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Clifford Donald Simak (; August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988) was an American
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
writer. He won three
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
s and one
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...
. 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. While ...
made him its third
SFWA Grand Master The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to no more than one living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was inaugurated in 1975 when Robe ...
, and the
Horror Writers Association The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers. Overview HWA was formed in 1985 with t ...
made him one of three inaugural winners of the
Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement The Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement annually recognizes one to three living artists for "superior achievement in an entire career" which has "substantially influenced the horror genre". It is conferred by the Horror Writers Association, ...
.


Biography


Early life, education, and journalism career

Simak was born in Millville, Wisconsin in 1904, son of John Lewis and Margaret (Wiseman) Simak. Simak attended the
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
and then taught in the public schools until 1929. He later worked at various newspapers in the
Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
. He began a lifelong association with the '' Minneapolis Star and Tribune'' (in
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
) in 1939, which continued until his retirement in 1976. He became ''Minneapolis Star''s news editor in 1949 and coordinator of ''Minneapolis Tribune''s ''Science Reading Series'' in 1961.


Personal life

He married Agnes Kuchenberg on April 13, 1929, and they had two children, Richard "Dick" Scott (1947–2012) and Shelley Ellen. In a blurb in ''Time and Again'' he wrote, "I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty three years and have two children. My favorite recreation is fishing (the lazy way, lying in a boat and letting them come to me). Hobbies: Chess, stamp collecting, growing roses." He dedicated the book to his wife Kay, "without whom I'd never have written a line". He was well liked by many of his science fiction-writing friends, especially
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
.


Death

He died in Minneapolis on April 25, 1988.


Writing career

Simak became interested in science fiction after reading the works of
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. '' 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 publ ...
in the December 1931 issue of ''
Wonder Stories ''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Stor ...
'' with one opening illustration by
Frank R. Paul Frank Rudolph Paul (; April 18, 1884 – June 29, 1963) was an American illustrator of pulp magazines in the science fiction field. A discovery of editor Hugo Gernsback, Paul was influential in defining the look of both cover art and interior ...
. Within a year he placed three more stories in Gernsback's
pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...
and one in ''
Astounding Stories ''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 Cl ...
'', then edited by Harry Bates. But his only science fiction publication between 1932 and 1938 was " The Creator" ('' Marvel Tales'' #4, March–April 1935), a story with religious implications, which was then rare in the genre. Once
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 ...
, at the helm of ''Astounding'' from October 1937, began redefining the field, Simak returned and was a regular contributor to ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (as it was renamed in 1938) throughout 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. ...
(1938–1950). At first, as in the 1939 serial novel ''Cosmic Engineers'', he wrote in the tradition of the earlier "super science" subgenre that E. E. "Doc" Smith perfected, but he soon developed his own style, which is usually described as gentle and
pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music ( pastorale) that depic ...
. During this period, Simak also published a number of war and western stories in pulp magazines. His best-known book may be '' City'', a
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 ...
novel based on short stories with a common theme of mankind's eventual exodus from Earth. Simak continued to produce award-nominated novels throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Aided by a friend, he continued writing and publishing science fiction and, later, fantasy, into his 80s. He believed that science fiction not rooted in scientific fact was responsible for the failure of the genre to be taken seriously, and stated his aim was to make the genre a part of what he called "realistic fiction."


