John W. Campbell

John Wood Campbell, Jr (June 8th 1910, Newark - July 11th 1971, New York) was a American writer and an editor association of magazines of Science-fiction. As writer, it was illustrated mainly in the kind of the Space operated, using sometimes the pseudonym of Gift A. Stuart which it held for his most innovative stories published in the Pulps magazines. However, it is while directing the Magazine Astounding Stories , function which it occupied of the end of the year 1937 until its death in 1971, qu ' it exerted a determining influence on the evolution of the kind. John W. Campbell is indeed generally recognized as being one of the major figures of gold the Àge of the science fiction which one commonly makes begin with the publication from the number from July 1939 D Astounding Stories . About it, Isaac Asimov known as of him in its Autobiographie that it constituted “the main force that science fiction ever knew and which, during the first ten years of its function of editor association, it completely dominated the field. ” However, at the time of its death, suddenly and unexpected, after thirty-four years with the direction of Astounding Stories , its curious temperament and its sometimes eccentric requirements had been worth the enmity of certain authors to him among most famous, in particular Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, which had ceased wanting to work with him.

Biography

John W. Campbell was born in 1910 with Newark in the New Jersey. His/her father, who followed the occupation of electrical engineer, was a cold and not very prodigal character in gestures of affection. Contrary, his/her Dorothy mother (born Strahern) was cordial but whimsical mood. She had moreover a twin sister whom she often met and which hated John. He made off his studies in Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT), where he had like friend Norbert Wiener, one of the founders of the Cybernétique. He started to write at eighteen years and quickly came from there to sell its first stories. Àvant which it reached the age of blackjack years, he was already a recognized author of the readers of pulps of space opera but had been constrained to leave MIT because of a failure to a German test. It was registered then during a year with the university of Duke where it obtains a diploma of physics in 1932. Raising the passage of Campbell in this school, Asimov stresses that it at that time accommodated there the famous researcher in extrasensory perception Joseph B. the Rhine and that could influence the opinions of Campbell on the subject. The writer Damon Knight described it like “an imposing man with fair hair and raids and a fixed and provocative glance”. Campbell would have also declared to him that it was not sure to continue to direct Astounding very a long time because, being a nuclear physicist, it could turn over to exert her trade at any time. He married Dona Stewart in 1931, which he divorced in 1949 to marry in second wedding Margaret (Peg) Winter in 1950. He remained during the major part of his life in the New Jersey where he is deceased in 1971 in his house “quietly, quickly, without pain, whereas he had sat in front of his television. ”

Career of writer

At the beginning of the Years 1930, it writes stories of science fictions which compete with those written by E.E. Smith. A little later he writes, under the name of feather Don A. Stuart , of more moderated stories, such as Twilight and Forgetfulness . Is its best history Who Goes There? which describes the discovery in the Antarctic, by a group of researchers, of extraterrestrial protean animated desire to destroy. The films the Thing of another world and The Thing take as a starting point this history.

From 1938 to 1971, it publishes the first texts of Robert A. Heinlein, of A.E. van Vogt, of L. Sprague de Camp and several other known authors of science fiction, just like it encourages Isaac Asimov to produce several stories belonging to the Cycle of Foundation. From 1939 to 1943, it publishes the review of Fantasy Unknown .

He is recognized for his daring leading articles which, sometimes, supported certain hazardous assumptions, perhaps with an aim of causing ideas for future Nouvelle S. a Anthologie of these leading articles is published besides in 1966. On several occasions, it suggests ideas of history to the authors, and orders even news which corresponds to the drawings on cover page, those being already bought.

During the years 1950, it develops an interest shown for alternative theories, the such Dean engine which develop a force in dissension with the third law of Newton, and the apparatus of Hieronymous which could supposément amplify the parapsychlogic capacities . Besides it publishes several stories on the Télépathie and other gifts. It is for this period that it is interested in the Dianétique of L. Ron. Hubbard, going until publishing leading articles in its favor.

Between on December 11th, 1957 and on June 13rd, 1958, it animates a weekly radio program of science fiction which is entitled Exploring Tomorrow . Gordon Dickson and Robert Silverberg, inter alia, writes several scripts for the emission. Certain scripts are still available.

Isaac Asimov required of Campbell why it ceased writing fiction after being become editor of Astounding Stories . This one retorted: “Isaac, when I write, I do nothing but write my own history. As an editor, I write the stories that hundreds of people write. ”

Two prices are distributed in its honor: the Price John Wood Campbell Memorial and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Works (extracted)

(English)

Beyond the End off Space , (Share. 1 & 2), 1933
Conquest off the Planets , (Share. 1,2 & 3), 1935
Trilling Wonder Stories , magazine published by campbell

Brain Stealers off Mars , 1936 (news)

Unknown magazine , (1939-1940) magazine published by campbell (Street & Smith Publications Inc)
Astounding Unknown , (1940-1943) magazine published by campbell
Astounding Science Fiction , (1939-1960) magazine published by campbell

Uncertainty (Share. 1 & 2), 1936
Forgetfulness , 1937

Who Goes There? , 1938 is new writes by Campbell, who gives the film The Thing From Another World , of Howard Hawks in 1951

Alan Dean Foster récrit Who Goes There? and gives the title The Thing , 1981

Bill Lancaster récrit the scenario for The Thing , 1981 of John Carpenter.

Dead Knowledge , 1938
The Moon Is Hell , 1951,
Invaders From the Infinity, 1961
Twilight , 1965
The Ultimate Weapon , 1966
All , 1976
Marooned , 1976
The Space Beyond , 1976

(French)

Astounding Stories

the best accounts of Astounding Science Fiction - Period 1 1934 - 1937 (jai read edition) Jacques Sadoul
the best accounts of Astounding Science Fiction - Period 2 1938 - 1945 (jai read edition)

the Sky is Mort , 1938 (jai read edition)

Film adaptations

the Thing of another world (1951)
The Thing (1982)

External bonds

Articles
Bibliography
Bibliography
Bibliography
on Astounding

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