
- "The Slave," 1957 [not in 1962 paperback]
- "Kazam Collects" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "The Last Man Left in the Bar," 1947
- "The Adventurer," 1953
- "The Words of Guru" [as by Kenneth Falconer], 1941
- "Shark Ship" ["Reap the Dark Tide"], 1958
- "Two Dooms," 1958 [not in 1962 paperback]
- The Marching Morons and other Science Fiction Stories (1959)
- "The Marching Morons," 1951
- "Dominoes," 1953
- "The Luckiest Man in Denv" [as by Simon Eisner], 1952
- "The Silly Season," 1950
- "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie," 1957
- "The Only Thing We Learn," 1949
- "The Cosmic Charge Account," 1956
- "I Never Ast No Favors," 1954
- "The Remorseful," 1953
- The Wonder Effect (1962) (with Frederik Pohl)
- "Introduction,"
- "Critical Mass," 1962
- "A Gentle Dying," 1961
- "Nightmare with Zeppelins," 1958
- "Best Friend" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "The World of Myrion Flowers," 1961
- "Trouble in Time" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1940
- "The Engineer," 1956
- "Mars-Tube [as by S. D. Gottesman]," 1941
- "The Quaker Cannon," 1961
- Best Science Fiction Stories of C. M. Kornbluth (1968)
- "Introduction," [Edmund Crispin]
- "The Unfortunate Topologist," 1957 (poem)
- "The Marching Morons," 1951
- "The Altar at Midnight," 1952
- "The Little Black Bag," 1950
- "The Mindworm," 1950
- "The Silly Season," 1950
- "I Never Ast No Favors," 1954
- "Friend to Man," 1951
- "The Only Thing We Learn," 1949
- "Gomez," 1954
- "With These Hands," 1951
- "Theory of Rocketry," 1958
- "That Share of Glory," 1952
- Thirteen O'Clock and other Zero Hours (1970) (edited by James BlishJames BlishJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling, Jr.-Biography:...
) stories published originally as by "Cecil Corwin" plus "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" (see above)- "Preface," [James Blish]
- "Thirteen O’Clock [combined version of the "Peter Packer" stories, “Thirteen O’Clock” and “Mr. Packer Goes to Hell”, both 1941]," [first combined appearance here]
- "The Rocket of 1955," 1939
- "What Sorghum Says" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "Crisis!" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1942
- "The Reversible Revolutions" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "The City in the Sofa" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "The Golden Road" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1942
- "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie," 1957
- The Best of C. M. Kornbluth (1976)
- "An Appreciation," [Frederik Pohl]
- "The Rocket of 1955," 1939
- "The Words of Guru" [as by Kenneth Falconer], 1941
- "The Only Thing We Learn," 1949
- "The Adventurer," 1953
- "The Little Black Bag," 1950
- "The Luckiest Man in Denv" [as by Simon Eisner], 1952
- "The Silly Season," 1950
- "The Remorseful," 1953
- "Gomez," 1954
- "The Advent on Channel Twelve," 1958
- "The Marching Morons," 1951
- "The Last Man Left in the Bar," 1957
- "The Mindworm," 1950
- "With These Hands," 1951
- "Shark Ship" [“Reap the Dark Tide”], 1958
- "Friend to Man," 1951
- "The Altar at Midnight," 1952
- "Dominoes," 1953
- "Two Dooms," 1958
Spider Robinson
Spider Robinson
Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...
praised this collection, saying "I haven't enjoyed a book so much in years."
- Critical Mass (1977) (with Frederik Pohl)
- "Introduction," (Pohl)
- "The Quaker Cannon," 1961
- "Mute Inglorious Tam," 1974
- "The World of Myrion Flowers," 1961
- "The Gift of Garigolli," 1974
- "A Gentle Dying," 1961
- "A Hint of Henbane," 1961
- "The Meeting," 1972
- "The Engineer," 1956
- "Nightmare with Zeppelins," 1958
- "Critical Mass," 1962
- "Afterword," (Pohl)
- Before the Universe (1980) (with Frederik Pohl)
- "Mars-Tube" [as by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl)], 1941
- "Trouble in Time" [as by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl)], 1940
- "Vacant World" [as by Dirk Wylie (with Dirk Wylie, and Frederik Pohl)], 1940
- "Best Friend" [as by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl)], 1941
- "Nova Midplane" [as by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl)], 1940
- "The Extrapolated Dimwit" [as by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl)], 1942
- Our Best: The Best of Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth (1987) (with Frederik Pohl)
- "Introduction," (Pohl)
- "The Stories of the Sixties," (Pohl, section introduction)
- "Critical Mass," 1962
- "The World of Myrion Flowers," 1961
- "The Engineer," 1956
- "A Gentle Dying," 1961
- "Nightmare with Zeppelins," 1958
- "The Quaker Cannon," 1961
- "The 60/40 Stories," (Pohl, section introduction)
- "Trouble in Time" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1940
- "Mars-Tube" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "Epilogue to The Space Merchants," (Pohl, section introduction)
- "Gravy Planet," (extract from the magazine serial, not used in the book)
- "The Final Stories," (Pohl, section introduction)
- "Mute Inglorious Tam," 1974
- "The Gift of Garigolli," 1974
- "The Meeting," 1972
- "Afterword," (Pohl)
- His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C.M. Kornbluth (1997) – this includes almost all of Kornbluth's solo fiction, but does not include all of the collaborative pseudonymous works which were published among his earliest work between 1940 and 1942, some of which were published in Before the Universe (1980).
