NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Robert Sheckley

Robert Sheckley (July 16, 1928 – December 9, 2005) was an American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical. is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Poughkeepsie City of Poughkeepsie Town of Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie, Arkansas This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about work. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... 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. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The Theatre of the Absurd is a phrase used in reference to particular plays written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work. ...

Sheckley was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001. There are those who were shocked he was not given the Grand Master Award instead. Commented one scholar, "Kingsley Amis's critical overview of Science Fiction named Sheckley as our field's brightest light. But Sheckley was a humorist, and nowadays this is how our Mark Twains are treated."^{[citation needed]} Author Emeritus award is an honorary title bestowed by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. ... Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA (pronounced // or //), was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight. ... The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is an award given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. ... Sir Kingsley William Amis (April 16, 1922 â€“ October 22, 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. ...

Biography

Robert Sheckley was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. He was in the U.S. Army from 1946 to 1948 and served in Korea. He then attended New York University. In 1951 he began to sell stories to science-fiction magazines, eventually producing several hundred short stories and novels. He also wrote episodes of the TV series Captain Video. For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Maplewood is the name of several places in the United States of America: Maplewood, Minnesota Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood, Ohio This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... â€œNJâ€ redirects here. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Video Ranger and Captain Video in space suits at the controls of the X-9 Captain Video and His Video Rangers was an American science fiction television series. ...

In the 1970s he lived on the Spanish island of Ibiza. He then returned to New York City as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine. After leaving OMNI in 1981 he lived and wrote in the Florida Everglades, Manhattan again, Paris, France, Ibiza again, Connecticut, Portland, Oregon and Red Hook, New York. Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... â€œEbususâ€ redirects here. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The cover of the January 1991 issue of Omni. ...

Until his death in 2005, Robert Sheckley continued to write at his home in Red Hook, New York. His early pen names included Phillips Barbee and Finn O'Donnevan. Sheckley's first four marriages (to Barbara Scadron, Ziva Kwitney, Abby Schulman and writer Jay Rothbell Sheckley) ended in divorce. At the time of his death, he was separated from his fifth wife, Gail Dana. His son, Jason, is from his first marriage, and daughter Alisa Kwitney is from his second. His daughter Anya, and his son Jed, came from his third marriage. Alisa Kwitney is a novelist, the author of Till the Fat Lady Sings (1991), The Dominant Blonde (2002) and Does She or Doesn't She? (2003). Red Hook is a town in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 10,408 at the 2000 census. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... Alisa Kwitney is an American author. ...

During a 2005 visit to Ukraine for the Ukrainian Sci-Fi Computer Week, an international event for science fiction writers, Sheckley fell ill and had to be hospitalized in Kiev on April 27, 2005.^[1] His condition was very serious for one week, but he appeared to be slowly recovering. Russian news sources referred to him as "The unkillable Robert Sheckley". Sheckley's official website ran a fundraising campaign to help cover Sheckley's treatment and his return to the United States. However, only a large donation from a Ukrainian businessman allowed him to pay the hospital bill and return home. In New York he also underwent open heart surgery. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: , Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587 ft) Population (2006) - City 4,450,968 - Density 3,299/kmÂ² (8,544. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Robert Sheckley had vowed he would write fiction until slumped dead over the typewriter. Indeed, he was still writing the last day he was conscious.

On November 20 he had surgery for a brain aneurysm. He died in a Poughkeepsie hospital on December 9, 2005. is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A cerebral aneurysm or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. ... Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie, New York (City) Poughkeepsie, New York (Town) Poughkeepsie, Arkansas This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Works and influence

Typical Sheckley stories include "Bad Medicine" (in which a man is mistakenly treated by a psychotherapy machine indended for Martians), "Protection" (whose protagonist is warned of deadly danger unless he avoids an act that is never explained to him), and "The Accountant" (in which a family of wizards learns that their son has been taken from them by a more sinister trade). In many stories Sheckley speculates about alternative (and usually sinister) social orders, of which a good example is the story "A Ticket to Tranai" (that tells of a sort of Utopia adapted for the human nature as it is, rather than the human nature as some idealists believe it should be). For other uses, see Utopia (disambiguation). ...

