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Edgar Pangborn
Edgar Pangborn (February 25, 1909 – February 1, 1976) was an American writer of mystery, historical, and science fiction. Biography Edgar Pangborn was born in New York City on February 25, 1909, to Harry Levi Pangborn, an attorney and dictionary editor, and Georgia Wood Pangborn, a noted writer of supernatural fiction. Along with his older sister Mary, Edgar was homeschooled until 1919 and then educated at Brooklyn Friends School. He began music studies at Harvard University in 1924, when he was still only 15 years old, and left in 1926 without graduating. After that he studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, but did not graduate from that school, either. On leaving he publicly abandoned music, shifting his creative focus to writing. His first novel, a mystery called ''A-100: A Mystery Story'', was published under the pseudonym "Bruce Harrison" in 1930. Over the next 20 years he wrote numerous stories for the pulp detective and mystery magazines, always under pseudo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mystery Fiction
Mystery is a genre fiction, fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains wiktionary:mysterious, mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a detective (such as Sherlock Holmes), who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Some mystery books are non-fiction. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism. Mystery fiction can involve a supernatural mystery in which the solution does not have to be logical and even in which there is no crime involved. This usage was common in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
76th World Science Fiction Convention
The 76th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Worldcon 76 in San Jose, was held on 16–20 August 2018 in San Jose, California, United States. Participants Guests of Honor * Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (author) * Spider Robinson (author) * John Picacio (artist) * Frank Hayes (musician) * Pierre and Sandy Pettinger (fans) Awards 2018 Hugo Awards The winners were: * Best Novel: '' The Stone Sky'', by N. K. Jemisin * Best Novella: '' All Systems Red'', by Martha Wells * Best Novelette: " The Secret Life of Bots", by Suzanne Palmer * Best Short Story: "Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™", by Rebecca Roanhorse * Best Series: ''World of the Five Gods'', by Lois McMaster Bujold * Best Related Work: ''No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters'', by Ursula K. Le Guin * Best Graphic Story: '' Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood'', written by Marjorie M. Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda * Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: ''Wond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is important. The term comes from the German words ("education", alternatively "forming") and ("novel"). Origin The term was coined in 1819 by philologist Johann Karl Simon Morgenstern in his university lectures, and was later famously reprised by Wilhelm Dilthey, who legitimized it in 1870 and popularized it in 1905. The genre is further characterized by a number of formal, topical, and thematic features. The term ''coming-of-age novel'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Bildungsroman'', but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of ''Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1795–96, or, sometimes, to Christoph Martin Wieland's of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Picaresque
The picaresque novel (Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for " rogue" or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. Picaresque novels typically adopt a realistic style. There are often some elements of comedy and satire. While the term "picaresque novel" was only coined in 1810, the picaresque novel originated in Imperial Rome during the 1st-2nd century CE, in particular with works such as the Satyricon of Petronius and later, and more particularly with authors such as Apuleius in Roman Numidia. It would see a revival in Spain during the Spanish Golden Age in 1554. Early Spanish contributors included Mateo Alemán and Francisco de Quevedo, who were influenced in particular by Apuleius' 2nd century work. Other notable ancient influences of the modern picaresque genre include Roman playwrights such as Plautus and Terence. The Golden Ass of Apu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Davy (novel)
''Davy ''is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Edgar Pangborn, nominated for the 1965 Hugo Award. It is set in the Northeastern United States some centuries after an atomic war ended high-technology civilization, with some scenes on an unnamed Atlantic island. The novel is a bildungsroman, following its title character, Davy (who grew up a ward of the state and thus has no last name) as he grows to manhood in a pseudo-medieval society dominated by a Church that actively suppresses technology, banning "anything that may contain atoms." Davy begins as an indentured servant in an inn, but escapes, and most of the novel is concerned with his adventures. The book is written as though Davy himself were writing his memoirs, with footnotes by people who knew him. The novel's post-apocalyptic setting was also used in the novel ''The Company of Glory'' (1975) (set several centuries earlier). The fall of old technological culture and the rise of the religion of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
By The Waters Of Babylon
