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Harry Harrison (writer)

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For the radio personality, see Harry Harrison (radio).
Harry Harrison
At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005
At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005
BornHenry Maxwell Dempsey
(1925-03-12) March 12, 1925 (age 99)
Stamford, Connecticut, United States
Died (2012-08-15) August 15, 2012 (age 12)
OccupationFiction writer - short stories, novellas, novels, et cetera
NationalityAmerican
GenreScience fiction
SpouseJoan Merkler Harrison
(1930–2002) - end with her death
ChildrenMoira Harrison, Todd Harrison
Website
http://www.harryharrison.com/

Harry Harrison (born March 12, 1925 - died August 15, 2012) was an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966), the basis for the film Soylent Green (1973). He was also (with Brian Aldiss) co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

Career

Before becoming an editor, Harrison started in the science fiction field as an illustrator, notably with EC Comics' two science fiction comic books, Weird Fantasy and Weird Science. He has used house names such as Wade Kaempfert and Philip St. John to edit magazines, and has published other fictions under the names Felix Boyd, Leslie Charteris, and Hank Dempsey (but see Personal Life below). Harrison also wrote for syndicated comic strips, creating the Rick Random character. Harrison is now much better known for his writing, particularly his humorous and satirical science fiction, such as the Stainless Steel Rat series and the novel Bill, the Galactic Hero (which satirises Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers).

During the 1950s and 1960s, he was the main writer of the Flash Gordon newspaper strip. One of his Flash Gordon scripts was serialized in Comics Revue magazine. Harrison drew sketches to help the artist be more scientifically accurate, which the artist largely ignored.

Not all of Harrison's writing was comic, though. He has written many stories on serious themes, of which by far the best known is the novel about overpopulation and consumption of the world's resources Make Room! Make Room! which was used as a basis for the science fiction film Soylent Green (though the film changed the plot and theme).

Harrison for a time was closely identified with Brian Aldiss. The pair collaborated on a series of anthology projects. Harrison and Aldiss did much in the 1970s to raise the standards of criticism in the field.[citation needed] In particular, the two edited nine volumes of The Year's Best Science Fiction anthology series[1] as well as three volumes of the Decade series, collecting science fiction of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s respectively.[2]

In 1990, Harrison was professional Guest of Honour at ConFiction, the 48th World SF Convention, in The Hague, Netherlands, together with Joe Haldeman and Wolfgang Jeschke.

Harrison was a writer of fairly liberal worldview. Harrison's work often hinges around the contrast between the thinking man and the man of force, although the "Thinking Man" often needs ultimately to employ force himself.

Harrison was selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as the 2009 recipient of their Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.[3]

Personal life

Harrison was born Henry Maxwell Dempsey (although he did not know this until he was 30, at which point he legally changed his name to Harry Max Harrison).[4] He was born in Stamford, Connecticut, but has lived in many parts of the world including Mexico, England, Ireland, Denmark and Italy. He is an advocate of Esperanto (the language often appears in his novels, particularly in his Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld series) and was formerly the honorary president of the Esperanto Association of Ireland, as well as holding memberships in other Esperanto organizations such as Esperanto-USA (formerly the Esperanto League for North America), of which he is an honorary member, and the Universala Esperanto-Asocio (World Esperanto Association), of whose Honorary Patrons' Committee he is a member. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a gunsight mechanic and gunnery instructor. He lives in the Republic of Ireland and maintains a flat in Brighton for visits to England.

Harrison married Joan (nee Merkler) in 1954 in New York, a marriage that lasted until her death of cancer in 2002. They had two children, Todd (b. 1955) and Moira (b. 1959), to whom he dedicated the book Make Room! Make Room!.

His official website announced his death on August 15, 2012[5].

