Alfred Elton van Vogt ( ; April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born American
science fiction author
This is a list of noted science-fiction authors (in alphabetical order):
A
*Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960)
*Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954)
*Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926)
*Kōbō Abe (1924–1993)
* Robert Abernathy (1924–1990)
*Dan Abn ...
. His fragmented, bizarre narrative style influenced later science fiction writers, notably
Philip K. Dick. He was one of the most popular and influential practitioners of science fiction in the mid-twentieth century, the genre's so-called
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...
, and one of the most complex. The
Science Fiction Writers of America
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...
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
The Russian Mennonites (german: Russlandmennoniten it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire occasionally Ukrainian Mennonites) are a group of Mennonites who are descendants of Dutch Anabaptists who settled for abo ...
community east of Gretna, Manitoba
Gretna is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Rhineland within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. Just north of the Canada - United States border on PTH 30, Gretna had a populati ...
, Canada, in the Mennonite West Reserve The West Reserve was a block settlement plot of land in Manitoba set aside by the Government of Canada exclusively for settlement by Russian Mennonite settlers in 1876.
After signing Treaty 1 with the Anishinabe and Swampy Cree First Nations, the C ...
. He was the third of six children born to Heinrich "Henry" Vogt and Aganetha "Agnes" Vogt (née Buhr), both of whom were born in Manitoba and grew up in heavily immigrant communities. Until he was four, van Vogt spoke only Plautdietsch at home.[Panshin, Alexe]
"Man Beyond Man. The Early Stories of A. E. van Vogt" (page 1)
Retrieved August 29, 2010.
For the first dozen or so years of his life, van Vogt's father, Henry Vogt, a lawyer, moved his family several times within western Canada, moving to Neville, Saskatchewan
Neville ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Whiska Creek No. 106 and Census Division No. 3. It is located on Highway 43.
History
Neville incorporated as a village on ...
; Morden, Manitoba
Morden is a city located in the Pembina Valley region of southern Manitoba, Canada near the United States border. It is about west of the neighbouring city of Winkler, Manitoba, Winkler; together Morden and Winkler are often referred to as Manito ...
; and finally Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
, Manitoba. 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. During his teen years, Alfred worked as a farmhand and a truck driver, and by the age of 19, he was working in Ottawa for the Canadian Census Bureau.
In "the dark days of '31 and '32," van Vogt took a correspondence course in writing from the Palmer Institute of Authorship. He sold his first story in fall 1932. His early published works were stories in the true confession
''True Confession'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It was based on the 1934 play ''Mon Crime'', written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil. I ...
style of magazines such as '' True Story''. Most of these stories were published anonymously, with the first-person narratives allegedly being written by people (often women) in extraordinary, emotional, and life-changing circumstances.
After a year in Ottawa, he moved back to Winnipeg, where he sold newspaper advertising space and continued to write. 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. He added the middle name "Elton" at some point in the mid-1930s, and at least one confessional story (1937's "To Be His Keeper") was sold to the ''Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
'', who misspelled his name "Alfred Alton Bogt" in the byline. Shortly thereafter, he added the "van" to his surname, and from that point forward he used the name "A. E. 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. John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called '' Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...
's novelette "Who Goes There?
''Who Goes There?'' is a 1938 science fiction horror novella by American author John W. Campbell, written under the pen name Don A. Stuart. Its story follows a group of people trapped in a scientific research outpost in Antarctica with shap ...
" (later adapted into ''The Thing from Another World
''The Thing from Another World'', sometimes referred to as just ''The Thing'', is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Edward Lasker for Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporati ...
'' and '' The Thing'') inspired van Vogt to write "Vault of the Beast
"Vault of the Beast" is a science fiction short story by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt.
Plot summary
Beings from another dimension have sent a living plastic "robot" to Earth to find the "greatest mathematical mind in the Solar System," and get ...
", which he submitted to that same magazine. Campbell, who edited ''Astounding'' (and had written the story under a pseudonym), sent van Vogt a rejection letter, but one which encouraged van Vogt to try again. Van Vogt sent another story, entitled "Black Destroyer
"Black Destroyer" is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in ''Astounding SF'' in July 1939. It has been marked as the story that represents the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
"Bl ...
