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Cyril M. Kornbluth (July 2, 1923 – March 21, 1958) was an American science fiction author and a member of the
in 1969 for its ''
The Altar at Midnight
, 1952 ** "Thirteen O’Clock" s by Cecil Corwin (1941) "Peter Packer" series ** "The Goodly Creatures", 1952 **
Friend to Man
, 1951 ** "With These Hands", 1951 ** "That Share of Glory", 1962 * ''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" s by Simon Eisner · 1952 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "The Marching Morons · nv ''Galaxy'' Apr ’51 * '' A Mile Beyond the Moon'' (1958) bridged for its 1962 paperback reprint, see below** "Make Mine Mars”, 1952 ** "The Meddlers”, 1953 ot 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”, riginal here ot in 1962 paperback** "Virginia”, 1958 ** "The Slave”, 1957 ot in 1962 paperback** "Kazam Collects" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941 ** "The Last Man Left in the Bar”, 1947 – "a confrontation between aliens and a magnetron technician, written with an audacious literary command" ** "The Adventurer”, 1953 ** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941 – "an early but striking fantasy about a genius child acquiring supernatural power" ** "Shark Ship" Reap the Dark Tide" 1958 ** "Two Dooms”, 1958 ot in 1962 paperback* '' The Marching Morons (and other Science Fiction Stories)'' (1959) ** "The Marching Morons”, 1951 ** "Dominoes”, 1953 ** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s 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 Ask 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" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941 ** "The World of Myrion Flowers”, 1961 ** "Trouble in Time" s by S. D. Gottesman 1940 ** "The Engineer”, 1956 ** "Mars-Tube s by S. D. Gottesman, 1941 ** "The Quaker Cannon”, 1961 * ''Best Science Fiction Stories of C. M. Kornbluth'' (1968) ** "Introduction”, dmund 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 Ask 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
Past Masters – Cyril with an M, or I'm As Kornbluth as Kansas In August
by Bud Webster at Galactic Central {{DEFAULTSORT:Kornbluth, Cyril M. 1923 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists United States Army personnel of World War II American mystery writers American science fiction writers Futurians Hugo Award-winning writers Military personnel from New York City Science fiction fans United States Army soldiers Jewish American writers American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers People from Inwood, Manhattan Writers from Manhattan
Cyril M. Kornbluth (July 2, 1923 – March 21, 1958) was an American science fiction author and a member of the Futurians
The Futurians were a group of science fiction (SF) 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 i ...
. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond, and Scott Mariner. The "M" in Kornbluth's name may have been in tribute to his wife, Mary Byers; Kornbluth's colleague and collaborator Frederik Pohl confirmed Kornbluth's lack of any actual middle name in at least one interview.
Biography
Kornbluth was born and grew up in the uptown Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood, in New York City. He was of Polish Jewish descent, the son of a World War I veteran and grandson of a tailor, a Jewish immigrant from Galicia. According to his widow, Kornbluth was a "precocious child", learning to read by the age of three and writing his own stories by the time he was seven. He graduated from high school at thirteen, received aCCNY
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, City ...
scholarship at fourteen, and was "thrown out for leading a student strike" without graduating.
As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians
The Futurians were a group of science fiction (SF) 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 i ...
, an influential group of science fiction fans
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) 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, Martin Pearso ...
, Robert A. W. Lowndes, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association The Fantasy Amateur Press Association or FAPA ("FAP-uh") is science fiction fandom's longest-established amateur press association ("apa"). It was founded in 1937 by Donald A. Wollheim and John B. Michel. They were inspired to create FAPA by the ...
.
Kornbluth served in the US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
during 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 ...
( European 'Theatre'). He received a Bronze Star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
for his service in the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
, where he served as a member of a heavy machine gun
A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable or ...
crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education at the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
under the G.I. Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
. While living in Chicago he also worked at Trans-Radio Press, a news wire service. In 1951 he started writing full-time, Charles Platt, "C. M. Kornbluth: A Study Of His Work and Interview With His Widow", ''Foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
'' 17, September 1979, pp.57-63 returning to the East Coast where he collaborated on novels with his old Futurian friends Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman (January 21, 1923 – September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be wid ...
.
