John Kilian Houston Brunner (24 September 1934 – 25 August 1995) was a British author of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novels and stories. His 1968 novel '' Stand on Zanzibar'', about an overpopulated world, won the 1969

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

for best science fiction novel, and the

BSFA award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

the same year. '' The Jagged Orbit'' won the BSFA award in 1970.

Life

Brunner was born in 1934 in

Preston Crowmarsh Preston Crowmarsh is a hamlet in Benson civil parish in South Oxfordshire. It is on the River Thames north of Wallingford. The river can be crossed on foot here at Benson Lock Benson Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, c ...

, near Wallingford in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

, and went to school at St Andrew's Prep School, Pangbourne. He did his upper studies at

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Hugget ...

. He wrote his first novel, ''Galactic Storm'', at 17, and published it under the pen-name Gill Hunt. He did not start writing full-time until 1958, some years after his military service. He served as an officer in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

from 1953 to 1955. He married Marjorie Rosamond Sauer on 12 July 1958. Brunner had an uneasy relationship with British new wave writers, who often considered him too American in his settings and themes. He attempted to shift to a more mainstream readership in the early 1980s, without success. Before his death, most of his books had fallen out of print. Brunner accused publishers of a conspiracy against him, although he was known to be difficult to deal with (his wife, Marjorie Brunner, had handled his publishing relations before she died). Brunner's health began to decline in the 1980s and worsened with the death of his wife in 1986. He remarried, to Li Yi Tan, on 27 September 1991. He died of a heart attack in Glasgow on 25 August 1995, while attending the

World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, durin ...

there.

Literary works

At first writing conventional

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soc ...

, Brunner later began to experiment with the novel form. His 1968 novel '' Stand on Zanzibar'' exploits the fragmented organizational style that American writer

John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his ''U.S.A.'' trilogy. Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a young man, visit ...

created for his ''

USA trilogy The ''U.S.A.'' trilogy is a series of three novels by American writer John Dos Passos, comprising the novels ''The 42nd Parallel'' (1930), ''1919'' (1932) and ''The Big Money'' (1936). The books were first published together in a volume titled ' ...

'', but updates it in terms of the theory of media popularised by Canadian academic

Marshall McLuhan Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his ...

, a major cultural figure of the period. '' The Jagged Orbit'' (1969) is set in a United States dominated by weapons proliferation and interracial violence. Its 100 numbered chapters vary in length from a single syllable to several pages. '' The Sheep Look Up'' (1972) depicts ecological catastrophe in America. Brunner is credited with coining the term "

worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...

" (in computing) and predicting the emergence of

computer virus A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a comput ...

es in his 1975 novel '' The Shockwave Rider'', in which he used the term to describe software which reproduces itself across a computer network. Brunner's work has also been credited for prefiguring modern developments such as

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

online encyclopedia An online encyclopedia, also called an Internet encyclopedia, or a digital encyclopedia, is an encyclopedia accessible through the internet. Examples include Wikipedia and ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Digitization of old content In January 199 ...

s, the

legalization of cannabis The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

, and the development of

Viagra Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...

. These four novels ''Stand on Zanzibar'' (1968), ''The Jagged Orbit'' (1969), ''The Sheep Look Up'' (1972) and ''The Shockwave Rider'' (1975), have been called the "Club of Rome Quartet", named after the

Club of Rome The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy. It consists ...

, whose 1972 report ''

The Limits to Growth ''The Limits to Growth'' (''LTG'') is a 1972 report that discussed the possibility of exponential economic and population growth with finite supply of resources, studied by computer simulation. The study used the World3 computer model to simula ...

'' warned of the dire effects of overpopulation. Brunner's pen names include K. H. Brunner (Kilian Houston Brunner), Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Ellis Quick, Henry Crosstrees Jr., and Keith Woodcott. In addition to his fiction, Brunner wrote poetry and published many unpaid articles in a variety of venues, particularly

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...

s. He also published 13 letters to the ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publish ...

'' and an article about the educational relevance of science fiction in ''

Physics Education Physics education refers to the methods currently used to teach physics. Physics Education Research refers to an area of pedagogical research that seeks to improve those methods. Historically, physics has been taught at the high school and colle ...

