Books by Alfred Bester
Born: 12/18/1913; Died: 09/30/1987
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Alfred Bester Biography & Notes
Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 - September 30, 1987) was a science fiction author and the winner of the first Hugo Award in 1953 for his novel The Demolished Man.
* 18 December 1913 - born in New York City
* 1935 - received Bachelor of Arts from University of Pennsylvania
* 1936 - married Rolly Goulko
* 30 September 1987 - died
Bester published his first short story, "The Broken Axiom", in Thrilling Wonder Stories (April 1939) after winning an amateur story competition. This competition was arranged so he could have a start on the business. He already knew some people and had given to them some work to read, and they came up with the contest. He continued to publish short fiction, most noticeably in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction, and in 1942 he began working at DC Comics as a writer for Superman, Green Lantern, and other titles. After four years in the comics industry, he turned his attention to radio scripts, writing for The Shadow and Charlie Chan. He wrote the original Green Lantern Oath.
His short fiction was initially collected in Starburst (1958) and The Dark Side of the Earth (1964), with further collections appearing in the 1970s. His short stories, such as "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" (about unsuccessful atttempts to change history through time travel), cemented his reputation, but he is best known for two of his novels, The Demolished Man and Tiger! Tiger! (a.k.a. The Stars My Destination). (The title Tiger! Tiger! is a quotation from The Tyger by William Blake.)
Tiger! Tiger! had its origins in a newspaper clipping that Bester found, of a shipwrecked WW II sailor on a raft, who had drifted unrescued in the Pacific for days because passing ships thought he was a lure to bring them within torpedo range of a hidden submarine. From this germ grew the story of Gully Foyle, seeking revenge for his abandonment and causing havoc all about him: a science fictional re-telling of Alexander Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo with teleportation added to the mix. It has been described as an ancestor of cyberpunk.
The Demolished Man is a police procedural in which telepathy is relatively common; a major plot component is an obsessive tune that the protagonist has in his head to block his thoughts from casual scanning.
This novel is dedicated to H. L. Gold, the editor of Galaxy, who both published it and made a number of suggestions during its writing. Originally Bester wanted the title to be "Demolition!" but Gold talked him out of it.
One of the strengths of these novels is the skill with which Bester integrated his science-fictional elements into his future societies.
Bester stopped writing for Astounding when its editor, John Campbell, became too obsessed with L. Ron Hubbard and Dianetics, the forerunner to Scientology. He found then in H. L. Gold an editor and a good friend.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, he was chief literary editor of Holiday magazine. After the magazine ceased publication in the early 1970s, Bester returned to science fiction with more short stories and several more novels, although none captured the full brilliance he exhibited in his earlier period.
A radio adaptation of Tiger! Tiger! was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991, although this may have been a repeat broadcast. [1] (http://www.miranda-richardson.com/mrsound.html) lists the play as a 60-minute episode, but the original running time was almost certainly 90 minutes.
Bester wrote one mainstream novel in the 1950s, Who He? aka The Rat Race, in which a TV game show host, waking up after an alcoholic blackout, discovers that someone is out to destroy his life.
Notable short stories:
* "5,271,009", in which a character is placed within various science-fictional wish-fulfillment scenarios, and discovers the flaw in each (the Last Man on Earth, and no dentists...)
* "Fondly Fahrenheit", in which a malfunctioning android becomes murderously violent in hot weather
* "The Rollercoaster", written in the '50s, in which there's an unusual treatment of violence and time travel. Quite ahead of his time.
The producer of the first Superman movie sent his son off to search for a writer. The name of Alfred Bester came up. He wanted to focus the story on Clark Kent, the real hero, while Superman was only "his gun". Bester was devastated when the producer declined to hire an unknown writer and decided to go with Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather.
He died alone and was remembered at a convention that same year. Alfred Bester left everything to his bartender, who was surprised because he didn't even remember him.
* 18 December 1913 - born in New York City
* 1935 - received Bachelor of Arts from University of Pennsylvania
* 1936 - married Rolly Goulko
* 30 September 1987 - died
Bester published his first short story, "The Broken Axiom", in Thrilling Wonder Stories (April 1939) after winning an amateur story competition. This competition was arranged so he could have a start on the business. He already knew some people and had given to them some work to read, and they came up with the contest. He continued to publish short fiction, most noticeably in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction, and in 1942 he began working at DC Comics as a writer for Superman, Green Lantern, and other titles. After four years in the comics industry, he turned his attention to radio scripts, writing for The Shadow and Charlie Chan. He wrote the original Green Lantern Oath.
His short fiction was initially collected in Starburst (1958) and The Dark Side of the Earth (1964), with further collections appearing in the 1970s. His short stories, such as "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" (about unsuccessful atttempts to change history through time travel), cemented his reputation, but he is best known for two of his novels, The Demolished Man and Tiger! Tiger! (a.k.a. The Stars My Destination). (The title Tiger! Tiger! is a quotation from The Tyger by William Blake.)
Tiger! Tiger! had its origins in a newspaper clipping that Bester found, of a shipwrecked WW II sailor on a raft, who had drifted unrescued in the Pacific for days because passing ships thought he was a lure to bring them within torpedo range of a hidden submarine. From this germ grew the story of Gully Foyle, seeking revenge for his abandonment and causing havoc all about him: a science fictional re-telling of Alexander Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo with teleportation added to the mix. It has been described as an ancestor of cyberpunk.
The Demolished Man is a police procedural in which telepathy is relatively common; a major plot component is an obsessive tune that the protagonist has in his head to block his thoughts from casual scanning.