Work
Kornbluth began writing at 15. His first solo story, "The Rocket of 1955", was published in Richard Wilson'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 Little Black Bag" is a science fiction novelette by American Cyril M. Kornbluth, first published in the July 1950 edition of ''Astounding Science Fiction''. It is a predecessor of sorts to the story "The Marching Morons". It won the 2001 Ret ...
", "The Marching Morons
"The Marching Morons" is a science fiction story by American writer 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 nov ...
", "The Altar at Midnight", "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie", "Gomez" and "The Advent on Channel Twelve".
"The Little Black Bag
"The Little Black Bag" is a science fiction novelette by American Cyril M. Kornbluth, first published in the July 1950 edition of ''Astounding Science Fiction''. It is a predecessor of sorts to the story "The Marching Morons". It won the 2001 Ret ...
" was first adapted for television live on the television show ''Tales of Tomorrow'' on May 30, 1952. It was later adapted for television by the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...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 ...
'' series. In 1970, the same story was adapted by Rod Serling for an episode of his ''Night Gallery
''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, ''The Twilight Zone ...
'' series. This dramatization starred Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television.
Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...
as the alcoholic Dr. William Fall, who had long lost his doctor's license and become a homeless alcoholic. He finds a bag containing advanced medical technology from the future, which, after an unsuccessful attempt to pawn it, he uses benevolently.
"The Marching Morons
"The Marching Morons" is a science fiction story by American writer 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 nov ...
" is a 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. 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''.
"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, and who smuggles out in fortune cookie
A fortune cookie is a crisp and sugary cookie wafer usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a piece of paper inside, a "fortune", usually an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chine ...
s 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
Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) 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, Martin Pearso ...
)) in Wollheim's anthology ''Prize Science Fiction'' in 1953.
Biographer Mark Rich describes the 1958 story "Two Dooms" as one of several stories which are "concern dwith the ethics of theoretical science" and which "explore moral quandaries of the atomic age":
Many of Kornbluth's novels were written as collaborations: either with Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman (January 21, 1923 – September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be wid ...
(using the pseudonym Cyril Judd), or with Frederik Pohl. These include '' Gladiator-At-Law'' and ''The Space Merchants
''The Space Merchants'' is a 1952 science fiction novel by American writers Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. Originally published in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' magazine as a serial entitled ''Gravy Planet'', the novel was first published ...
''. ''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, including '' The Syndic'' and ''Not This August
''Not This August'', also known as ''Christmas Eve'', is a Hugo Award shortlisted science fiction novel by Cyril M. Kornbluth. It was originally published in 1955 by Doubleday. It was serialized in ''Maclean's'' magazine (Canada) in May and J ...
''.
Death
Kornbluth died at age 34 inLevittown, New York
Levittown is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York. It is located halfway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a tota ...
. On a day when he was due to meet with Bob Mills in New York City to interview for the position of editor of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher ...
'', he was delayed because he had to shovel snow from his driveway. After running to meet his train following this delay, Kornbluth suffered a fatal heart attack on the platform of the 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
The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction o ...
; 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
NESFA Press is the publishing arm of the New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. The NESFA Press primarily produces three types of books:
* Books honoring the guest(s) of honor at their annual convention, Boskone, and at some Worldcons and ...
, 1997).
Personality and habits
Frederik Pohl, in his autobiography ''The Way the Future 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 his memoir ''The Futurians'', and Isaac Asimov, in his memoirs ''In Memory Yet Green
Isaac Asimov (–1992) wrote three volumes of autobiography. ''In Memory Yet Green'' (1979) and ''In Joy Still Felt'' (1980) were a two-volume work, covering his life up to 1978. The third volume, ''I. Asimov: A Memoir'' (1994), published after h ...
'' and ''I. Asimov: A Memoir'', all give descriptions of Kornbluth as a man of odd personal habits and eccentricities.
Kornbluth, for example, 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 ''ballista
The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant ...
'', an Ancient Roman weapon, Pohl knew that Kornbluth had finished the 'A's and had started on the 'B's.
According to 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.
Bibliography
Novels
* '' Outpost Mars'' (1952) (with Judith Merril, writing as Cyril Judd), first published as a '' Galaxy'' serial entitled ''Mars Child'' (May–July 1951) and later reprinted as ''Galaxy novel'' No. 46 retitled ''Sin in Space'' (1961) * '' Gunner Cade'' (1952) (with Judith Merril, writing as Cyril Judd), first published as an '' Astounding Science Fiction'' serial (March–May 1952) * ''Takeoff'' (May 1952), later serialised in ''New Worlds
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...