''.John Brunner, "The educational relevance of science fiction", ''Physics Education'' (1971), volume 6, pp. 389–391. Brunner was an active member of the organisation

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuc ...

and wrote the words to "The H-Bomb's Thunder", which was sung on the

Aldermaston Marches The Aldermaston marches were anti- nuclear weapons demonstrations in the 1950s and 1960s, taking place on Easter weekend between the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire, England, and London, over a distance of fifty- ...

. He was a linguist, translator, and Guest of Honour at the first European Science Fiction Convention ''Eurocon-1'' in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into pr ...

in 1972.

Film and TV

Brunner wrote the screenplay for the science fiction film ''

The Terrornauts ''The Terrornauts'' is a 1967 British science fiction film produced by Amicus Productions. The film is based on '' The Wailing Asteroid'' by Murray Leinster, adapted for screen by John Brunner. Synopsis Project Star Talk is based at a UK rad ...

'' (1967) by

Amicus Productions Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg. Films Prior to establish ...

. Two of his short stories, "Some Lapse of Time" and "The Last Lonely Man", were adapted as TV plays in the BBC science fiction series ''

Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science fi ...

'', in series 1 (1965) and series 3 (1969), respectively.

Works

Two complete science adventure books 1953sum n9

Science fiction and fantasy novels

* ''Galactic Storm'' (1951) (as Gill Hunt) * ''Threshold of Eternity'', Ace D-335 (1959) * ''The 100th Millennium'', Ace D-362 (1959); based on "Earth Is But a Star", revised as ''Catch a Falling Star'', Ace G-761 (1968) * ''

Echo in the Skull ''Echo in the Skull'' is a science-fiction novel by British novelist John Brunner, first published in the United States by Ace Books as part of Ace Double #D-385. In 1974 Brunner had an expanded version of the story published as ''Give Warning ...

'', Ace D-385 (1959); revised as '' Give Warning to the World'', DAW 112 (1974) * '' The World Swappers'', Ace D-391 (1959) * ''The Brink'', Gollancz (1959) * '' Slavers of Space'', Ace D-421 (1960); revised as '' Into the Slave Nebula'', Lancer (1968) * ''The Skynappers'', Ace D-457 (1960) * ''The Atlantic Abomination'', Ace D-465 (1960) * ''Sanctuary in the Sky'', Ace D-471 (1960) * ''I Speak for Earth'', Ace D-497 (1961) (as Keith Woodcott) * ''Meeting at Infinity'', Ace D-507 (1961) * '' Secret Agent of Terra'', Ace F-133 (1962); revised as '' The Avengers of Carrig'',

Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...

(1969). Book 1 of the "Zarathustra Refugee Planets" series. * '' The Super Barbarians'', Ace D-547 (1962) * ''The Ladder in the Sky'', Ace F-141 (1962) (as Keith Woodcott) * ''The Dreaming Earth'', Pyramid F-829 (1963); revision of 1961 serial "Put Down This Earth" * ''The Psionic Menace'', Ace F-199 (1963) (as Keith Woodcott) * '' Listen! The Stars!'', Ace F-215 (1963); revised as '' The Stardroppers'', DAW 23 (1972) * '' The Astronauts Must Not Land'', Ace F-227 (1963); revised in 1973 as '' More Things in Heaven'', Dell (1973) * ''The Space-Time Juggler'', Ace F-227 (1963); also published as ''The Wanton of Argus'' * ''Castaways' World'', Ace F-242 (1963); revised as ''

Polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

'', DAW UQ1089 (1974). Book 2 of the "Zarathustra Refugee Planets" series. * ''The Rites of Ohe'', Ace F-242 (1963) * '' To Conquer Chaos'', Ace F-277 (1964), DAW 422 (1981) * ''Endless Shadow'', Ace F-299 (1964); revised as ''Manshape'', DAW 498) * '' The Whole Man'', Ballantine (1964); also published as ''Telepathist'', Faber and Faber (1965) * ''

The Martian Sphinx ''The Martian Sphinx'' is a science fiction novel by John Brunner, writing under the pen-name of Keith Woodcott. It was first published in the United States by Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books fou ...

'', Ace F-320 (1965) (as Keith Woodcott) * ''Enigma from Tantalus'', Ace M-115 (1965) * ''The Repairmen of Cyclops'', Ace M-115 (1965). Book 3 of the "Zarathustra Refugee Planets" series. * ''The Altar on Asconel'', Ace M-123 (1965) (serialised as "The Altar at Asconel") * ''The Day of the Star Cities'', Ace F-361 (1965); revised as ''Age of Miracles'', Ace (1973), Sidgwick & Jackson (1973) * ''

The Long Result ''The Long Result'' is a 1965 science fiction novel by British writer John Brunner. Plot summary In the future, the human race has developed interstellar travel and has encountered other sentient races, none of whom have developed interstella ...