Bibliography

Novels

The following table can be sorted to show Harrison's novels in chronological order,
or arranged alphabetically by title, or by author credit, or by series.
Year Title Author Credit Series Notes
1960 Deathworld Harry Harrison Deathworld
1961 The Stainless Steel Rat Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1962 Planet of the Damned Harry Harrison Brion Brandd Variant title: Sense of Obligation (1967); serialized under this variant title in 1961.
1964 Vendetta for the Saint Leslie Charteris Ghostwritten by Harrison, credited to Leslie Charteris, and based upon Charteris's mystery series The Saint.
1964 Deathworld 2 Harry Harrison Deathworld Originally serialised as The Ethical Engineer
1965 Plague from Space Harry Harrison Expanded and reissued as The Jupiter Plague (1982)
1965 Bill, the Galactic Hero Harry Harrison Bill, the Galactic Hero
1966 Make Room! Make Room! Harry Harrison Basis for the 1973 science fiction movie Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston
1967 The Technicolor Time Machine Harry Harrison
1968 Deathworld 3 Harry Harrison Deathworld Originally serialised in 1968 as The Horse Barbarians
1969 Captive Universe Harry Harrison
1970 The Daleth Effect Harry Harrison Variant title: In Our Hands, the Stars, 1970. Serialised 1969-70 under this variant title.
1970 The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1970 Spaceship Medic Harry Harrison
1972 Tunnel Through the Deeps Harry Harrison Variant title: A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!
1972 Montezuma's Revenge Harry Harrison Tony Hawkin
1972 The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1972 Stonehenge Harry Harrison and Leon Stover This version was heavily cut from the manuscript; 1983 edition, titled Stonehenge: Where Atlantis Died, restores the full original text.
1973 Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers Harry Harrison
1974 Queen Victoria's Revenge Harry Harrison Tony Hawkin
1975 The California Iceberg Harry Harrison
1976 Skyfall Harry Harrison
1977 The Lifeship Harry Harrison and Gordon R. Dickson Variant title: Lifeboat
1978 The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1980 Homeworld Harry Harrison To the Stars
1981 Wheelworld Harry Harrison To the Stars
1981 Starworld Harry Harrison To the Stars
1981 Planet of No Return Harry Harrison Brion Brandd
1982 Invasion: Earth Harry Harrison
1982 The Stainless Steel Rat for President Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1982 The QEII is Missing Harry Harrison
1983 A Rebel In Time Harry Harrison
1984 West of Eden Harry Harrison Eden
1985 A Stainless Steel Rat is Born Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1986 Winter in Eden Harry Harrison Eden
1987 The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1988 Return to Eden Harry Harrison Eden
1989 Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves Harry Harrison Bill, the Galactic Hero
1990 Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Bottled Brains Harry Harrison and Robert Sheckley Bill, the Galactic Hero
1991 Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure Harry Harrison and David Bischoff Bill, the Galactic Hero
1991 Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Zombie Vampires Harry Harrison and Jack C. Haldeman II Bill, the Galactic Hero
1991 Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Ten Thousand Bars Harry Harrison and David Bischoff Bill, the Galactic Hero Variant title: Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Hippies from Hell
1991 Bill, the Galactic Hero: The Final Incoherent Adventure Harry Harrison and David Harris Bill, the Galactic Hero
1992 The Turing Option Harry Harrison and Marvin Minsky
1993 The Hammer and the Cross Harry Harrison and John Holm The Hammer and the Cross "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey.
1994 The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1994[6] One King's Way Harry Harrison and John Holm The Hammer and the Cross "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey.
1996 The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
1997 King and Emperor Harry Harrison and John Holm The Hammer and the Cross "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey.
1998 Stars and Stripes Forever Harry Harrison Stars and Stripes
1998 Return to Deathworld Harry Harrison and Ant Skalandis Deathworld Only published in Russian and Lithuanian.
1998 Deathworld vs. Filibusters Harry Harrison and Ant Skalandis Deathworld Only published in Russian and Lithuanian.
1999 The Creatures from Hell Harry Harrison and Ant Skalandis Deathworld Only published in Russian and Lithuanian.
1999 The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat
2000 Stars and Stripes in Peril Harry Harrison Stars and Stripes
2001 Deathworld 7 Harry Harrison and Mikhail Ahmanov Deathworld Only published in Russian and Lithuanian.
2002 Stars and Stripes Triumphant Harry Harrison Stars and Stripes
2010 The Stainless Steel Rat Returns Harry Harrison The Stainless Steel Rat

Novellas

  • The Man from P.I.G. and The Man from R.O.B.O.T. (1974) These two linked novellas, featuring interstellar intelligence agents, were comedy-drama take-offs on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The first tells of an agent of the Porcine Interstellar Guard, who performs his missions with the help of several pigs. The second tells of Henry Venn, an agent for "Robot Obtrusion Battalion — Omega Three", who poses as an interplanetary robot salesman while searching for a missing Galactic Census official on a planet populated by paranoid colonists. The latter was originally published as a short story in Analog, July 1969.