'' (April–June 1954)
* ''The Space Merchants
''The Space Merchants'' is a 1952 science fiction novel by American writers Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. Originally published in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' magazine as a serial entitled ''Gravy Planet'', the novel was first published ...
'' (April 1953) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a '' Galaxy'' serial entitled ''Gravy Planet'' (June–August 1952)
* '' The Syndic'' (October 1953), later serialised in '' Science Fiction Adventures'' (December 1953-March 1954), entered the Prometheus Award
The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction novels given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society. American author and activist L. Neil Smith established the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newl ...
Hall of Fame in 1986
* '' Search the Sky'' (February 1954) (with Frederik Pohl), later revised by Pohl (October 1985)
* '' Gladiator at Law'' (May 1955) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a '' Galaxy'' serial (June–August 1954), later revised by Pohl (April 1986)
* ''Not This August
''Not This August'', also known as ''Christmas Eve'', is a Hugo Award shortlisted science fiction novel by Cyril M. Kornbluth. It was originally published in 1955 by Doubleday. It was serialized in ''Maclean's'' magazine (Canada) in May and J ...
'' (July 1955) (AKA ''Christmas Eve''), later revised by Pohl (December 1981)
* '' Wolfbane'' (September 1959) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a '' Galaxy'' serial (October–November 1957), later revised by Pohl (June 1986)
Collections
* '' The Explorers'' (1954) ** "Foreword", rederik Pohl** "Gomez" ** "The Mindworm", 1950 ** "The Rocket of 1955", 1939 **The Altar at Midnight
, 1952 ** "Thirteen O’Clock" s by Cecil Corwin (1941) "Peter Packer" series ** "The Goodly Creatures", 1952 **
Friend to Man
, 1951 ** "With These Hands", 1951 ** "That Share of Glory", 1962 * ''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" s by Simon Eisner · 1952 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "The Marching Morons · nv ''Galaxy'' Apr ’51 * '' A Mile Beyond the Moon'' (1958) bridged for its 1962 paperback reprint, see below** "Make Mine Mars”, 1952 ** "The Meddlers”, 1953 ot 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”, riginal here ot in 1962 paperback** "Virginia”, 1958 ** "The Slave”, 1957 ot in 1962 paperback** "Kazam Collects" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941 ** "The Last Man Left in the Bar”, 1947 – "a confrontation between aliens and a magnetron technician, written with an audacious literary command" ** "The Adventurer”, 1953 ** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941 – "an early but striking fantasy about a genius child acquiring supernatural power" ** "Shark Ship" Reap the Dark Tide" 1958 ** "Two Dooms”, 1958 ot in 1962 paperback* '' The Marching Morons (and other Science Fiction Stories)'' (1959) ** "The Marching Morons”, 1951 ** "Dominoes”, 1953 ** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s 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 Ask 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" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941 ** "The World of Myrion Flowers”, 1961 ** "Trouble in Time" s by S. D. Gottesman 1940 ** "The Engineer”, 1956 ** "Mars-Tube s by S. D. Gottesman, 1941 ** "The Quaker Cannon”, 1961 * ''Best Science Fiction Stories of C. M. Kornbluth'' (1968) ** "Introduction”, dmund 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 Ask 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 Blish
James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his '' Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel '' A Case of Conscie ...
) stories published originally as by "Cecil Corwin" plus "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" (see above)
** "Preface”, ames Blish** "Thirteen O’Clock ombined version of the "Peter Packer" stories, “Thirteen O’Clock” and “Mr. Packer Goes to Hell”, both 1941, irst combined appearance here** "The Rocket of 1955”, 1939
** "What Sorghum Says" s by Cecil Corwin 1941
** "Crisis!" s by Cecil Corwin 1942
** "The Reversible Revolutions" s by Cecil Corwin 1941
** "The City in the Sofa" s by Cecil Corwin 1941
** "The Golden Road" s by Cecil Corwin 1942
** "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie”, 1957
* '' The Best of C. M. Kornbluth'' (1976)
** "An Appreciation”, rederik Pohl** "The Rocket of 1955”, 1939
** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941
** "The Only Thing We Learn”, 1949
** "The Adventurer”, 1953
** "The Little Black Bag”, 1950
** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s 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 (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian science fiction author. He has won a number of awards for his hard science fiction and humorous stories, including the Hugo Award 1977 and 1983, and another Hugo with his co-a ...
praised this collection, saying "I haven't enjoyed a book so much in years.""Galaxy Bookshelf", ''Galaxy Science Fiction
''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...
