Alfred Bester

Alfred Bester (born December 18, 1913 in New York City, died September 30, 1987) was a science fiction author and the winner of the first Hugo Award in 1953 for his novel The Demolished Man. Alfred Bester This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Note that this partial list contains some authors whose works of fantastic fiction would today be called science fiction, even if they predate, or did not work in that genre. ... The Hugo Award is given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy stories of the previous year, and for related areas in fandom, art and dramatic presentation. ... The Demolished Man is a science-fiction novel by Alfred Bester, and was the first Hugo Award winner in 1953. ...

Career

Bester attended the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1936 married Rolly Goulko. His first short story, "The Broken Axiom", was published 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 them some work to read, and they came up with the contest. He continued to publish short fiction, most notably 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. It is popularly believed that Bester wrote the version of the Green Lantern Oath that begins "In brightest day, In blackest night". However, when queried on this point by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre at the World Science Fiction Convention in Brighton, England in 1979, Bester stated that this oath was already in place before he began writing for that title. The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Wonder Stories was a science fiction pulp magazine which published 66 issues between 1930 and 1936, edited by Hugo Gernsback. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... John Wood Campbell, Jr. ... Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ... The current DC Comics logo, adopted in May 2005. ... Superman, aka Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938, and for several decades has been one of the most popular and well-known comic book icons of all-time. ... Cover to Green Lantern: Rebirth #6, art by Ethan Van Sciver. ... F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre (center) is seen here at the London offices of The Spectator with (left) Boris Johnson, Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames, and (right) Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro OBE, chairman of Richemont Holdings UK. Fergus (also Feargus) Gwynplaine MacIntyre. ... Worldcon, a. ...

Bester stopped writing for Astounding when its editor, John Campbell, became obsessed with L. Ron Hubbard and Dianetics, the forerunner to Scientology. Bester then found in H. L. Gold an editor and a good friend. John Wood Campbell, Jr. ... An official Church of Scientology portrait of L. Ron Hubbard, circa 1970 Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of the controversial Church of Scientology. ... Dianetics is a therapeutic method and a set of ideas about the nature and structure of the human mind developed primarily by L. Ron Hubbard in the late 1940s. ... Scientology is a belief system popularized in 1952 by author L. Ron Hubbard. ...

After four years in the comics industry, Bester turned his attention to radio scripts, writing for The Shadow, Nick Carter Master Detective, and Charlie Chan. His short fiction was initially collected in Starburst (1958) and The Dark Side of the Earth (1964), with further collections appearing in the 1970s, including Star Light, Star Bright. The Shadow, as seen on the cover of the July 15, 1939 issue of The Shadow Magazine. ... 1938 titlecard Number One Sons with the seat of his pants on fire (in the film) Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-Hawaiian detective created by Earl Derr Biggers, reportedly in part under inspiration from the career of Chang Apana. ... Star Light, Star Bright is the name of collection of science fiction short stories by Alfred Bester containing stories: Adam and No Eve Time Is the Traitor Oddie And Id Hobsons Choice Star Light, Star Bright They Dont Make Life Like They Used To Of Time and Third...

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 approached the full brilliance exhibited in his earlier period. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

His short stories, such as "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" (about unsuccessful attempts to change history through time travel), cemented his reputation, but he is best known for two of his novels, The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination (a.k.a. Tiger! Tiger!). Bester also 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. Bester's other novels include The Computer Connection aka Extro (1975), Golem100 (1980), and The Deceivers (1982). One of the strengths of his novels is the skill with which Bester integrated his science fiction elements into his future societies. Muhammad (c. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... The Demolished Man is a science-fiction novel by Alfred Bester, and was the first Hugo Award winner in 1953. ... Galaxy magazine cover from October 1956 The Stars My Destination (also called Tiger! Tiger!) is a science fiction novel by Alfred Bester, first published in Galaxy magazine in October 1956. ...

The producer of the 1978 Superman movie sent his son off to search for a writer. The name Alfred Bester came up. Bester wanted to focus the story on Clark Kent as 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. Superman, aka Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938, and for several decades has been one of the most popular and well-known comic book icons of all-time. ... Superman and his secret identity Clark Kent being portrayed as distinct individuals. ... Superman, aka Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938, and for several decades has been one of the most popular and well-known comic book icons of all-time. ... Mario Puzo Mario Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author known for his fictional books about the Mafia. ... Cover of The Godfather. ...