", which was accepted. It featured a fierce, carnivorous alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
stalking the crew of a spaceship, and served as the inspiration for multiple science fiction movies, including ''Alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' (1979). A revised version of "Vault of the Beast" was published in 1940.
While still living in Winnipeg, in 1939 van Vogt married Edna Mayne Hull
Edna May Hull van Vogt (May 1, 1905 – January 20, 1975) was a Canadian science fiction writer who published under the name E. Mayne Hull. She was the first wife of A. E. van Vogt, also a science fiction writer.
Early life and marriage
Edna Ma ...
, a fellow Manitoban. Hull, who had previously worked as a private secretary, went on to act as van Vogt's typist, and was credited with writing several SF stories of her own throughout the early 1940s.
The outbreak of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
in September 1939 caused a change in van Vogt's circumstances. Ineligible for military service due to his poor eyesight, he accepted a clerking job with the Canadian Department of National Defence. This necessitated a move back to Ottawa, where he and his wife stayed for the next year and a half.
Meanwhile, his writing career continued. "Discord in Scarlet" was van Vogt's second story to be published, also appearing as the cover story. It was accompanied by interior illustrations created by Frank Kramer and Paul Orban.[ (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
The first Golden Age of Science Fiction, often recognized in the United States as the period from 1938 to 1946, was an era during which the science fiction genre gained wide public attention and many classic science fiction stories were published. ...
.) Among his most famous works of this era, "Far Centaurus
''Far Centaurus'' is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in ''Astounding Science Fiction'' in 1944. Writer and critic P. Schuyler Miller called it "unforgettable and unforgotten."
The story ...
" appeared in the January 1944 edition of ''Astounding''.
Van Vogt's first completed novel, and one of his most famous, is ''Slan
''Slan'' is a science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt, as well as the name of the fictional race of superbeings featured in the novel. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine ''Astounding Science Fiction'' ...
'' (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
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
''.
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
The Department of National Defence (DND; french: Ministère de la Défense nationale) is the department of the Government of Canada which supports the Canadian Armed Forces in its role of defending Canadian national interests domestically and i ...
. Freed from the necessity of living in Ottawa, he and his wife lived for a time in the Gatineau region of Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
before moving to Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
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. The novels '' The Book of Ptath'' and ''The Weapon Makers
''The Weapon Makers'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt.
The novel was originally serialized in '' Astounding Science Fiction'' from February to April 1943. The serial version was first published in book form in 1947 wi ...
'' both appeared in magazines in serial form during this period; they were later published in book form after World War II. As well, several (though not all) of the stories that were compiled to make up the novels ''The Weapon Shops of Isher
''The Weapon Shops of Isher'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in 1951. The novel is a fix-up created from three previously published short stories about the Weapon Shops and Isher civilization:
* "The ...
'', ''The Mixed Men
''The Mixed Men'' is a fix-up novel of science fiction short stories by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt that focus on the mixed offspring of Dellian Supermen and human beings. The novel's title is taken from van Vogt's 1945 ''Astounding ...
'' and '' The War Against the Rull'' were 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. He had been using the name "A. E. 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. To his friends in the California science fiction community, he was known as "Van".
Method and themes
Van Vogt systematized his writing method, using scenes of 800 words or so where a new complication was added or something resolved. Several of his stories hinge on temporal conundra, a favorite theme. He stated that he acquired many of his writing techniques from three books: ''Narrative Technique'' by Thomas Uzzell, ''The Only Two Ways to Write a Story'' by John Gallishaw, and ''Twenty Problems of the Fiction Writer'' by Gallishaw.[ He also claimed many of his ideas came from dreams; throughout his writing life he arranged to be awakened every 90 minutes during his sleep period so he could write down his dreams.][ Platt, Charles]
"A. E. van Vogt – A Profile"
From ''Who Writes Science Fiction?'' (London: Savoy Books, 1980); ''Dream Makers: The Uncommon People Who Write Science Fiction'' (Berkeley Books, 1980).