'', August 1977, p. 143. Mark Rich wrote, "Critics judging Kornbluth by this anthology, edited by Pohl, have seen a growing bitterness in his later stories. This reflects editorial choice more than reality, because Kornbluth also wrote delightful humor in his last years, in stories not collected here. These tales demonstrate Kornbluth's effective use of everyday individuals from a variety of ethnic backgrounds as well as his well-tuned ear for dialect."
* ''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" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1941
** "Trouble in Time" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1940
** "Vacant World" s by Dirk Wylie (with Dirk Wylie, and Frederik Pohl)
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
History ...
1940
** "Best Friend" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1941
** "Nova Midplane" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1940
** "The Extrapolated Dimwit" s 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" s by S. D. Gottesman 1940
** "Mars-Tube" s 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”, rederik Pohl** "Editor’s Introduction”, imothy P. Szczesuil** "That Share of Glory”, 1952
** "The Adventurer”, 1952
** "Dominoes”, 1953
** "The Golden Road" s 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" s by Simon Eisner 1952
** "The Reversible Revolutions s by Cecil Corwin 1941
** "The City in the Sofa" s by Cecil Corwin 1941
** "Gomez”, 1954
** "Masquerade" s by Kenneth Falconer 1942
** "The Slave”, 1957
** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941
** "Thirteen O’Clock" s by Cecil Corwin 1941
** "Mr. Packer Goes to Hell" s 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" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941
** "The Perfect Invasion" s by S. D. Gottesman 1942
** "The Adventurers”, 1955
** "Kazam Collects" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941
** "The Marching Morons”, 1951
** "The Altar at Midnight”, 1952
** "Crisis!" s 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" s 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" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941
** "The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy”, 1958
** "King Cole of Pluto" s by S. D. Gottesman 1940
** "No Place to Go" s by Edward J. Bellin 1941
** "Dimension of Darkness" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941
** "Dead Center" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941
** "Interference" s by Walter C. Davies 1941
** "Forgotten Tongue" s by Walter C. Davies 1941
** "Return from M-15" s by S. D. Gottesman 1941
** "The Core" s 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 anintersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bin ...
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 novel
* ''A Man of Cold Rages'' (1958, as Jordan Park), a novel about an ex-dictator
Uncollected short stories
* "Stepsons of Mars", (1940) s "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 , Robert A. W. Lowndes, John Michel,Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) 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, Martin Pearso ...
)
* "The Martians Are Coming", (1941) [as "Robert A W Lowndes" (with Robert A. W. Lowndes)]
* "Exiles of New Planet", (1941) Robert_A._W._Lowndes,_Dirk_Wylie).html" ;"title="s "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)">s "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)* "The Castle on the Outerplanet", (1941) Robert_A._W._Lowndes).html" ;"title="s "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes)">s "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes)* "A Prince of Pluto", (1941) s "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl)* "Einstein's Planetoid", (1941) Robert_A._W._Lowndes,_Dirk_Wylie).html" ;"title="s "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)">s "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)* "An Old Neptunian Custom", (1942) s "Scott Mariner" (with Frederik Pohl)Articles
* "A Funny Article on the Convention", (1939) * "New Directions", (1941) s "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).Brian Stableford
Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...
called this "an important early piece of sf criticism, sharply pointing out the genre's shortcomings."
Trivia
Kornbluth's name is mentioned inLemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970). Handler has published several children's books under the name, most notably ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 million copies and s ...
's ''Series of Unfortunate Events
''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After thei ...
'' as a member of V.F.D., a secret organization dedicated to the promotion of literacy, classical learning, and crime prevention.
References
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) * Rich, Mark. ''C. M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary'' (McFarland, 2009)External links
* * * * * *Past Masters – Cyril with an M, or I'm As Kornbluth as Kansas In August
by Bud Webster at Galactic Central {{DEFAULTSORT:Kornbluth, Cyril M. 1923 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists United States Army personnel of World War II American mystery writers American science fiction writers Futurians Hugo Award-winning writers Military personnel from New York City Science fiction fans United States Army soldiers Jewish American writers American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers People from Inwood, Manhattan Writers from Manhattan