'', Faber & Faber (1965), Ballantine U2329 (1966), Penguin 2804 (1968) * '' The Squares of the City'', Ballantine (1965), Penguin 2686 (1969) * ''A Planet of Your Own'', Ace G-592 (1966) * '' The Productions of Time'', Signet (1967), Penguin 3141 (1970), DAW 261 (1977) * ''Born Under Mars'', Ace G-664 (1967) * ''Quicksand'', Doubleday (1967), Bantam S4212 (1969), DAW 1245 (1976) * ''Bedlam Planet'', Ace G-709 (1968), Del Rey (1982) * '' Stand on Zanzibar'', Doubleday (1968), Ballantine 01713 (1969), Arrow (1971), Millennium (1999), Orb (2011) * ''The Evil That Men Do'', Belmont (1969) * '' Double, Double'', Ballantine 72019 (1969) * '' The Jagged Orbit'', Ace Special (1969), Sidgwick & Jackson (1970), DAW 570 (1984), Gollancz (2000) * ''Timescoop'', Dell 8916 (1969), Sidgwick & Jackson (2972), DAW 599 (1984) * ''The Gaudy Shadows'', Constable (1970), Beagle (9171) * ''The Wrong End of Time'', Doubleday (1971), DAW 61 (1973) * ', Ace (1972), New English Library (1974), Del Rey (1982) * '' The Sheep Look Up'', Harper & Row (1972), Ballantine (1973), Quartet (1977) * ''The Stone That Never Came Down'', Doubleday (1973), DAW 133 (1984), New English Library (1976) * ''Total Eclipse'', Doubleday (1974), DAW 162 (1975), Orbit (1976) * '' Web of Everywhere'', Bantam (1974), New English Library (1977). Also published as ''The Webs of Everywhere'', Del Rey (1983) * '' The Shockwave Rider'', Harper & Row (1975), Ballantine (1976), Orbit (1977) * ''

The Infinitive of Go ''The Infinitive of Go'' is a 1980 science fiction novel by British writer John Brunner. Synopsis The novel revolves around a teleportation technology which is being developed. The first test is an abject failure. Faced with termination of the ...

'', Del Rey (1980), Magnum (1981) * '' Players at the Game of People'', Del Rey (1980) * '' The Crucible of Time'', Del Rey (1983), Arrow (1984) * '' The Tides of Time'', Del Rey (1984), Penguin (1986) * ''The Shift Key'', Methuen (1987) * ''

Children of the Thunder ''Children of the Thunder'' is a 1988 science fiction novel by John Brunner John Brunner may refer to: * Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet (1842–1919), British industrialist and Liberal Member of Parliament * John L. Brunner (1929–1980), Pen ...

'', Del Rey (1989), Orbit (1990) * '' A Maze of Stars'', Del Rey (1991) * ''

Muddle Earth ''Muddle Earth'' is a children's novel by Paul Stewart, published in 2003, and illustrated by Chris Riddell. It is largely a parody of ''The Lord of the Rings'' by J. R. R. Tolkien. Like ''LOTR'' it is divided into three sections: ''Engleber ...

'', Del Rey (1993)

Spy

Max Curfew Series * ''A Plague on Both Your Causes'', Hodder & Stoughton (1969). Also published as ''Backlash'', Pyramid T-2107 (1969) * ''Good Men Do Nothing'', Hodder & Stoughton (1971), Pyramid T2443 (1971) * ''Honky in the Woodpile'', Constable (1971)

Collections

* ''No Future in It'', Gollancz (1962). Doubleday (1964), Panther (1965), Curtis (1969) * '' Times Without Number'', Ace F-161 (1962); revised and expanded Ace (1969) * ''Now Then!'', Mayflower-Dell (1965). Also published as ''Now Then'', Avon (1968) * ''No Other Gods But Me'', Compact F317 (1966) * ''Out of My Mind'', Ballantine (1967); abridged variant, NEL (1968) * ''

Not Before Time ''Not Before Time'' () is a collection of science fiction short stories by John Brunner John Brunner may refer to: * Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet (1842–1919), British industrialist and Liberal Member of Parliament * John L. Brunner (1929–19 ...