Van Vogt was also always interested in the idea of all-encompassing systems of knowledge (akin to modern meta-systems Meta-systems have several definitions. In general, they link the concepts "system" and "meta-". A "meta-system" is about other systems, such as describing, generalizing, modelling, or analyzing the other system(s).
According to Turchin and Joslyn ...
). The characters in his very first story used a system called "Nexialism" to analyze the alien's behavior. Around this time, he became particularly interested in the general semantics
General semantics is concerned with how events translate to perceptions, how they are further modified by the names and labels we apply to them, and how we might gain a measure of control over our own cognitive, emotional, and behavioral respons ...
of Alfred Korzybski
Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (, ; July 3, 1879 – March 1, 1950) was a Polish-American independent scholar who developed a field called general semantics, which he viewed as both distinct from, and more encompassing than, the field of s ...
.
He subsequently wrote a novel merging these overarching themes, '' The World of Ā'', originally serialized in ''Astounding'' in 1945. Ā (often rendered as ''Null-A''), or non-Aristotelian logic Non-classical logics (and sometimes alternative logics) are formal systems that differ in a significant way from standard logical systems such as propositional and predicate logic. There are several ways in which this is done, including by way of ...
, refers to the capacity for, and practice of, using intuitive
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...
, inductive reasoning (compare fuzzy logic), rather than reflexive, or conditioned, deductive reasoning. The novel recounts the adventures of an individual living in an apparent Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...
, where those with superior brainpower make up the ruling class... though all is not as it seems. 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
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...
as a form of government. This was the case, for instance, in the '' Weapon Shop'' series, the '' Mixed Men'' series, and in single stories such as "Heir Apparent" (1945), whose protagonist was described as a "benevolent dictator
A benevolent dictatorship is a government in which an authoritarian leader exercises absolute political power over the state, but is perceived to do so with regard for benefit of the population as a whole, standing in contrast to the decidedly ma ...
". 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. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianeti ...
's Dianetics
Dianetics (from Greek ''dia'', meaning "through", and ''nous'', meaning " mind") is a set of pseudoscientific ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body created by science fiction writer L. Ron Hub ...
operation in California. Van Vogt had first met Hubbard in 1945, and became interested in his theories, which were published shortly thereafter. Dianetics was the secular precursor to Hubbard's Church of Scientology
Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a Scientology as a business, business, or a new religious movement. The most recent ...
; van Vogt would have no association with Scientology, as he did not approve of its mysticism.
The California Dianetics operation went broke nine months later, but never went bankrupt, due to van Vogt's arrangements with creditors. 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. From 1951 until 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. Van Vogt referred to the resulting books as "fix-up
A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame s ...
s", a term that entered the vocabulary of science-fiction criticism. When the original stories were closely related this was often successful, although some van Vogt fix-ups featured disparate stories thrown together that bore little relation to each other, generally making for a less coherent plot. One of his best-known (and well-regarded) novels, ''The Voyage of the Space Beagle
''The Voyage of the Space Beagle'' (1950) is a science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. An example of space opera subgenre, the novel is a "fix-up" compilation of four previously published stories:
*"Black Destroyer" ...
'' (1950) was a fix-up of four short stories including "Discord in Scarlet"; it was published in at least five European languages by 1955.[
Although Van Vogt averaged a new book title every ten months from 1951 to 1961, none of them were new stories; they were all fix-ups, collections of previously published stories, expansions of previously published short stories to novel length, or republications of previous books under new titles and all based on story material written and originally published between 1939 and 1950. Examples include '']The Weapon Shops of Isher
''The Weapon Shops of Isher'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in 1951. The novel is a fix-up created from three previously published short stories about the Weapon Shops and Isher civilization:
* "The ...
'' (1951), ''The Mixed Men
''The Mixed Men'' is a fix-up novel of science fiction short stories by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt that focus on the mixed offspring of Dellian Supermen and human beings. The novel's title is taken from van Vogt's 1945 ''Astounding ...
'' (1952), '' The War Against the Rull'' (1959), and the two "Clane" novels, ''Empire of the Atom
''Empire of the Atom'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was first published in 1957 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 2,000 copies. The novel is a fix-up of the first five of van Vogt's Gods stories, ...
