Future combined with Science Fiction April 1942

Cyril M. Kornbluth (July 2, 1923 – March 21, 1958) was an American science fiction author and a member of the

Futurians The Futurians were a group of science fiction fans, many of whom became editors and writers as well. The Futurians were based in New York City and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and science fiction fandom in the ...

. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond, and Scott Mariner.

Biography

Kornbluth was born and grew up in the uptown Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood, in New York City. He was of Polish-Jewish descent, the son of a World War I veteran and grandson of a tailor, a Jewish immigrant from Galicia. The "M" in Kornbluth's name may have been in tribute to his wife, Mary Byers; Kornbluth's colleague and collaborator

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American list of science fiction authors, science-fiction writer, editor, and science fiction fandom, fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first ...

confirmed Kornbluth's lack of any actual middle name in at least one interview. According to his widow, Kornbluth was a "precocious child", learning to read by the age of three and writing his own stories by the time he was seven. He graduated from high school at thirteen, received a CCNY scholarship at fourteen, and was "thrown out for leading a student strike" without graduating. As a teenager, he became a member of the

, an influential group of

science fiction fans Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with

, Donald A. Wollheim, Robert A. W. Lowndes, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the

Fantasy Amateur Press Association The Fantasy Amateur Press Association or FAPA ("FAP-uh") is science fiction fandom's longest-established amateur press association ("apa"). It was founded in 1937 by Donald A. Wollheim, John B. Michel and others to facilitate the circulation of f ...

. Kornbluth served in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(

European theatre The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and Franc ...

). He received a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his service in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

, where he served as a member of a

heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable or ...

crew. Upon his discharge, he returned to finish his education at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

under the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

. While living in Chicago he also worked at Trans-Radio Press, a news wire service. In 1951 he started writing full-time, Charles Platt, "C. M. Kornbluth: A Study Of His Work and Interview With His Widow", '' Foundation'' 17, September 1979, pp.57-63 returning to the East Coast where he collaborated on novels with his old Futurian friends Frederik Pohl and

Judith Merril Judith Josephine Grossman (January 21, 1923 – September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be widel ...

Work

Kornbluth began writing at 15. His first solo story, "The Rocket of 1955", was published in Richard Wilson's

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), 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 pleas ...

''Escape'' (Vol. 1, No 2, August 1939); his first collaboration, "Stepsons of Mars," written with Richard Wilson and published under the name "Ivar Towers", appeared in the April 1940 '' Astonishing''. His other short fiction includes "

The Little Black Bag "The Little Black Bag" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Cyril M. Kornbluth (1923–1958), first published in the July 1950 edition of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' magazine. The story concerns a futuristic medical (doctor's) b ...

", "

The Marching Morons "The Marching Morons" is a science fiction story by American writer Cyril M. Kornbluth, originally published in ''Galaxy'' in April 1951. It was included in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'' after being voted one of the best n ...

", "The Altar at Midnight", "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie", "Gomez" and "The Advent on Channel Twelve". "

" was first adapted for television live on the television show ''Tales of Tomorrow'' on May 30, 1952. It was later adapted for television by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 1969 for its ''

Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction and horror 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 dramatisations of s ...

'' series. In 1970, the same story was adapted by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

for an episode of his ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, '' The Twilight Zon ...

'' series. This dramatization starred

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed radio, theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" ...

as the alcoholic Dr. William Fall, who had long lost his doctor's license and become a homeless alcoholic. He finds a bag containing advanced medical technology from the future, which, after an unsuccessful attempt to pawn it, he uses benevolently. "

" is a look at a far future in which the world's population consists of five billion idiots and a few million geniuses – the precarious minority of the "elite" working desperately to keep things running behind the scenes. In his introduction to ''

The Best of C. M. Kornbluth ''The Best of C. M. Kornbluth'' is a short story collection, collection of science fiction and fantasy short story, short stories by American author Cyril M. Kornbluth, C. M. Kornbluth, edited by Frederik Pohl. It was first published in hardback ...