One of his early works, the 1953 Galaxy short story "Seventh Victim," was the basis for the film The 10th Victim, also known by the original Italian title, La Decima Vittima. The film starred Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress. A novelization of the film, also written by Sheckley, was published in 1966. The story is an inspiration for the role-playing game Assassin. Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein in Galaxy, Sept. ... The 10th Victim (Original title: La decima vittima) is an Italian cult science fiction film directed by Elio Petri in 1965. ... Marcello Mastroianni in 1958 Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (September 28, 1924 â€“ December 19, 1996) was an Italian film actor. ... Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss actress and a major sex symbol of the 1960s. ... See also: 1965 in literature, other events of 1966, 1967 in literature, list of years in literature. ... For other uses, see Assassin (disambiguation). ...

Another novel, Immortality, Inc. — about a world in which the afterlife could be obtained via a scientific process — was very loosely adapted into a film, the 1992 Freejack, starring Mick Jagger, Emilio Estevez, Rene Russo, and Anthony Hopkins. Immortality, Inc. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Freejack is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Geoff Murphy. ... Michael Phillip Mick Jagger CBE (born July 26, 1943) is an English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. ... Emilio EstÃ©vez (born May 12, 1962) is an American actor, director and writer. ... Rene Russo Rene Russo (born February 17, 1954 in Burbank, California, USA) is an American film actress and model. ... For the composer, see Antony Hopkins. ...

His 1954 story Ghost V and 1955 story The Lifeboat Mutiny were adapted in two episodes of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World.^[2]

His 1958 short story "The Prize of Peril" was adapted in 1970 as the German TV movie Das Millionenspiel,^[3] and again in 1983 as the French movie Le Prix du Danger. Written about a man who goes on a TV show in which he must evade people out to kill him for a week in order to win a large cash prize, it is perhaps the first-ever published work predicting the advent of reality television. Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Le Prix du Danger is a 1983 French science fiction movie, directed by Yves Boisset. ... Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. ...

Regrading the "The Prize of Peril" being strikingly similar to The Running Man by Stephen King (written so much later and made into a popular movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and other influences, Martin Olson says: "Bob Sheckley told me he was surprised at Running Man because it was so close to The Prize of Peril. Sheckley said King was apparently a fan of his, so I asked Bob how he handled it. He said he wrote out a list of all the similarities between the two stories and then called King on the phone. He said King was surprised and said he didn't remember reading The Prize of Peril. Sheckley really had nowhere to go after that and the conversation was over. Sheckley didn't characterize King as a thief or as not as nice guy, but he told me King probably read it and forgot about it, and then was too embarrassed because he'd accidentally stolen from Sheckley, a writer he liked." The Running Man (1982) is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, written under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. ... Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror novels. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California. ...

"Douglas Adams also claimed not to have read Sheckley before writing Hitchhiker. Him I don't believe at all, there are so many things lifted from Sheckley it's ridiculous."

"But regardless of whether King read The Prize of Peril and forgot or whatever, Sheckley wasn't resentful of King and just shrugged it off. Too bad King didn't have the good will to write him a check!"

A number of Sheckley's works, both as Sheckley and as Finn O'Donnevan, were also adapted for the radio show X Minus One in the late 1950s, including the above-mentioned "Seventh Victim", "Bad Medicine" and "Protection". Some listeners to Robert Heinleins Universe had previously read the story in Dells 1951 paperback edition. ... See also the unreleated science fiction short Seventh Victim (short story) The Seventh Victim is a black-and-white film produced by now famed film producer Val Lewton. ...

In the 1990s, Sheckley wrote a well-received series of three mystery novels featuring detective Hob Draconian, as well as novels set in the worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Alien. Before his death, Sheckley had been commissioned to write an original novel based upon the TV series The Prisoner for Powys Media but died before completing the manuscript. Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... This article is about the first film in a series. ... The Prisoner is a 1967 UK allegorical science fiction television series starring Patrick McGoohan. ...