'', NEL (1968) * '' The Traveler in Black'', Ace Special (1971); revised and expanded by one story as '' The Compleat Traveller in Black'', Bluejay (1986) * ''From This Day Forward'', Doubleday (1972), DAW 72 (1973) * '' Entry to Elsewhen'', DAW 26 (1972) * ''Time-Jump'', Dell (1973) * ''The Book of John Brunner'', DAW 177 (1976) * ''Interstellar Empire'', DAW 208 (1976); a collection of a novella and two "

Ace Double American company Ace Books began publishing genre fiction starting in 1952. Initially these were mostly in tête-bêche format with the ends of the two parts meeting in the middle and with a divider between them which functioned as the rear cover ...

" halves: ''The Altar on Asconel'', "The Man from the Big Dark" and ''The Space-Time Juggler'' (under the title of ''The Wanton of Argus'') * ''Foreign Constellations'', Everest House (1980) * '' The Best of John Brunner'', Del Rey (1988) * ''Victims of the Nova'', Arrow (1989). Complete Zarathustra Refugee Planets series. Omnibus of ''

'', '' Secret Agent of Terra'' and ''The Repairmen of Cyclops'' * ''The Man Who Was Secrett and Other Stories'', Ramble House (2013)

Poetry

* ''Life in an Explosive Forming Press'' (1970) * ''Trip: A Sequence of Poems Through the USA'' (1971) * ''A Hastily Thrown Together Bit of Zork'' (1974) * ''Tomorrow May Be Even Worse'' (1978) * ''A New Settlement of Old Scores'' (1983)

Nongenre

* ''The Crutch of Memory'', Barrie & Rockliff (1964). Conventional novel set in Greece. * ''Wear the Butcher's Medal'' Pocket (1965). Mystery set in Europe featuring neo-Nazis.Thomas D. Clareson, ed. (1978), ''Voices for the Future: Essays on Major Science Fiction Writers, Volume 2'', Popular Press. * ''Black Is the Color'', Pyramid (1969, republished in 2015). Horror fiction about the "

swinging London The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mu ...

" underground in the 1960s. * ''The Devil's Work'', W. W. Norton & Company (1970). Centres on a modern-day Hellfire Club. * ''The Great Steamboat Race'', Ballantine (1983). Historical fiction based on an actual event.John O'Neill
"Vintage Treasures: The Great Steamboat Race by John Brunner"
Black Gate, 11 June 2014. * ''The Days of March'', Kerosina (1988). Novel about the early days of the

Pornography

* ''The Incestuous Lovers'' (1969) (as Henry Crosstrees, Jr.). Original title ''Malcolm and Sarah'' * ''Ball in the Family'' (1973) (as Ellis Quick)

Translations

* ''The Overlords of War'' (1973). Translated from the French. Original title ''Les Seigneurs de la Guerre'' by Gérard Klein

References

External links

The John Brunner Archive
at the University of Liverpool *

on Rudy's Books
Bibliography
on SciFan * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brunner, John 1934 births 1995 deaths 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British poets 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English non-fiction writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English poets 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century essayists 20th-century linguists 20th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century short story writers 20th-century translators British alternative history writers British activists British anti–nuclear weapons activists British erotica writers British fantasy writers British historical novelists British horror writers British letter writers British male non-fiction writers British male novelists British male poets British male short story writers British mystery writers British pacifists British science fiction writers British science writers British speculative fiction critics British speculative fiction writers British spy fiction writers British thriller writers British translators Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament activists Cultural critics Cyberpunk writers English activists English erotica writers English fantasy writers English historical novelists English horror writers English letter writers English male novelists English male poets English male screenwriters English male short story writers English mystery writers English non-fiction writers English pacifists English science fiction writers English science writers English speculative fiction writers English spy fiction writers English thriller writers English translators Environmental fiction writers Environmental writers Futurologists Hugo Award-winning writers Linguists from England Linguists from the United Kingdom Mass media theorists Nonviolence advocates People from Wallingford, Oxfordshire Social commentators Social critics Sustainability advocates Theorists on Western civilization Writers about activism and social change Writers about globalization Writers from Oxfordshire Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Writers of historical fiction set in the modern age