Wilmar House Shiras (September 23, 1908 – December 23, 1990), born Wilmar Alberta House in Boston, 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, who also wrote under the name Jane Howes. Her most famous story was "In Hiding" (1948), a novella included in the anthology, '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame''.

Biography

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Shiras attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, but dropped out in her freshman year to get married, at the age of 18. Her husband Russell became the research supervisor for chemical engineering for Shell Development Company. Shiras attended the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

, studying history. She and her husband Russell raised five children, two boys and three girls, (note: Article includes photo) and it was for her family that Shiras began creating stories. Her story "In Hiding" was submitted in 1948 to

John W. Campbell, Jr. John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

's influential magazine ''

Astounding Science Fiction ''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 ...

'', where it was published in the November issue. The story, about extraordinarily gifted children who were struggling to find their place in the world, struck a chord with readers and became a classic, rapidly appearing in multiple anthologies. Shiras published two sequels in the magazine: "Opening Doors," and "New Foundations." The three stories then became the first three chapters in the novel, ''

Children of the Atom ''Children of the Atom'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by American writer Wilmar H. Shiras, which has been listed as one of "The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years, 1953–2002." The book is a collection and expansion of t ...

''. It was published during her later-in-life sophomore year in college, attending the College of the Holy Names. Shiras also worked part-time as a translator for a New York publishing house. The book, about "the inevitable adjustments and maladjustments of minority genius to majority mediocrity", was hailed as another step in science fiction's coming of age, as it focused more in intellectual analysis and less on gadget-driven "

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

" She was credited for writing which showed a deep knowledge of people, and also demonstrated a foundation of

Thomistic Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions ...

philosophy.

Works

* 1948,
In Hiding
, ''Astounding Science Fiction'', November 1948 * 1949, "Opening Doors," short story * 1949, "New Foundations," short story * 1953, ''

'' novel,

Gnome Press Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 titles in its lifespan — many considered classi ...

* 1946

Slow Dawning In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

(by Howes, Jane Pseud. Shiras, Wilmar House)

Recognition

The story "In Hiding" was included in: * ''The Best Science Fiction Stories 1949'' * '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame'' The

Science Fiction Book Club Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online Bookselling, bookseller, founded in 2000. Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and WarnerMedia, Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to N ...

named ''Children of the Atom'' at #14 on their list of "The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years, 1953-2002."

Influence

Shiras's stories "In Hiding," "Opening Doors," and "New Foundations" became the first three chapters of ''Children of the Atom'', and they have been credited, but never confirmed, as a source of inspiration for

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

’s world-famous comic book creation, ''

The Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X- ...

.''

Notes

References

* "New Creative Writers",

Library J ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practi ...

, 78:452, March 1, 1953

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shiras, Wilmar 1908 births 1990 deaths American science fiction writers Boston University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Holy Names University alumni Writers from Boston 20th-century American novelists American women novelists 20th-century American women writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers 20th-century American short story writers Novelists from Massachusetts