Henry Kuttner (April 7, 1915 – February 3, 1958) was an American author of science fiction,

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

and horror.

Early life

Henry Kuttner was born in Los Angeles, California in 1915. Kuttner (1829–1903) and Amelia Bush (c. 1834–1911), the parents of his father, the bookseller Henry Kuttner (1863–1920), had come from

Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, i ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

and lived in San Francisco since 1859; the parents of his mother, Annie Levy (1875–1954), were from Great Britain. Henry Kuttner's great-grandfather was the scholar Josua Heschel Kuttner. Kuttner grew up in relative poverty following the death of his father. As a young man he worked in his spare time for the literary agency of his uncle, Laurence D'Orsay (in fact his first cousin by marriage), in Los Angeles before selling his first story, "The Graveyard Rats", to '' Weird Tales'' in early 1936. It was while working for the d'Orsay agency that Kuttner picked Leigh Brackett's early manuscripts off the slush pile; it was under his tutelage that she sold her first story (to

John W. Campbell John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...

at ''

Astounding Stories ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

'').

Kuttner and Moore

Kuttner was known for his literary prose and worked in close collaboration with his wife,

C. L. Moore Catherine Lucille Moore (January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, who first came to prominence in the 1930s writing as C. L. Moore. She was among the first women to write in the science fiction and ...

. They met through their association with the " Lovecraft Circle", a group of writers and fans who corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft. Their work together spanned the 1940s and 1950s and most of the work was credited to pseudonyms, mainly

Lewis Padgett Lewis Padgett was the joint pseudonym of the science fiction authors and spouses Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore,Nicholls 1979, p. 445. taken from their mothers' maiden names. They also used the pseudonyms Lawrence O'Donnell and C. H. Liddell, as wel ...

and Lawrence O'Donnell. L. Sprague de Camp, who knew Kuttner and Moore well, has stated that their collaboration was so seamless that, after a story was completed, it was often impossible for either Kuttner or Moore to recall who had written what. According to de Camp, it was typical for either partner to break off from a story in mid-paragraph or even mid-sentence, with the latest page of the manuscript still in the typewriter. The other spouse would routinely continue the story where the first had left off. They alternated in this manner as many times as necessary until the story was finished. Among Kuttner's most popular work were the Gallegher stories, published under the Padgett name, about a man who invented high-tech solutions to client problems (assisted by his insufferably egomaniacal robot) when he was drunk, only to be completely unable to remember exactly what he had built or why after sobering up. These stories were later collected in '' Robots Have No Tails''. In her introduction to the 1973 Lancer Books edition, Moore stated that Kuttner wrote all the Gallegher stories himself.

Influence

Marion Zimmer Bradley is among many authors who have cited Kuttner as an influence. Her novel ''The Bloody Sun'' is dedicated to him. Roger Zelazny has talked about the influence of ''The Dark World'' on his

Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In M ...

series. Kuttner's friend Richard Matheson dedicated his 1954 novel '' I Am Legend'' to Kuttner, with thanks for his help and encouragement.

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and ...

has said that Kuttner actually wrote the last 300 words of Bradbury's first horror story, "The Candle" (''Weird Tales'', November 1942). Bradbury has referred to Kuttner as a neglected master and a "pomegranate writer: popping with seeds—full of ideas". William S. Burroughs's novel '' The Ticket That Exploded'' contains direct quotes from Kuttner regarding the "Happy Cloak" parasitic pleasure monster from the Venusian seas. Mary Elizabeth Counselman believed that Kuttner's habit of writing under widely varied pseudonyms deprived him of the fame that should have been his. "I have often wondered why Kuttner chose to hide his talents behind so many false faces for no editorial reason... Admittedly, the fun is in pretending to be someone else. But Kuttner cheated himself of much fame that he richly deserved by hiding his light under a bushel of pen names that many fans did not know were his. Seabury Quinn and I both chided him about this." According to J. Vernon Shea, August Derleth "kept promising to publish Hank's and Catherine's books under the Arkham House imprint, but kept postponing them."

