Science Fiction Research Project - Facts About Science Fiction
1.Arguably the inspiration for much science fiction traces back to classical mythology. Think of it—Earthlings abducted by beings from the sky, humans morphing into strange creatures, and events that defy the laws of nature.
2.Writers for the early pulp magazines would often write under multiple pseudonyms so they could have more than one article per issue. Ray Bradbury—taking this practice to another level—used six different pen names.
3.Prominent physicists and space travel pioneers have (often secretly) contributed to SF lit. German rocket genius Wernher Von Braun wrote space fiction and was an adviser to sci-fi movies such as Conquest of Space.
4.During the 1960s, James Tiptree Jr. penned sci-fi classics like Houston, Houston, Do You Read? but was so secretive that people suspected he was a covert government operative.
5.At age 61, Tiptree was outed—not as a spy but as outspoken feminist Alice B. Sheldon.
6.Irony alert: Ray Bradbury, one of the world’s most influential SF writers, studiously avoids computers and ATMs and claims he has never driven a car.
7.Sci-fi author Gene Wolfe helped develop the machine that cooks Pringles, while Robert Heinlein conceived the first modern water bed. Sexual liberation plays a big role in Heinlein’s books, which really puts the water-bed thing into perspective.
8.When sci-fi visionary Philip K. Dick inadvertently re-created a Bible scene in his book Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, he became convinced that the spirit of the prophet Elijah had overcome him, kicking off a long bout of schizophrenia. After Dick’s death, fans built an android likeness of him that mimicked his mannerisms and quoted his writings. In 2005, the Dickbot was misplaced by a baggage handler. It remains at large.
From this article, I picked some of the more interesting facts. I think this idea of writers using pseudonyms is really interesting. I think also one of the main points of interest that this article brings up is actual facts about the sci-fir writers themselves which is really interesting as obviously a lot of this things would have impacted the stories these writers created.
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