'' (1957) and '' The Wizard of Linn'' (1962), which were inspired (like Asimov's Foundation series) by Roman imperial history; specifically, as Damon Knight
Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of " To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind t ...
wrote, the plot of ''Empire of the Atom'' was "lifted almost bodily" from that of Robert Graves' ''I, Claudius
''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...
''. (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 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. He did not return immediately to science fiction, but instead wrote the only mainstream, non-sf novel of his career.
Van Vogt was profoundly affected by revelations of totalitarian
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...
police state
A police state describes a state where its government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the ...
s that emerged after World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Accordingly, he wrote a mainstream novel that he set in Communist China, ''The Violent Man'' (1962). Van Vogt explained that to research this book he had read 100 books about China. Into this book he incorporated his view of "the violent male type", which he described as a "man who had to be right", a man who "instantly attracts women" and who he said were the men who "run the world". 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. His later novels included fix-ups such as ''The Beast'' (also known as ''Moonbeast'') (1963), '' Rogue Ship'' (1965), ''Quest for the Future
''Quest for the Future'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was first published by Ace Books in 1970.
A schoolteacher from the 20th century becomes involved in the activities of a group of time travelers. ...
'' (1970) and '' Supermind'' (1977). 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, had been very rare in van Vogt's oeuvre, but began to appear regularly beginning in the 1970s. Van Vogt's original novels included '' Children of Tomorrow'' (1970), ''The Battle of Forever'' (1971) and ''The Anarchistic Colossus'' (1977). Over the years, many sequels to his classic works were promised, but only one appeared: '' Null-A Three'' (1984; originally published in French). Several later books were initially 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
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' appeared, it was noted that the plot closely matched the plots of both ''Black Destroyer
"Black Destroyer" is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in ''Astounding SF'' in July 1939. It has been marked as the story that represents the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
"Bl ...
'' and ''Discord in Scarlet'', both published in ''Astounding magazine
''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
'' in 1939, and then later published in the 1950 book '' Voyage of the Space Beagle''. Van Vogt sued the production company for plagiarism, and eventually collected an out-of-court settlement of $50,000 from 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
.
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. Van Vogt married Lydia Bereginsky in 1979; they remained together until his death.
Death
On January 26, 2000, A. E. van Vogt died in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
from Alzheimer's disease. He was survived by his second wife.
Critical reception
Critical opinion about the quality of van Vogt's work is sharply divided. An early and articulate critic was Damon Knight
Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of " To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind t ...
. In a 1945 chapter-long essay reprinted in ''In Search of Wonder
''In Search of Wonder: Essays on Modern Science Fiction'' is a collection of critical essays by American writer Damon Knight. Most of the material in the original version of the book was originally published between 1952 and 1955 in various scienc ...
,''[ entitled "Cosmic Jerrybuilder: A. E. van Vogt", Knight described van Vogt as "no giant; he is a pygmy who has learned to operate an overgrown typewriter". Knight described ''The World of Null-A'' as "one of the worst allegedly adult science fiction stories ever published". Concerning van Vogt's writing, Knight said:
About '']Empire of the Atom
''Empire of the Atom'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was first published in 1957 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 2,000 copies. The novel is a fix-up of the first five of van Vogt's Gods stories, ...
'' Knight wrote:
Knight also expressed misgivings about van Vogt's politics. He noted that van Vogt's stories almost invariably present absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...
in a favorable light. 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. On the other hand, when science fiction author Philip K. Dick was asked ["Vertex Interviews Philip K. Dick"]
. ''Vertex
Vertex, vertices or vertexes may refer to:
Science and technology Mathematics and computer science
*Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines, or edges meet
* Vertex (computer graphics), a data structure that describes the positio ...