Themes

Simak's stories often have a rural setting, which led to his style being described as "pastoral". Crusty individualistic backwoodsman characters often appear, for example Hiram Taine, the protagonist of "
The Big Front Yard "The Big Front Yard" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak which won a 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It was also included in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'' (1973) after being voted one of th ...
". Hiram's dog "Towser" (sometimes "Bowser") is common to many of Simak's works. The rural setting is not always idyllic; in ''Ring Around the Sun'' it is largely dominated by intolerance and isolationism. Many of his aliens have a dry, otherworldly sense of humor, and others are unintentionally amusing, in their speech, behavior or appearance. His robots are full of personality, and even his dogs. By contrast, his "heroes" are ciphers. His protagonists are often boring men, never described and never reappearing. One of Simak's editors objected to his stories because his heroes were "losers". Simak replied, "I like losers."Author's Foreword in ''Skirmish''. Many of Simak's story lines involve a quest, or a mission. Characters set out, alone, and acquire companions, often unlikely matches, along the way. On the journey, some fall by the wayside, and of these, some are reunited with the group, whilst others never heard from again. Simak's stories often say that there is no past time for a time traveler to go to. Our world moves along in a stream of time, and to move to a different place in time is to move to another world. Thus in ''City'' our Earth is overrun by ants, but the intelligent dogs and the remaining humans escape to other worlds in the time stream. In ''Ring Around the Sun'' the persecuted paranormals escape to other Earths which, if they could all be seen at once, would be at different stages of their orbit around the sun, hence the title. In '' Time Is the Simplest Thing'' a paranormal escapes a mob by moving back in time, only to find that the past is a place where there are no living things and inanimate objects are barely substantial. Time travel also plays an important role in ''Time and Again''. A long-lost space traveler returns with a message which is SF-slanted yet religious in tone. Having crashed on a planet, he is then nurtured by ethereal duplicates that seem to accompany every sentient being throughout life. His befuddled observations are seized upon by religious factions, and a schism then threatens to erupt into war on Earth. Intelligence, loyalty and friendship, the existence of God and souls, the unexpected benefits and harm of invention, tools as extensions of humanity, and more questions are often explored by Simak's robots, whom he uses as "surrogate humans". They begin as likable mechanical persons, but change in surprising ways. Having achieved intelligence, robots move on to common themes such as, "Why are we here?" and "Do robots have souls"? Examples are the faithful butler Jenkins in ''City'', the religious robot Hezekiel in '' A Choice of Gods'', the frontier robots in ''Special Deliverance'' and ''A Heritage of Stars'', and the monk-like robots in '' Project Pope'' who seek Heaven. In '' All the Traps of Earth'', a 600-year-old robot, a family retainer who earned the name Richard Daniel, is considered chattel to be reprogrammed and lose all its memories. The robot runs away, hitches onto a spaceship, and passes through hyperspace unprotected. Daniel gains the ability to see and fix problems in anything—a ship, a robot, a human—telekinetically, but is still drifting and hunted as chattel. He stumbles on a frontier planet and finds a purpose, helping the pioneers as a doctor, a servant, a colonist, and a friend. And here Daniel achieves an epiphany: human beings are more clever than they know. Human-created robots set loose can become agents with para-human abilities that benefit humanity. Thus do robots, and Mankind, escape "all the traps of earth". The religious theme is often present in Simak's work, but the protagonists who have searched for God in a traditional sense tend to find something more abstract and inhuman. Hezekiel in ''A Choice of Gods'' cannot accept this. "God must be, forever, a kindly old (human) gentleman with a long, white, flowing beard." Simak's short stories and longer novellas range from the contemplative and thoughtfully idyllic to pure terror, although the punch line is often characteristically understated, as in ''Good Night Mr. James'' and ''Skirmish''. There is also a group of humorous stories, including "
The Big Front Yard "The Big Front Yard" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak which won a 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It was also included in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'' (1973) after being voted one of th ...
". And ''
Way Station 250px, Layover for buses at LACMTA's Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles ">Los_Angeles.html" ;"title="Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles">Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles In scheduled transportation, a layover (also waypoint, way ...
'' is in the midst of all of the science fiction paraphernalia a psychological study of a lonely man who has to make peace with his past and finally manages to do so, but not without personal loss. The contemplative nature of the Simak character is a recurring trait of the author's style. One finds other traditional SF themes in Simak's work. The importance of knowledge and compassion in "Immigrant" and "Kindergarten". Identity play, as in "Good Night. Mr James" (filmed as ''The Outer Limits:
The Duplicate Man "The Duplicate Man" is an episode of the original '' The Outer Limits'' television show. It was first aired on 19 December 1964, during the second season. Opening narration :''Since the first day that Man stared up at the stars and saw other wo ...
'' in 1964). Fictions come to life in "Shadow Show" and elsewhere, such as the novel ''Out of Their Minds''. There is a revolt of the machines in "Skirmish", and a meeting with an alien world in ''Beachhead'', also known as "You'll Never Go Home Again". (Many of these are in his collection '' Strangers in the Universe''.) Finally, Simak throws in many science-fictional fillips that remain unexplained. Simak's characters encounter alien creatures and concepts they simply cannot understand, and never will. For example, in ''Special Deliverance'', the humans are stalked by The Wailer, which turns out to be a huge wolf-like creature that bellows an infinitely sad howl. They never learn what the creature is, why it seems sad, or how it got there. Simak sums up his life's work in the foreword to his collection ''Skirmish''. After explaining what themes he avoids—no large-scale alien invasions, no space wars, no empire sagas—he states, "Overall, I have written in a quiet manner; there is little violence in my work. My focus has been on people, not on events. More often than not I have struck a hopeful note... I have, on occasions, tried to speak out for decency and compassion, for understanding, not only in the human, but in the cosmic sense. I have tried at times to place humans in perspective against the vastness of universal time and space. I have been concerned where we, as a race, may be going, and what may be our purpose in the universal scheme—if we have a purpose. In general, I believe we do, and perhaps an important one."