The Cthulhu Mythos

A friend of Lovecraft's as well as of Clark Ashton Smith, Kuttner contributed several stories to the Cthulhu Mythos genre, based on the writing of the former and added to, among other authors, by the latter. Among these were "The Secret of Kralitz" (Weird Tales, October 1936), "The Eater of Souls" (''Weird Tales'', January 1937), "The Salem Horror" (''Weird Tales'', May 1937), "The Invaders" ('' Strange Stories'', February 1939) and "The Hunt" (''Strange Stories'', June 1939). Kuttner added a few lesser-known deities to the Mythos, including Iod ("The Secret of Kralitz"), Vorvadoss ("The Eater of Souls"), the Hydra and Nyogtha ("The Salem Horror"). Critic Shawn Ramsey suggests that Abigail Prinn, the villain of "The Salem Horror", might have been intended by Kuttner to be a descendant of Ludvig Prinn, author of '' De Vermis Mysteriis''—a book that appears in Kuttner's "The Invaders". ''Etchings and Odysseys'' No 4 (1984), edited by Eric A. Carlson, John J. Koblas and R. Alain Everts, was a special Kuttner tribute issue featuring three reprinted tales by Kuttner - "It Walks By Night", "The Frog" and "The Invaders," together with various essays on Kuttner, and an interview with his wife and fellow writer

C.L. Moore Catherine Lucille Moore (January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, who first came to prominence in the 1930s writing as C. L. Moore. She was among the first women to write in the science fiction and ...

. ''

Crypt of Cthulhu ''Crypt of Cthulhu'' is an American fanzine devoted to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. It was published as part of the Esoteric Order of Dagon amateur press association for a short time, and was formally established in 19 ...

'' 5, No 7 (whole number 41) (Lammas 1986), edited by Robert M. Price, was a special Henry Kuttner issue collecting eight Cthulhu Mythos stories by Kuttner. (It did not include "Spawn of Dagon" or "The Invaders"). '' The Book of Iod: Ten Tales of the Mythos'' is a collection of Kuttner's Cthulhu Mythos stories edited by Robert M. Price (Chaosium, 1995). (It also contains three additional tales concerning 'Iod's dread tome' by Robert Bloch,

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. ...

and Robert M. Price). The Kuttner stories included are: "The Secret of Kralitz", "The Eater of Souls", "The Salem Horror", "The Jest of Droom-Avesta", "Spawn of Dagon", "The Invaders", "The Frog", "Hydra", "Bells of Horror" and "The Hunt" - thus, all the Mythos stories which had appeared in the special Kuttner issue of ''Crypt of Cthulhu'', plus "Spawn of Dagon" and "The Invaders". The story "The Black Kiss" (printed here, as often elsewhere, under the joint byline of Kuttner and Robert Bloch), was in fact written entirely by Bloch; Bloch co-credited Kuttner on the tale due to using the character Michael Leigh from "The Salem Horror". "Beneath the Tombstone" by Robert M. Price and "Dead of Night" by

round out the volume. Price points out in his introduction to the volume that "Henry Kuttner's own private corner of the Cthulhu Mythos was, then, apparently derived in about equal measure from Lovecraft, Bloch,

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...

, and

Theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

Later life

Kuttner spent the mid-1950s getting his master's degree but died of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1958.

Known pseudonyms

* Edward J. Bellin * Paul Edmonds * Noel Gardner * Will Garth * James Hall * Keith Hammond * Hudson Hastings * Peter Horn * Kelvin Kent (used for work with Arthur K. Barnes) * Robert O. Kenyon * C. H. Liddell * Hugh Maepenn * Scott Morgan * Lawrence O'Donnell *

* Woodrow Wilson Smith * Charles Stoddard (house pseudonym used by others as well)

Partial bibliography

Short stories

Tony Quade stories

* "I. Hollywood on the Moon" (1938) * "II. Doom World" (1938) * "III. The Star Parade" (1938) * "IV. Trouble on Titan" (1941)

Elak of Atlantis stories

* "Thunder in the Dawn" (1938) * "Spawn of Dagon" (1938) * "Beyond the Phoenix" (1939) * "Dragon Moon" (1940)

Thunder Jim Wade series (as by Charles Stoddard)

* "Thunder Jim Wade" (1941) * "The Hills of Gold" (1941) * "The Poison People" (1941) * "The Devil's Glacier" (1941) * "Waters of Death" (1941)

"Baldy" Stories

* "The Piper's Son" (1945) * "Three Blind Mice" (1945) * "The Lion And The Unicorn" (1945) * "Beggars in Velvet" (1945) * "Humpty Dumpty" (1953) * "Mutant" (1953)

Cthulhu Mythos stories

* "The Secret of Kralitz" (1936) * "The Eater of Souls" (1937) * "The Salem Horror" (1937) * "The Invaders" (1939) * "Bells of Horror" (1939) * "The Hunt" (1939) * "The Jest of Droom-Avesta" * "Spawn of Dagon" * "The Frog" * "Hydra"