'', Vol. 1, No. 6, February 1974.
which science fiction writers had influenced his work the most, he replied:
Dick also defended van Vogt against Damon Knight's criticisms:
In a review of ''Transfinite: The Essential A. E. van Vogt'', science fiction writer Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo (born October 29, 1954) is an American science fiction writer. He is a regular reviewer for print magazines ''Asimov's Science Fiction'', ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', '' Science Fiction Eye'', ''The New York R ...
said:
In ''The John W. 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)[Ellison, Harlan (June 1999)]
"Van is Here, But Van is Gone"
Introduction to ''Futures Past: The Best Short Fiction of A. E. van Vogt'' (Kilimanjaro Corp., 1999). Reprinted in "A. E. van Vogt, 1912–2000" (''SFRevu'' 2001-01-28). Retrieved 2001-08-31.
Quote: "Van is still with us, as I write this, in June of 1999, slightly less than fifty years since I first encountered van Vogt prose in a January 1950 issue of ''Startling Stories''..." 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. Fiedler said something similar:
American literary critic Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson (born April 14, 1934) is an American literary critic, philosopher and Marxist political theorist. He is best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends, particularly his analysis of postmodernity and capitalism. Jam ...
says of van Vogt:
Van Vogt still has his critics. For example, Darrell Schweitzer
Darrell Charles Schweitzer (born August 27, 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror fiction, horror, although he does also work in science fictio ...
, 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
In 1946, van Vogt and his first wife, Edna Mayne Hull
Edna May Hull van Vogt (May 1, 1905 – January 20, 1975) was a Canadian science fiction writer who published under the name E. Mayne Hull. She was the first wife of A. E. van Vogt, also a science fiction writer.
Early life and marriage
Edna Ma ...
, 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
The Aurora Awards (french: Prix Aurora-Boréal) are a set of primarily literary awards given annually for the best Canadian science fiction or fantasy professional and fan works and achievements from the previous year."Literary glow of Auroras lure ...
) for Lifetime Achievement.[
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
The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organized ...
.
The Science Fiction Writers of America
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...
(SFWA) named him its 14th Grand Master in 1995 (presented 1996). Great controversy within SFWA accompanied its long wait in bestowing its highest honor (limited to living writers, no more than one annually). Writing an obituary of van Vogt, Robert J. Sawyer
Robert James Sawyer (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 24 novels published and his short fiction has appeared in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', ''Amazing Stories'', '' On Spec'', ''Nature'', and numerou ...
, a fellow Canadian writer of science fiction, remarked:
It is generally held that a key factor in the delay was "damnable SFWA politics" reflecting the concerns of 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. E. van Vogt'':
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, the ]Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organized ...
inducted him in its inaugural class of two deceased and two living persons, along with writer Jack Williamson
John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term '' gen ...
(also living) and editors Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback (; born Hugo Gernsbacher, August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967) was a Luxembourgish–American editor and magazine publisher, whose publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as pub ...
and John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called '' Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...
.[
The works of van Vogt were translated into French by the surrealist ]Boris Vian
Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sull ...
(''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". In addition, ''Slan'' was published in French, translated by Jean Rosenthal, under the title ''À la poursuite des Slans'', as part of the paperback series 'Editions J'ai Lu: Romans-Texte Integral' in 1973. This edition also listing the following works by van Vogt as having been published in French as part of this series: ''Le Monde des Å'', ''La faune de l'espace'', ''Les joueurs du Å'', ''L'empire de l'atome'', ''Le sorcier de Linn'', ''Les armureries d'Isher'', ''Les fabricants d'armes'', and ''Le livre de Ptath''.[''À la poursuite des Slans'', A. E. Van Vogt, Editions J'ai Lu, 31, rue de Tournon, Paris-VIe, 1973]
Works
Novels and novellas
Special works published as books
* ''Planets For Sale'' by E. Mayne Hull (1954). A fix-up of five stories by Hull, originally published 1942 to 1946. Certain later editions (from 1965) credit both authors.
* ''The Enchanted Village'' (1979). A 25-page chapbook of a short story originally published in 1950.
* ''Slan Hunter'' by Kevin J. Anderson (2007). A sequel to ''Slan'', based an unfinished draft by van Vogt.
* ''Null-A Continuum'' by John C. Wright (2008). An authorized continuation of the Null-A series which ignored the events of '' Null-A Three''.
Collections
* ''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. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science f ...