His novel Dimension of Miracles is often cited as an influence on Douglas Adams, although in an interview for Neil Gaiman's book Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion, Adams claimed not to have read it until after writing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas NoÃ«l Adams (11 March 1952 â€“ 11 May 2001) was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ...

Opinions on Sheckley's work

Douglas NoÃ«l Adams (11 March 1952 â€“ 11 May 2001) was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. ... Brian Wilson Aldiss (born August 18, 1925 in East Dereham, Norfolk) is a prolific English author of both general fiction and science fiction. ... Sir Kingsley William Amis (April 16, 1922 â€“ October 22, 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. ... James Graham Ballard (born 15 November 1930 in Shanghai) is a British writer. ... Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism. ...

Bibliography

Science fiction and fantasy novels

Immortality, Inc. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Status Civilization is a science fiction novel by Robert Sheckley, first published in 1960. ... See also: 1959 in literature, other events of 1960, 1961 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1962 in literature, other events of 1963, 1964 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The 10th Victim (Original title: La decima vittima) is an Italian cult science fiction film directed by Elio Petri in 1965. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... A body swap is a storytelling device seen in a variety of fiction, most often in TV shows and movies, in which two people (or beings) exchange minds and end up in each others bodies. ... See also: 1965 in literature, other events of 1966, 1967 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cover for the 1975 UK edition Options is a 1975 absurdist science fiction novel by Robert Sheckley. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Harry Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey, March 12, 1925 in Stamford, Connecticut) is an American science fiction author who has lived in many parts of the world including Mexico, England, Denmark and Italy. ... See also: 1989 in literature, other events of 1990, 1991 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... See also: 1996 in literature, other events of 1997, 1998 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1998 in literature, other events of 1999, 2000 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1999 in literature, other events of 2000, 2001 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 2000 in literature, other events of 2001, 2002 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

Millennial Contest series (with Roger Zelazny)

Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 â€“ June 14, 1995) was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. ... See also: 1990 in literature, other events of 1991, 1992 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1992 in literature, other events of 1993, 1994 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books. ...

Mystery and espionage novels

See also: 1964 in literature, other events of 1965, 1966 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Condorman is a 1981 comedy/adventure film from Walt Disney Productions starring Michael Crawford. ...

Stephen Dain series

Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

Hob Draconian series

Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

Other works

See also: 1961 in literature, other events of 1962, 1963 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

Short story collections

Untouched by Human Hands (no ISBN) is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley, published in 1954. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1959 in literature, other events of 1960, 1961 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1967 in literature, other events of 1968, 1969 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley, published in 1972. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... See also: 1978 in literature, other events of 1979, 1980 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... See also: 1983 in literature, other events of 1984, 1985 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Atlas Comics Uncanny Tales #48 (Oct. ... See also: 2002 in literature, other events of 2003, 2004 in literature, list of years in literature. ... // Events February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation. ...

Books as editor

After the Fall is the (presumed) final book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... See also: 1979 in literature, other events of 1980, 1981 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1993 in literature, other events of 1994, 1995 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

Notes

Brian Wilson Aldiss, OBE, (born August 18, 1925 in East Dereham, Norfolk) is a prolific English author of both general fiction and science fiction. ... David Wingrove (born September 1954 in North Battersea, London) is a British science fiction writer. ...

External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | 1928 births | 2005 deaths | American fantasy writers | American mystery writers | American science fiction writers | People from Dutchess County, New York | People from New York City | Postmodern literature | American military personnel of the Korean War | Worldcon Guests of Honor Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... The Internet Speculative Fiction Database is a database of bibliographic information on science fiction and related genres such as fantasy fiction and horror fiction. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA (pronounced // or //), was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight. ... Edward Summer is a true polymath. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Poughkeepsie City of Poughkeepsie Town of Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie, Arkansas This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Contents

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