Important works

The Demolished Man

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. The police procedural is a sub-genre of the mystery story which tries to demonstrate accurately the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. ... Telepathy (from the Greek τηλε, tele, distant; and πάθεια, patheia, feeling) is the claimed innate ability of humans and other creatures to communicate information from one mind to another, without the use of extra tools such as speech or body language. ... Horace Leonard Gold (April 26, 1914 - February 21, 1996) was a science fiction writer and editor. ... The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein in Galaxy, Sept. ...

The Stars My Destination

The Stars My Destination had its origins in a newspaper clipping that Bester found about 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 fiction 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. Chapter Nine contains the line "Millions for nonsense, but not one cent for entropy," a parody of the Charles Cotesworth Pinckney quote: "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute." In Chapter Sixteen it becomes "Millions for defense, but not one cent for survival." Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ... Le comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) is a classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... It has been suggested that Materialization (science fiction) be merged into this article or section. ... Berlins Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ...

A radio adaptation of The Stars My Destination was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991, although this may have been a repeat broadcast. [1] lists the play as a 60-minute episode, but the original running time was almost certainly 90 minutes. Galaxy magazine cover from October 1956 The Stars My Destination (also called Tiger! Tiger!) is a science fiction novel by Alfred Bester, first published in Galaxy magazine in October 1956. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ...

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. Not only is the android psychotic, but its owner is also unstable and projects his emotions onto the android. This is emphasized in the story by a remarkable shifting of viewpoint between third-person, and first-person singular and plural from the POV of both the android and the owner.
• The Rollercoaster, written in the '50s, in which there's an unusual, ahead-of-his-time treatment of violence and time travel.

Homages to Bester

Bester has been memorialized by other science fiction writers in their own works. Notably, the character of Psi-Cop Alfred Bester is named after him (and the treatment of telepathy in Babylon 5 is similar to that in Bester's works), as is the time-travelling pest named Al Phee in Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon series. (Bester was known as "Alfie" to many of his friends.) Alfred Bester is the name of a fictional character in the television series Babylon 5, played by Walter Koenig. ... Telepathy (from the Greek τηλε, tele, distant; and πάθεια, patheia, feeling) is the claimed innate ability of humans and other creatures to communicate information from one mind to another, without the use of extra tools such as speech or body language. ... Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948 in New York City) is a Canadian science fiction writer. ... In the fictional universe of Spider Robinson, Callahans Place is a bar with strongly community-minded and empathic clientele. ...

In 1985, it was announced that Bester would be Guest of Honor at the 1987 World Science Fiction Convention, again to be held in Brighton. As the event neared, Bester was plainly too ill to attend, and Doris Lessing stepped in as a last-minute replacement. Bester died, alone, less than a month after the convention ... but not before learning that the Science Fiction Writers of America would honor him with their Grand Master Nebula award at their 1988 convention. Alfred Bester left everything to his bartender, who was surprised because he didn't even remember Bester. Worldcon, a. ... Doris Lessing, CH, OBE (born October 22, 1919), is a British writer, born Doris May Taylor in Kermanshah, Persia (Iran). ... Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA, (SFWA is pronounced seff-wah) was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight and James Blish. ... The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is an award given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. ...

F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre has written a series of stories — beginning with "Time Lines" (published in Analog, 1999) — about a time-traveling criminal named Smedley Faversham, who constantly runs afoul of a scientific principle called "Bester's Law". This term is MacIntyre's invention, but it is explicitly in homage to Alfred Bester's work: specifically, to Bester's 1958 story "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed". Bester's Law, as articulated by MacIntyre, states that a time-traveler who attempts to rewrite the past can only alter his or her own time-line, not anyone else's. Bester's Law is rigidly enforced by a legion of "time cops", whom MacIntyre's protagonist sneeringly refers to as "the Bester Boosters" and "the Bester-Busters". F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre (center) is seen here at the London offices of The Spectator with (left) Boris Johnson, Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames, and (right) Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro OBE, chairman of Richemont Holdings UK. Fergus (also Feargus) Gwynplaine MacIntyre. ... An analog or analogue signal is any continuously variable signal. ...

Media References

From Simpson's Episode "Lisa's Substitute," Springfield Elementary student, Martin, campaigning for class president: Lisas Substitute is the 19th episode of the second season of The Simpsons. ... Martin Prince Jr. ...

Martin: As your president, I would demand a science-fiction library, featuring the overlords of the genre: Asimov, Bester, Clarke!

Kid: What about Ray Bradbury?

Martin: (dismissingly) I am aware of his work.

External links

• Alfred Bester at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Alfred Bester Bibliography