Works

From 1950 to 1986 Clifford Simak wrote more than 30 novels and four non-fiction works, with ''
Way Station 250px, Layover for buses at LACMTA's Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles ">Los_Angeles.html" ;"title="Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles">Warner Center Transit Hub, Los Angeles In scheduled transportation, a layover (also waypoint, way ...
'' winning the 1964
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
. More than 100 of his short stories were published from 1931 to 1981 in the science fiction, western, and war genres, with "
The Big Front Yard "The Big Front Yard" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak which won a 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It was also included in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'' (1973) after being voted one of th ...
" winning the 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and "
Grotto of the Dancing Deer "Grotto of the Dancing Deer" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak, one of his last short works. It won the 1980 Nebula Award for Best Short Story and the 1981 Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Be ...
" winning the Hugo and
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...
s for Best Short Story in 1981. One more short story, "I Had No Head and My Eyes Were Floating Way Up in the Air", had been written in 1973 for publication in
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'', ...
's never-published anthology '' The Last Dangerous Visions'' and was first published posthumously in 2015. One of his short stories, "Good Night, Mr. James", was adapted as "The Duplicate Man" on ''The Outer Limits'' in 1964. Simak notes this is a "vicious story—so vicious that it is the only one of my stories adapted to television."


Awards and honors

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. While ...
made Simak its third
SFWA Grand Master The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to no more than one living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was inaugurated in 1975 when Robe ...
in 1977, after
Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...
and
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 ''gene ...
. In 1987 the
Horror Writers Association The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark fantasy writers. Overview HWA was formed in 1985 with t ...
named him one of three inaugural winners of the
Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement The Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement annually recognizes one to three living artists for "superior achievement in an entire career" which has "substantially influenced the horror genre". It is conferred by the Horror Writers Association, ...
, with
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theater and films, playwright, and chess expert. With writers such as Robert ...
and
Frank Belknap Long Frank Belknap Long (April 27, 1901 – January 3, 1994) was an American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best know ...
. Asteroid 228883 Cliffsimak, discovered by French amateur astronomer Bernard Christophe in 2003, was named in his memory. The official was published by the
Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function T ...
on March 30, 2010 (). ; Other lifetime awards * Minnesota Academy of Science Award for distinguished service to science 1967 *
First Fandom Hall of Fame award First Fandom Hall of Fame is an annual award for contributions to the field of science fiction dating back more than 30 years. Contributions can be as a fan, writer, editor, artist, agent, or any combination of the five. It is awarded by First F ...
1973 ; Best-of-year literary awards * Retro Hugo for best novelette, “Rule 18” (''Astounding Science-Fiction'', July 1938) * Retro Hugo for best novelette, "City" (''Astounding Science-Fiction'', May 1944) *
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 ...
for best fiction book (1953) for ''City'' *
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
for best novelette (1959) for "
The Big Front Yard "The Big Front Yard" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak which won a 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It was also included in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'' (1973) after being voted one of th ...
" * Hugo Award for best novel (1964) for ''Way Station'' * Jupiter Award for best novel (1978) for ''A Heritage of Stars'' * Hugo Award for best short story (1981) for "
Grotto of the Dancing Deer "Grotto of the Dancing Deer" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak, one of his last short works. It won the 1980 Nebula Award for Best Short Story and the 1981 Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Be ...
" *
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...
for best short story (1981) for "Grotto of the Dancing Deer" *
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the p ...
for best short story (1981) for "Grotto of the Dancing Deer" * Analytical Laboratory award for best short story (1981) for "Grotto of the Dancing Deer"


Citations


General sources

* ''Contemporary Authors''. New Revision Series. Detroit, Gale Research Co. *
Sam Moskowitz Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920 – April 15, 1997) was an American writer, critic, and historian of science fiction. Biography As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of ...
''Seekers of Tomorrow'' (1967) (one chapter covers Simak) * "Obituaries: Clifford D. Simak." ''The Herald'' (Melbourne), April 29, 1988. * Weatherby, W. J. "Obituary of Clifford Simak, realist of SF". Guardian Newspapers Limited/''The Guardian'' (London), April 29, 1988.


Further reading

* Muriel R. Becker, ''Clifford D. Simak, a Primary and Secondary Bibliography'' (1980). * Hardy Kettlitz, ''Clifford D. Simak: pastorale Harmonien'', Shayol Verlag, 2012. (German). * Mark Owings, ''The Electric Bibliograph 1: Clifford D. Simak''. * Phil Stephensen-Payne, ''Clifford D. Simak: A Working Bibliography'' (1991, )


External links


Clifford Donald Simak Papers


An authorized translation of Way Station into
Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international commun ...
as a free
ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alth ...
. * * * * * *
The Science Fiction Short Stories of Clifford D. Simak

"An Interview with Clifford D. Simak"
from ''Tangent'', May 1975 * "City Slickers, Country Bumpkins, Ants, Robots and Mutants"
Part One
an
Part 2
at '' The Grantville Gazette''
Clifford D. Simak – The International Bibliography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simak, Clifford D. 1904 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American newspaper editors American people of Czech descent American science fiction writers Hugo Award-winning writers Nebula Award winners Novelists from Minnesota Novelists from Wisconsin People from Grant County, Wisconsin SFWA Grand Masters University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Writers from Minneapolis