Theodore Rose Cogswell (March 10, 1918 – February 3, 1987) 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 unive ...

author.

Profile

During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, Cogswell served as an ambulance driver for the Republicans as part of the

Abraham Lincoln Brigade The Abraham Lincoln Brigade ( es, Brigada Abraham Lincoln), officially the XV International Brigade (''XV Brigada Internacional''), was a mixed brigade that fought for the Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War as a part of the Internation ...

. His earliest work to be published in a genre magazine, the

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

, "

The Spectre General "The Specter General" is a science fiction short story by American writer Theodore Cogswell, his first published work. It was initially published in the June 1952 issue of ''Astounding'' magazine. It was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of Amer ...

" in ''

Astounding ''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 ...

'' (June 1952)., was a humorous story concerning the long-forgotten maintenance brigade of the Imperial Space Marines of a

Galactic empire Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...

. It was selected as one of the genre's best novellas by members of 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 ...

and reprinted in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame''. Cogswell authored nearly 40 science fiction stories, most of them humorous, and co-authored ''

Spock, Messiah! ''Spock, Messiah!'' (September 1976) is the second original novel based on television series '' Star Trek'' intended for adult readers, written by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. It was preceded by '' Spock Must Die!'' (1970), and ...

'', one of the earliest

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s tied in to the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' franchise. He was also the editor of the long-running "

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

for pros", ''Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies''. A anthology of elections from ''PITCS'' was published by

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 ...

in 1993. Here, writers and editors discussed their own, and other's, works.

Bibliography

Novels

*''

'' (1976) (''

'' tie-in novel co-authored Charles A. Spano, Jr.)

Collections

*''The Wall Around the World'' (1962) (including the title story) *''The Third Eye'' (1968)

Other works

*"The Friggin Falcon" (1966) (poem) *''PITCS: Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies'' (1993, editor)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cogswell, Theodore R. 1918 births 1987 deaths American science fiction writers Abraham Lincoln Brigade members 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers