Peter Douglas Nicholls (8 March 1939 – 6 March 2018) was an Australian literary scholar and critic. He was the creator and a co-editor of ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

'' with

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...

Early career

Born in Australia's state of Victoria in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, he spent two decades from 1968 to 1988 as an

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

, first in the USA, and then the UK. Nicholls' early career was as a literary academic, originally with the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He first travelled to the USA in 1968 with a

Harkness Fellowship The Harkness Fellowship (previously known as the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) is a program run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. This fellowship was established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several cou ...

in movie making, and has scripted television documentaries. His significant contributions to

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 unive ...

scholarship and criticism began during 1971, when he became the first Administrator of the

Science Fiction Foundation The Science Fiction Foundation is a Registered Charity established 1970 in England by George Hay and others. Its purpose is to "promote science fiction and bring together those who read, write, study, teach, research or archive science fiction i ...

(UK), a title he had until 1977. He was editor of its journal, '' Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction'', from 1974 to 1978.

''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''

During 1979, Nicholls edited ''

'' (published in the USA as ''The Science Fiction Encyclopedia''), with

as associate editor. Most of its 730,000 words were written by Nicholls, Clute and two contributing editors. It won the 1980

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 a ...

for the Nonfiction Book category. A completely revised, updated, and greatly expanded version of the ''Encyclopedia'', co-edited with Clute, was published in 1993, and won the 1994 Hugo for the same category. A further updating of the work, with revisions and corrections, was later issued in CD-ROM format. The third edition, with Clute and

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...

, was released online as a beta text in October 2011.

Other work

Nicholls' other major publications include: ''Science Fiction At Large'' (1976; reprinted 1978 with the title ''Explorations of the Marvellous''), a collection of essays edited by Nicholls from a 1975 symposium; ''

The Science in Science Fiction ''The Science in Science Fiction'' is a book by David Langford, Peter Nicholls and 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. H ...

'' (1983) edited by Nicholls and written by him with

and

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 ...

; and ''

Fantastic Cinema ''Fantastic Cinema'' (published in the US as ''The World of Fantastic Films: An Illustrated Survey'') is a book by Peter Nicholls published in 1984. Plot summary ''Fantastic Cinema'' is a book that explores the history of science fiction and fanta ...

'' (1984; published in the USA as ''The World of Fantastic Films''). ''Genre Fiction: The Roaring Years'' (2022) is a posthumous collection of his reviews and essays which he had planned, titled and written an introduction for ''circa'' 2012 but was unable to complete. He won several awards for his scholarship, including the

Science Fiction Research Association The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), founded in 1970, is the oldest, non-profit professional organization committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding the study of science fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media. ...

's Pilgrim Award (1980), an

Eaton Award The Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, formerly known as the J. Lloyd Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Utopian Literature, is "the largest publicly accessible collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror a ...

(1995) and a Peter McNamara Award (2006). He broadcast movie and book reviews on BBC Radio from 1974 and worked as a publisher's editor 1982–1983. Nicholls was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

during 2000, which gradually curtailed his activities. A movie about his interest and work in science fiction, titled ''The What-If Man'', was completed in 2004.

Personal life

Nicholls was the father of five children. His daughter is author and editor

Sophie Cunningham Sophie Cunningham is an Australian writer and editor based in Melbourne. She is the current Chair of the Board of the Australian Society of Authors, the national peak body representing Australian authors. Career Publisher Cunningham was pub ...

. He lived in Melbourne with his wife, Clare Coney, where he died on 6 March 2018 at the age of 78.

References

External links

March 2003 interview
by his daughter

Obituary in ''The Guardian''
by his son Jack Nicholls
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', 3rd ed.
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholls, Peter 1939 births 2018 deaths Australian speculative fiction critics Australian speculative fiction editors Writers from Melbourne Hugo Award-winning writers Harkness Fellows Australian encyclopedists Australian non-fiction writers Science fiction critics Australian literary critics Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Australian expatriates in the United States Male speculative fiction editors