- "Cyril," [Frederik Pohl]
- "Editor’s Introduction," [Timothy P. Szczesuil]
- "That Share of Glory," 1952
- "The Adventurer," 1952
- "Dominoes," 1953
- "The Golden Road" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1942
- "The Rocket of 1955," 1939
- "The Mindworm," 1950
- "The Education of Tigress McCardle," 1957
- "Shark Ship" [“Reap the Dark Tide”], 1958
- "The Meddlers," 1953
- "The Luckiest Man in Denv" [as by Simon Eisner], 1952
- "The Reversible Revolutions [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "The City in the Sofa" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "Gomez," 1954
- "Masquerade" [as by Kenneth Falconer], 1942
- "The Slave," 1957
- "The Words of Guru" [as by Kenneth Falconer], 1941
- "Thirteen O’Clock" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "Mr. Packer Goes to Hell" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "With These Hands," 1951
- "Iteration," 1950
- "The Goodly Creatures," 1952
- "Time Bum," 1953
- "Two Dooms," 1958
- "Passion Pills," 1958
- "The Silly Season," 1950
- "Fire-Power" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "The Perfect Invasion" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1942
- "The Adventurers," 1955
- "Kazam Collects" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "The Marching Morons," 1951
- "The Altar at Midnight," 1952
- "Crisis!" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1942
- "Theory of Rocketry," 1958
- "The Cosmic Charge Account," 1956
- "Friend to Man," 1951
- "I Never Ast No Favors," 1954
- "The Little Black Bag," 1950
- "What Sorghum Says" [as by Cecil Corwin], 1941
- "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie," 1957
- "The Only Thing We Learn," 1949
- "The Last Man Left in the Bar," 1957
- "Virginia," 1958
- "The Advent on Channel Twelve," 1958
- "Make Mine Mars," 1952
- "Everybody Knows Joe," 1953
- "The Remorseful," 1953
- "Sir Mallory’s Magnitude" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy," 1958
- "King Cole of Pluto" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1940
- "No Place to Go" [as by Edward J. Bellin], 1941
- "Dimension of Darkness" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "Dead Center" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "Interference" [as by Walter C. Davies], 1941
- "Forgotten Tongue" [as by Walter C. Davies], 1941
- "Return from M-15" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1941
- "The Core" [as by S. D. Gottesman], 1942
Non-science fiction
- The Naked Storm (1952, as Simon Eisner)
- Valerie (1953, as Jordan Park), a novel about a girl accused of witchcraft
- Half (1953, as Jordan Park), a novel about an intersexIntersexIntersex, in humans and other animals, is the presence of intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish female from male...
person - A Town is Drowning (1955, with Frederik Pohl)
- Presidential Year (1956, with Frederik Pohl)
- Sorority House (1956, with Frederik Pohl, as Jordan Park), a lesbian pulp novelLesbian pulp fictionLesbian pulp fiction refers to any mid-20th century paperback novel with overtly lesbian themes and content. Lesbian pulp fiction was published in the 1950s and 60s by many of the same paperback publishing houses that other genres of fiction including Westerns, Romances, and Detective Fiction...
- A Man of Cold Rages (1958, as Jordan Park), a novel about an ex-dictator
Uncollected short stories
- "Stepsons of Mars," (1940) [as "Ivar Towers" (with Richard Wilson)
- "Callistan Tomb," (1941) [as "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl)]
- "The Psychological Regulator," (1941) [as "Arthur Cooke" (with Elsie Balter {later Elsie Wollheim}, Robert A. W. LowndesRobert A. W. LowndesRobert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest-sized magazines...
, John Michel, Donald A. WollheimDonald A. WollheimDonald Allen Wollheim was an American science fiction ' editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell....
) - "The Martians are Coming," (1941) [as "Robert A W Lowndes" (with Robert A. W. LowndesRobert A. W. LowndesRobert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest-sized magazines...
)] - "Exiles of New Planet," (1941) [as "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. LowndesRobert A. W. LowndesRobert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest-sized magazines...
, Dirk Wylie)] - "The Castle on the Outerplanet," (1941) [as "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. LowndesRobert A. W. LowndesRobert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest-sized magazines...
)] - "A Prince of Pluto," (1941) [as "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl)]
- "Einstein's Planetoid," (1941) [as "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. LowndesRobert A. W. LowndesRobert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest-sized magazines...
, Dirk Wylie)] - "An Old Neptunian Custom," (1942) [as "Scott Mariner" (with Frederik Pohl)]
Collected and uncollected articles
- "A Funny Article on the Convention," (1939)
- "New Directions," (1941) [as "Walter C. Davies"]
- "The Failure of the Science Fiction Novel as Social Criticism," in The Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism, ed. Basil Davenport, Advent Press, 1959. (pages 64–101)
Legacy
Kornbluth's name is mentioned in Lemony SnicketLemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
's Series of Unfortunate Events as a member of V.F.D.
V.F.D.
V.F.D. is a secret organization within the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The purposes of the organization are never made clear, although the name of the organization is connected to various interpretations of the word "fire." V.F.D...
, a secret organization dedicated to the promotion of literacy, classical learning, and crime prevention.
Sources
- Asimov, Isaac. In Memory Yet Green (Doubleday, 1979) and I. Asimov: A Memoir (Doubleday, 1994)
- Knight, Damon. The Futurians (John Day, 1977)
- Pohl, Frederik. The Way the Future Was: A Memoir (Ballantine Books, 1978) ISBN 9780345277145
- Rich, Mark. C. M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary (McFarland, 2009) ISBN 9780786443932
External links
- Past Masters - Cyril with an M, or I'm As Kornbluth as Kansas In August by Bud Webster at Galactic Central