"By the Waters of Babylon" is a post-apocalyptic short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét, first published July 31, 1937, in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' as "The Place of the Gods". It was republished in 1943 ''The Pocket Book of Science Fiction'', and was adapted in 1971 into a one-act play by Brainerd Duffield. Plot summary Set in a future following the destruction of industrial civilization, the story is narrated by a young man who is the son of a priest. The priests of John's people (the Hill People) are inquisitive people associated with the divine. They are the only ones who can handle metal collected from the homes (called the "Dead Places") of long-dead people whom they believe to be gods. The plot follows John’s self-assigned mission to get to the Place of the Gods. His father allows him to go on a spiritual journey, not realizing John is going to this forbidden place. John journeys through the forest for eight days and crosses the river Ou-dis-sun. On ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét (; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, ''John Brown's Body'' (1928), for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and for the short stories "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) and " By the Waters of Babylon" (1937). In 2009, Library of America selected his story "The King of the Cats" (1929) for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of ''American Fantastic Tales'', edited by Peter Straub. Life and career Early life Benét was born on July 22, 1898 in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania to James Walker Benét, a colonel in the United States Army. His grandfather and namesake led the Army Ordnance Corps from 1874 to 1891 as a brigadier general and served in the Civil War. His paternal uncle Laurence Vincent Benét was an ensign in the United States Navy during the Spani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Groff Conklin
Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904 – July 19, 1968) was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories (co-edited with physician Noah Fabricant), wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects as well as a published poet. From 1950 to 1955, he was the book critic for ''Galaxy Science Fiction''. Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Conklin was educated at Dartmouth College and Harvard University, and graduated from Columbia University in 1927. He drifted through a series of jobs in the 1930s and 1940s, working for several government agencies during World War II, WWII. He was a book editor for Robert M. McBride & Co. and did public relations work for the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Office of Strategic Services, the Department of Commerce, the National Cancer Institute and the American Diabetes Association. He was also a former scientific researcher for the N.W. Ayer & Son advertising ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martian
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the predominant genre depicting Mars was utopian fiction. Contemporaneously, the mistaken belief that there are canals on Mars emerged and made its way into fiction. ''The War of the Worlds'', H. G. Wells' story of an alien invasion of Earth by sinister Martians, was published in 1897 and went on to have a large influence on the science fiction genre. Life on Mars appeared frequently in fiction throughout the first half of the 1900s. Apart from enlightened as in the utopian works from the turn of the century, or evil as in the works inspired by Wells, intelligent and human-like Martians also began to be depicted as decadent, a portrayal that was popularized by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the '' Barsoom'' series and adopted by Leigh Brackett among othe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Fantasy Award
The International Fantasy Award was an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy book and, in 1951-1953, the best non-fiction book of interest to science fiction and fantasy readers. The IFA was given by an international panel of prominent fans and professionals in 1951-1955 and then again in 1957. Winners *1951 **Fiction: ''Earth Abides'' by George R. Stewart George Rippey Stewart (May 31, 1895 – August 22, 1980) was an American historian, toponymist, novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley. His 1959 book, ''Pickett's Charge'', a detailed history of the final ... **Non-fiction: '' The Conquest of Space'' by Willy Ley & Chesley Bonestell *1952 **Fiction: ''Fancies and Goodnights'' by John Henry Collier, John Collier **Non-fiction: ''The Exploration of Space'' by Arthur C. Clarke *1953 **Fiction: ''City (Clifford D. Simak novel), City'' by Clifford D. Simak **Non-fiction: ''Lands Beyond'' by L. Sprague de Camp & Wil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Mirror For Observers
''A Mirror for Observers'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Edgar Pangborn, winner of the International Fantasy Award in 1955. The plot concerns a philosophical conflict between settlers from Mars who attempt to influence human development. Publication history The novel was originally published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1954, with a British hardcover following from Frederick Muller Ltd in 1955. The first American paperback was issued by Dell in 1958, the first British paperback by Penguin Books in 1966. Avon Books published a trade paperback edition in 1975. After paperback reissues from several publishers in the 1970s and 1980s, Old Earth Books released a hardcover edition in 2004, and Gollancz included the novel in its SF Gateway line in 2011. ''Mirror'' has been translated into French, German, Italian, and Dutch. Plot summary ''A Mirror for Observers'' recounts the story of Angelo Pontevecchio, a child prodigy and "potential ethical innovator" caught between ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Webster's Dictionary
''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's name in honor. "''Webster's''" has since become a genericized trademark in the United States for English dictionaries, and is widely used in dictionary titles. Merriam-Webster is the corporate heir to Noah Webster's original works, which are in the public domain. Noah Webster's ''American Dictionary of the English Language'' Noah Webster (1758–1843), the author of the readers and spelling books which dominated the American market at the time, spent decades of research in compiling his dictionaries. His first dictionary, s:A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, ''A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language'', appeared in 1806. In it, he popularized features which would become a hallmark of American English spelling (''c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