'' (1948), with Edna Mayne Hull
Edna May Hull van Vogt (May 1, 1905 – January 20, 1975) was a Canadian science fiction writer who published under the name E. Mayne Hull. She was the first wife of A. E. van Vogt, also a science fiction writer.
Early life and marriage
Edna Ma ...
* ''Masters of Time
''Masters of Time'' is a collection of two science fiction novellas by A. E. van Vogt. It was first published in 1950 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 4,034 copies. It contains the unrelated novellas "Recruiting Station" (here retitled "Master ...
'' (1950) (a.k.a. Recruiting Station) lso includes ''The Changeling'', both works were later published separately* ''Triad'' (1951) omnibus of ''The World of Null A'', ''The Voyage of the Space Beagle'', ''Slan''.
* ''Away and Beyond'' (1952) (abridged in paperback in 1959; abridged (differently) in paperback in 1963)
* '' Destination: Universe!'' (1952)
* '' The Twisted Men'' (1964)
* ''Monsters
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
'' (1965) (later as ''SF Monsters'' (1967)) abridged as ''The Blal'' (1976)
* ''A Van Vogt Omnibus'' (1967), omnibus of ''Planets for Sale'' (with Edna Mayne Hull
Edna May Hull van Vogt (May 1, 1905 – January 20, 1975) was a Canadian science fiction writer who published under the name E. Mayne Hull. She was the first wife of A. E. van Vogt, also a science fiction writer.
Early life and marriage
Edna Ma ...
), ''The Beast'', ''The Book of Ptath''
* ''The Far Out Worlds of Van Vogt'' (1968)
* ''The Sea Thing and Other Stories'' (1970) (expanded from ''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. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science f ...
'' by adding an original story by Hull; later abridged in paperback as ''Out of the Unknown'' by removing 2 of the stories)
* '' M33 in Andromeda'' (1971)
* '' More Than Superhuman'' (1971)
* ''The Proxy Intelligence and Other Mind Benders'', ), with Edna Mayne Hull
Edna May Hull van Vogt (May 1, 1905 – January 20, 1975) was a Canadian science fiction writer who published under the name E. Mayne Hull. She was the first wife of A. E. van Vogt, also a science fiction writer.
Early life and marriage
Edna Ma ...
(1971), revised as ''The Gryb'' (1976)
* ''Van Vogt Omnibus 2'' (1971), omnibus of ''The Mind Cage'', ''The Winged Man'' (with Edna Mayne Hull
Edna May Hull van Vogt (May 1, 1905 – January 20, 1975) was a Canadian science fiction writer who published under the name E. Mayne Hull. She was the first wife of A. E. van Vogt, also a science fiction writer.
Early life and marriage
Edna Ma ...
), ''Slan''.
* ''The Book of Van Vogt'' (1972), also published as ''Lost: Fifty Suns'' (1979)
* ''The Three Eyes of Evil Including Earth's Last Fortress'' (1973)
* ''The Best of A. E. van Vogt'' (1974) later split into 2 volumes
* ''The Worlds of A. E. van Vogt (1974) (expanded from ''The Far Out Worlds of Van Vogt'' by adding 3 stories)
* ''The Best of A. E. van Vogt'' (1976) iffers 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'' (1999)
* ''Transfinite: The Essential A.E. van Vogt'' (2002)
* ''Transgalactic'' (2006)
Nonfiction
* ''The Hypnotism Handbook'' (1956, Griffin Publishing Company, with Charles Edward Cooke)
* ''The Money Personality'' (1972, Parker Publishing Company Inc., West Nyack, NY, )
* ''Reflections of A. E. Van Vogt: The Autobiography of a Science Fiction Giant'' (1979, Fictioneer Books Ltd., Lakemont, GA)
* ''A Report on the Violent Male'' (1992, Paupers' Press, UK, )
See also
*
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
Sevagram
the A.E. van Vogt information site
at ''LocusOnline'' (Locus Publications
''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...
)
"Writers: A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000, Canada)"
– bibliography at SciFan
A. E. van Vogt Papers
(MS 322) at th
Kenneth Spencer Research Library
University of Kansas
*
*
at Free Speculative Fiction Online
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Vogt, A. E.
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