Gallegher stories

* "The Proud Robot" (as

, 1943) * "The Time Locker" (as

, 1943) * "Gallegher Plus" (as

, 1943) * "The World Is Mine" (as

, 1943) * "Ex Machina" (as

, 1948)

Hogben stories

* "The Old Army Game" (1941) * "Exit the Professor" (as Kuttner and as

, 1947) * "Pile of Trouble" (1948) * "See You Later" (as Kuttner and as

, 1949) * "Cold War" (as Kuttner and as

, 1949)

Other

* " The Graveyard Rats" (1936), adapted for '' Trilogy of Terror II'' (1996) and ''

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities ''Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities'' (or simply ''Cabinet of Curiosities'') is a horror anthology streaming television series created by Guillermo del Toro for Netflix. It features eight modern horror stories in the traditions of th ...

'' (2022) *
Dictator of the Americas
(as James Hall, 1938) *
Avengers of Space
(1938) * "Beauty and the Beast" (1940) * "Dr. Cyclops" (1940) * "Masquerade" (1942), adapted for episode of television series ''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'' (1961) * "

Mimsy Were the Borogoves "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" is a science fiction short story by Lewis Padgett (a pseudonym of American writers Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore), originally published in the February 1943 issue of '' Astounding Science Fiction Magazine''.. It was judg ...

" (as

, 1943) used as the basis for the 2007 film ''

The Last Mimzy {{Infobox film , name = The Last Mimzy , image = The Last Mimzy.jpg , caption = US Promotional poster , director = Robert Shaye , producer = Michael Phillips , based_on = {{Based on, "Mimsy Were the ...

'', and for the French TV adaptation "Tout spliques étaient les Borogoves" (1970) * "Clash by Night" (with

) (1943) * " Nothing but Gingerbread Left" (1943) * "The Twonky" (as

, 1942), adapted for

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

of the same name in 1953 * "The Eyes of Thar" (published in '' Planet Stories'', Fall Issue, 1944) * "What You Need" (as

, 1945) adapted for " What You Need" episodes of '' Tales of Tomorrow'' (1952) and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (1959) television shows * "The Cure" (1946) * "The Dark Angel" (with

, 1946), later published as "Dark Angel" (as

, 1975), adapted for episode of same name of television series '' Tales of Tomorrow'' * "Call Him Demon" (1946) * "

Vintage Season ''Vintage Season'' is a science fiction novella by American authors Catherine L. Moore and Henry Kuttner, published under the joint pseudonym "Lawrence O'Donnell" in September, 1946. It has been anthologized many times and was selected for '' T ...

" (with

; 1946), filmed in 1992 as '' Timescape''https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104362/ *
Land of the Earthquake
(1947) * " Happy Ending" (1949) * "Satan Sends Flowers" (1953) * "Or Else" (1953) * ''The Best of Henry Kuttner'' anthologizes 17 stories. (

Garden City, NY Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located withi ...

: Doubleday, 1975). * ''The Eyes of Thar'' (1944) * ''Atomic!'' (1947)

Fixups

*''

Mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

'' (the Baldie stories) (1953) *'' Robots Have No Tails'' (the Gallegher stories, as

) (1952) *''Hollywood on the Moon'' (the Tony Quade stories) (2019)

Novels

* ''A Million Years to Conquer'' (1940), published in book form as ''The Creature from Beyond Infinity'' (1968) * '' Earth's Last Citadel'' (with

) (1943, first book publication 1964) * '' The Fairy Chessmen'' (1946, as

, also retitled as ''Chessboard Planet'' and ''The Far Reality'') * '' Valley of the Flame'' (1946, first book publication 1964) * '' The Dark World'' (with

(assumed)) (1946, first book publication 1965) * ''The Brass Ring'' (with

) (1946, nongenre, also published as ''Murder in Brass'') * '' Tomorrow and Tomorrow'' (1947, as

) * ''Fury'' (as Lawrence O'Donnell with C. L. Moore) (1947, first book publication 1950, later published under the title ''Destination: Infinity'' in 1958) * ''The Day He Died'' (with

) (1947, nongenre) * ''The Mask of Circe'' (1948, first book publication 1971) (Illustrated by

Alicia Austin Alicia Austin (born 1942) is an American fantasy and science fiction artist and illustrator. She works in print-making, Prismacolor, pastels and watercolors. Early life and education Austin was born in Providence, Kentucky. As her father was ...

in 1971) * ''The Time Axis'' (1949, first book publication 1965) * ''The Portal in the Picture'' (with