Short story collections

See List of Harry Harrison Short Stories

Omnibus volumes

  • The Deathworld Trilogy (1974): Omnibus of Deathworld, Deathworld 2 & Deathworld 3) (vt. The Deathworld Omnibus, 1999) (the BenBella [2005] edition adds the short story `The Mothballed Spaceship' from Astounding: The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973))
  • The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat (1978) - omnibus collection of The Stainless Steel Rat, The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge and The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World
  • To the Stars (1991) - omnibus collection of the three "To The Stars" novels
  • Warriors of the Way (1995), with "John Holm", a pseudonym of Tom Shippey: Omnibus of The Hammer and the Cross and One King's Way
  • A Stainless Steel Trio (2002) - omnibus collection of A Stainless Steel Rat is Born, The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted and The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues

Comics

Miscellanea

  • You Can Be The Stainless Steel Rat: An Interactive Game Book 1988 - choose your own adventure style

Non-fiction books

  • Great Balls of Fire: A History of Sex in Science Fiction Illustration (1977)
  • Mechanismo (1977)
  • Spacecraft in Fact and Fiction (1979)

Anthologies (as editor)

  • John W. Campbell: Collected Editorials from Analog (1966)
  • Nebula Award Stories No. 2 (1967) (with Brian Aldiss) (vt, Nebula Award Stories 1967)
  • Apeman, Spaceman (1968) (with Leon Stover)
  • Best SF: 1967 (1968) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Farewell Fantastic Venus (1968) (abr as vt, All About Venus, 1968)
  • SF: Author's Choice (1968) (vt, A Backdrop of Stars)
  • Best SF: 1968 (1969) (rev vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 2) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Blast Off: SF for Boys (1969)
  • Four for the Future (1969)
  • Worlds of Wonder (1969)
  • Best SF: 1969 (1970) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 3) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Nova 1 (1970) (rev edition 1976, UK hc)
  • SF: Author's Choice 2 (1970)
  • The Year 2000 (1970)
  • Best SF: 1970 (1971) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 4) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • The Light Fantastic (1971)
  • SF: Author's Choice 3 (1971)
  • The Astounding-Analog Reader, Volume One (1972) (with Brian Aldiss) (later split into two paperbacks: The Astounding-Analog Reader, Book 1 & The Astounding-Analog Reader, Book 2)
  • Ahead of Time (1972)
  • Best SF: 1971 (1972) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 5) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Nova 2 (1972)
  • The Astounding-Analog Reader, Volume Two (1973) (with Brian Aldiss) (only one edition; NOT the same book as The Astounding-Analog Reader, Book 2 above)
  • Astounding: The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973) (vt, The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology)
  • Best SF: 1972 (1973) (vt, The Year's Best S.F. 1972) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Nova 3 (1973) (vt, The Outdated Man)
  • A Science Fiction Reader (1973) (with Carol Pugner)
  • Best SF: 1973 (1974) (abr vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 7) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Nova 4 (1974)
  • SF: Author's Choice 4 (1974)
  • Best SF: 1974 (1975) (abr vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 8) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Decade: The 1940s (1975) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Hell's Cartographers: Some Personal Histories of Science Fiction Writers (1975) (with Brian Aldiss) (memoirs by SF writers)
  • Science Fiction Novellas (1975) (with Willis E. McNelly)
  • Best SF: 1975, The Ninth Annual (1976) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 9) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Decade: The 1950s (1976) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • Decade: The 1960s (1977) (with Brian Aldiss)
  • There Won't Be War (1991) (with Bruce McAllister)

References

  1. ^ http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/a03-.htm The Years Best Science Fiction at The Official Harry Harrison Website, accessed March 2, 2012
  2. ^ http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/a30-.htm Decade series at The Official Harry Harrison Website, accessed March 2, 2012
  3. ^ Harry Harrison named SFWA Grand Master
  4. ^ http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/pseuds.htm Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  5. ^ http://www.harryharrison.com/ The Official Harry Harrison Website, accessed August 15, 2012
  6. ^ http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/n27-02.htm
Wikiquote has quotations related to Harry Harrison (writer).
Biography and criticism
  • "Harry Harrison biography". Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Bibliography and works


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