Theodore Sturgeon

Theodore Sturgeon , from his true name Edward Waldo, was born the February 26th 1918 and died the May 8th 1985. It is an American writer of Fantastique and Science-fiction, whose talent was expressed through many news and some novels.

More than its style, the environment and the topics approached in its writings make this author a particular case in the universe of the SF and the fantastic one. Some speak rightly about a universe “Sturgeonien”. One finds in his writings of the traces of events of his own life which it explored in a “therapeutic” way almost to make some chiefs of works, where the human one always precedes…

Biography

Theodore Sturgeon was born with Staten Island, New York.

The life of Theodore Sturgeon was sentimentally somewhat animated: his/her parents divorced in 1927 whereas it had only 9 years and its mother remaria in 1929 with a Scottish emigrated professor, William Dicky Sturgeon, a father-in-law with whom it will never get along. This one obliged it to take its name and to change first name: Edward Hamilton Waldo will be called from now on Theodore Hamilton Sturgeon. It will use however thereafter its old name to sign some works. It is for example known under the pseudonyms of E. Hunter Waldo, E. Waldo Hunter (following an error of editor association) and Frederick R. Ewing.

Theodore Sturgeon Maria five times. Its successive wives were, in the order: Dorothy Fillingame (marriage in 1940/divorce in 1945), Mary Mair (1949/1951), Marion McGahan (1951/1965), Wina Bonnie Golden delicious (1969/1976) and Jayne Tannahill (1976/mort of Sturgeon). It had in all seven children.

It sold the rights of its first account in 1938 with the newspaper McClure' S Syndicate which bought to him the major part of its first writings, which were not included yet in the category of the fantastic one. The weather was its beginnings in the fantastic kind later one year. It started by writing many news intended for magazines of science fiction like Astounding Science Fiction and Unknown . He will write as a negro an episode of the adventures of the detective Ellery Queen, The Player one the Other Side (Random House, 1963).

The majority of works of Theodore Sturgeon have something of poetic and even, of elegiac. It was famous to use in its writings the technique of the " prose rythmique" who was to ensure his writing a certain metric regularity and allowed him to carry out subtle changes of atmosphere which escaped the conscience from the reader.

Theodore Sturgeon wrote scenarios for some episodes of Star Trek: an outing in the country ( Shore Leave , 1966) and Evil of the country ( Amok Time , 1967, published later in the shape of novel in 1978). This last episode is known for its invention of the Pon farr, the sexual ritual of the people Vulcan. Sturgeon also wrote several scenarios for episodes of Star Trek which were never produced and it is in one of these projects of scenario that for the first time celebrates it Directive First appears Starfleet. In 1975, it also wrote the episode entitled The Pylon Express , for the emission of Saturday morning Land off the Lost .

Although Theodore Sturgeon is well-known readers of the traditional anthologies of science fiction (it counted among the most popular authors of the kind in the United States in the years 1950) and that it profits from a recognition criticizes (John Clute written in his Encyclopédie of Science fiction : “It will influence durably authors like Harlan Ellison and Samuel R. Delany and will release by its life and its work the SF of after Second world war”), it remains little known general public and will gain relatively few literary prizes (the best of its literary production was published before the creation of the specialized prices). It strongly influenced great authors much more known than him such as Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut, whose character called Kilgore Trout returns directly to Theodore Sturgeon.

the basic principle of Sturgeon is: “Nothing is never absolutely as it should be. ”
Sturgeon also reveals us that: “Eighty ten percent of any thing are waste. ”, also called “Law Sturgeon”.
First corollary of the Law Sturgeon: “The existence of great quantities of trash in the science fiction is perhaps regrettable, but it is allowed, because not less natural than elsewhere. ”
Second corollary: “The best of the science fiction is as good as the best of any other field of fiction. ”

Rewards

Its work of writer was rewarded by several prices:

in 1954, it obtains the International Fantasy Award for more than human;
its news slow Sculpture brought back two prices to him: the Nebula price in 1970 and the Hugo price in 1971;
and in 1985, it receives the Life Achievement Award for the whole of its work.

Works

Novels

Cristal which thinks (ISBN 2290340871): transl. of American by Alain original Glatigny.Titer: The Dreaming Jewels.
more than human: translated from American by Michel Chrestien. Titrate original: More than Human.
the professor and the teddy bear: novel; anthology established by Marianne Leconte.
Venus more X: transl. of American by Jean-Pierre Carasso.

Autobiographical text

Argyll

Collections of news

Love, odd and misses : collection of news; composed by Marianne Leconte.
the Heart disintegrated (ISBN 227723074X): news; translated from American by Roland Delouya. Titrate original: Sturgeon in Orbit .
the Man who lost the sea : eight news.
Jellyfish : collection of four news; chosen and prepared by Marianne Leconte; transl. of Mary Rosenthal.
superb Dreams of Theodore Sturgeon : eleven accounts of fantastic and science fiction/chosen and presented by Alain Dorémieux.
the Witch of the marsh : news; anthology established by Stephan Bourgoin.
secret Symbols : accounts of science fiction; chosen, presented and transl. by Alain Dorémieux.
Killdozer; The cosmic rape (ISBN 2290332895): French text of Georges H. Gallet. Collection of the two news.
Children of Sturgeon : collection of news, anthology prepared by Marianne Leconte.
Talents of Xanadu (ISBN 227711829X): transl. of American by Michel Deutsch. Titrate original: The Worlds off Theodore Sturgeon . Collection of seven news.

Some of its news

microcosmic Ca
God
Hier it
the Witch of the marsh
the Stick of Miouhou
the Hands of Bianca
And the lightning and the pinks
the Marvellous adventure of the baby Hurkle
If all the men were brothers, would you allow me was Monday to marry your sister?
slow Sculpture
the man who lost the sea
Faites me place
a foot in the tomb
the Island of the nightmares
Cargaison
the absolute egoist

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