) (1949, also known as ''Beyond Earth's Gates'') * ''The Well of the Worlds'' (1952, first book publication 1953) * ''Man Drowning'' (1952, nongenre) * ''The Murder of Eleanor Pope'' (1956, nongenre) * ''The Murder of Ann Avery'' (1956, nongenre) * ''Murder of a Mistress'' (1957, nongenre) * ''Murder of a Wife'' (1958, nongenre)

Collections

* '' Ahead of Time'' * '' The Best of Henry Kuttner'' * ''The Best of Kuttner 1'' * ''The Best of Kuttner 2'' * '' The Book of Iod'' * ''Bypass to Otherness'' * ''Chessboard Planet and Other Stories'' (with

) * ''Clash by Night and Other Stories'' (with

) * ''Detour to Otherness'' (with

) * '' Elak of Atlantis'' * '' A Gnome There Was'' * ''Hollywood on the Moon / Man About Time: The Pete Manx Adventures'' (with Arthur K. Barnes) (announced for 2011) * ''Kuttner Times Three'' * ''Line to Tomorrow and Other Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' (with

) * ''The Michael Gray Murders'' (with

) (announced for 2012) * ''No Boundaries'' (with

) * ''Prince Raynor'' * ''Return to Otherness'' * ''Secret of the Earth Star and Others'' * ''The Startling Worlds of Henry Kuttner'' * ''Terror in the House: The Early Kuttner, Volume One'' * ''Thunder in the Void'' * ''Thunder Jim Wade'' * ''Two-Handed Engine: The Selected Short Fiction of Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore'' * '' The Hogben Chronicles''— Kickstarter Project posthumously pushed by Neil Gaiman,

F. Paul Wilson Francis Paul Wilson (born May 17, 1946, in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American medical doctor and author of horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, and other genres of literary fiction. His books include the Repairman Jack n ...

, Pierce Waters, Thomas L. Monteleone, and with special assist by Alan Moore

Television

* "The Martian Eyes" episode(s) of '' Lights Out (radio show)#On television, Lights Out'' series (1950 and/or 1951

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0632380/] * "Price on His Head" episode of series '' Sugarfoot'' (195

* '' Tales of Frankenstein'' (pilot for television series that was not picked up, 195

* "The Eye" episode of ''

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 ...

'' television series (196

Comic books

* "Doiby Dickles Enters High Sassiety"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #12; Summer 1944 * "The Gambler"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #12; Summer 1944 * "The Lord Haw-Haw of Crime"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #13; Fall 1944 * "Doiby Dickles, Da District Attorney"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; ''

All-American Comics ''All-American Comics'' was a comics anthology and the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from 1939 to 1948. Characters created for the title, including Gre ...

'' #62; December 1944 * "A Tale of a City"; Green Lantern comic story; 12 pages; '' Comic Cavalcade'' #9; Winter 1944 * "The Cave Kid Goes To Town"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #14; Winter 1944-45 * "The Jewel of Hope"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #16; Summer 1945 * "Doiby Dickles, the Human Bomb"; Green Lantern comic story; 12 pages; ''

'' #71; March 1946 * "The Last of the Buccaneers"; Green Lantern comic story; 12 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #18; Winter 1945-1946 * "The Man Who Doubled In Death, or, The Duplicity of Johnny Double"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #18; Winter 1945-1946 * "Sing a Song of Disaster"; Green Lantern comic story; 12 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #19; April–May 1946 * "Dickles Vs. Fate"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #19; April–May 1946 * "Jonah Was a Jinx"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #19; April–May 1946 * "The Gambler Comes Back"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #20; June–July 1946 * "The Good Humor Man"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #21; August–September 1946 * "What Makes Goitrude Go?"; Green Lantern / comic story / 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' (1941 series) #21 August–September 1946 * "The Man Who Insults Everybody"; Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #22; October–November 1946 * "The Invisible World" Green Lantern comic story; 13 pages; '' Green Lantern'' #22; October–November 1946

Notes

External links

Henry Kuttner profile at Fantastic Fiction

Lewis Padgett profile at Fantastic Fiction
* * * * *

* ttp://www.haffnerpress.com Books by Henry Kuttner from Haffner Press*
Past Masters - A Kuttner Above the Rest (But Wait! There's Moore!)
by Bud Webster, at Galactic Central *
Lewis Padgett
at LC Authorities, with 8 records, an
at WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuttner, Henry 1915 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American novelists American fantasy writers American people of German-Jewish descent American science fiction writers Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica Cthulhu Mythos writers Jewish American writers University of Southern California faculty American male novelists Weird fiction writers 20th-century American male writers