This novel is dedicated to H. L. Gold, the editor of Galaxy, who both published it and made a number of suggestions during its writing. Originally Bester wanted the title to be "Demolition!" but Gold talked him out of it.
One of the strengths of these novels is the skill with which Bester integrated his science-fictional elements into his future societies.
Bester stopped writing for Astounding when its editor, John Campbell, became too obsessed with L. Ron Hubbard and Dianetics, the forerunner to Scientology. He found then in H. L. Gold an editor and a good friend.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, he was chief literary editor of Holiday magazine. After the magazine ceased publication in the early 1970s, Bester returned to science fiction with more short stories and several more novels, although none captured the full brilliance he exhibited in his earlier period.
A radio adaptation of Tiger! Tiger! was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991, although this may have been a repeat broadcast. [1] (http://www.miranda-richardson.com/mrsound.html) lists the play as a 60-minute episode, but the original running time was almost certainly 90 minutes.
Bester wrote one mainstream novel in the 1950s, Who He? aka The Rat Race, in which a TV game show host, waking up after an alcoholic blackout, discovers that someone is out to destroy his life.
Notable short stories:
* "5,271,009", in which a character is placed within various science-fictional wish-fulfillment scenarios, and discovers the flaw in each (the Last Man on Earth, and no dentists...)
* "Fondly Fahrenheit", in which a malfunctioning android becomes murderously violent in hot weather
* "The Rollercoaster", written in the '50s, in which there's an unusual treatment of violence and time travel. Quite ahead of his time.
The producer of the first Superman movie sent his son off to search for a writer. The name of Alfred Bester came up. He wanted to focus the story on Clark Kent, the real hero, while Superman was only "his gun". Bester was devastated when the producer declined to hire an unknown writer and decided to go with Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather.
He died alone and was remembered at a convention that same year. Alfred Bester left everything to his bartender, who was surprised because he didn't even remember him.
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The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester ( 2000)
A group of idealistic immortals enlist the aid of Dr. Sequoya Guess, a Cherokee physicist, to take over Extro, the super computer that controls all mechanical activity on Earth, to rid the planet of all repression, but, instead, Extro gains control of Dr. Guess, who now must be eliminated. Reprint.
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Extro by Alfred Bester ( 1975) |
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The Flowered Thundermug by Alfred Bester ( 2008) |
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Golem 100 by Alfred Bester ( 1980)
In an American megacity of the future, a group of women, using their collective unconscious to raise the Devil, inadvertently generate a monster, Golem 100, which goes on a rampage of rape, torture, and murder.
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Golem One Hundred by Alfred Bester ( 1981) |
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Hell's Cartographers Some Personal Histories of Science Fiction Writers by Harry Harrison, Alfred Bester, Brian Wilson Aldiss ( 1975) |
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Irrealidades Virtuales by Alfred Bester ( 2003) |
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Psychoshop by Roger Zelazny, Alfred Bester ( 1998)
The Black Place of the Soul-Changer was doing business in Rome six centuries before Christ. It will probably be there on the last day of the cosmos. You might call it a pawnshop, but its sign has three gold infinity symbols instead of the usual balls, and its Latin motto, Res Ullus, translates as "anything". This is the Psychoshop, where you can dump any unwanted aspect of your spirit as long as you exchange it for something else - arcane knowledge, a change of luck, or a sixth sense. Just remember: All sales are final. In this genuinely mind-boggling novel, two of the most unfettered talents in speculative fiction envision a commercial establishment that attracts customers from Edgar Allan Poe to a sorcerer intent on fabricating the Beast of Revelations.
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Redemolished by Alfred Bester ( 2000)
A remarkable anthology of works from the late science fiction master includes Bester's never-before-printed prologue to his classic novel The Demolished Man, short fiction such as "Hell Is Forever" and "The Four Hour Fuge," and his writings on such celebrities as Isaac Asimov, Woody Allen, and Rex Stout. Original.
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Starlight The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester by Alfred Bester ( 1993)
A short story collection by science fiction master Alfred Bester.
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The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester ( 2007)
Gully Foyle has survived for 170 days in the airless purgatory of deep space. He escapes to Terra with a murderous grudge against the people who abandoned him and a secret that makes him the most valuable--and dangerous--man on Earth.
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Tender Loving Rage by Alfred Bester ( 1991)
This non-genre novel by science fiction visionary Bester was published posthumously and is about the world of advertising in New York City circa 1959.
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Virtual Unrealities The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester by Robert Silverberg, Byron Preiss, Alfred Bester, Keith R.A. DeCandido ( 1997)
"Dazzlement and enchantment are Besters methods. His stories never stand still a moment."--Damon Knight, author of Why Do Birds Alfred Bester took science fiction into hyperdrive, endowing it with a wit, speed, and narrative inventiveness that have inspired two generations of writers. And nowhere is Bester funnier, speedier, or more audacious than in these seventeen short stories--two of them previously unpublished--that have now been brought together in a single volume for the first time.Read about the sweet-natured young man whose phenomenal good luck turns out to be disastrous for the rest of humanity. Find out why tourists are flocking to a hellish little town in a post-nuclear Kansas. Meet a warlock who practices on Park Avenue and whose potions comply with the Pure Food and Drug Act. Make a deal with the Devil--but not without calling your agent. Dazzling, effervescent, sexy, and sardonic, Virtual Unrealities is a historic collection from one of science fiction's true pathbreakers. "Alfred Bester was one of the handful of writers who invented modern science fiction. "--Harry Harrison
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