'', Pohl states that "The Marching Morons" is a direct sequel to "The Little Black Bag": it is easy to miss this, as "Bag" is set in the contemporary present while "Morons" takes place several centuries from now, and there is no character who appears in both stories. The titular black bag in the first story is actually an artifact from the time period of "The Marching Morons": a medical kit filled with self-driven instruments enabling a far-future moron to "play doctor". A future Earth similar to "The Marching Morons" – a civilisation of morons protected by a small minority of hidden geniuses – is used again in the final stages of Kornbluth & Pohl's ''Search the Sky''. "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" (1957) is supposedly written by Kornbluth using notes by "Cecil Corwin", who has been declared insane and incarcerated, and who smuggles out in

fortune cookie A fortune cookie is a crisp and sugary cookie wafer made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a piece of paper inside, a "fortune", an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chinese language, Chines ...

s the ultimate secret of life. This fate is said to be Kornbluth's response to the unauthorized publication of "Mask of Demeter" (as by "Corwin" and "Martin Pearson" ( Donald A. Wollheim)) in Wollheim's anthology ''Prize Science Fiction'' in 1953. Biographer Mark Rich describes the 1958 story "Two Dooms" as one of several stories which are "concern dwith the ethics of theoretical science" and which "explore moral quandaries of the atomic age": Many of Kornbluth's novels were written as collaborations: either with

(using the pseudonym Cyril Judd), or with Frederik Pohl. These include '' Gladiator-At-Law'' and ''

The Space Merchants ''The Space Merchants'' is a 1952 science fiction novel by American writers Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. Originally published in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' magazine as a serial entitled ''Gravy Planet'', the novel was first published ...

''. ''The Space Merchants'' contributed significantly to the maturing and to the wider academic respectability of the science fiction genre, not only in America but also in Europe. Kornbluth also wrote several novels under his own name, including ''

The Syndic ''The Syndic'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by Cyril M. Kornbluth. Plot summary The prologue introduces the setting, a future North America divided between rival criminal gangs, the Syndic on the East Coast and the Mob in Chicago Chi ...

'' and ''

Not This August ''Not This August'', also known as ''Christmas Eve'', is a Hugo Award shortlisted science fiction novel by Cyril M. Kornbluth. It was originally published in 1955 by Doubleday. It was serialized in ''Maclean's'' magazine (Canada) in May and J ...

''.

Death

Kornbluth suffered from " essential malignant hypertension" for many years, causing him to experience

tinnitus Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...

. He died at age 34 in

Levittown, New York Levittown is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Hempstead (town), New York, Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York. It is a suburb of New York C ...

. On a day when he was due to meet with Bob Mills in New York City to interview for the position of editor of ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...

'', he was delayed because he had to shovel snow from his driveway. After running to meet his train following this delay, Kornbluth suffered a fatal heart attack on the platform of the station. A number of short stories remained unfinished at Kornbluth's death; these were eventually completed and published by Pohl. One of these stories, " The Meeting" (''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', November 1972), was the co-winner of the 1973

Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction of ...

; it tied with R. A. Lafferty's "Eurema's Dam." Almost all of Kornbluth's solo SF stories have been collected as ''His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C. M. Kornbluth'' (

NESFA Press NESFA Press is the publishing arm of the New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. The NESFA Press primarily produces three types of books: * Books honoring the guest(s) of honor at their annual convention, Boskone, and at some Worldcons an ...

, 1997).

Personality and habits

Frederik Pohl, in his autobiography ''The Way the Future Was'',

Damon Knight Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of " To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind ...

, in his memoir ''The Futurians'', and

Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...

, in his memoirs '' In Memory Yet Green'' and ''I. Asimov: A Memoir'', all give descriptions of Kornbluth as a man of odd personal habits and eccentricities. Kornbluth, for example, decided to educate himself by reading his way through an entire encyclopedia from A to Z; in the course of this effort, he acquired a great deal of esoteric knowledge that found its way into his stories, in alphabetical order by subject. When Kornbluth wrote a story that mentioned the ''

ballista The ballista (Latin, from Ancient Greek, Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae or ballistas, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an Classical antiquity, ancient missile weapon tha ...

'', an Ancient Roman weapon, Pohl knew that Kornbluth had finished the 'A's and had started on the 'B's. According to Pohl, Kornbluth never brushed his teeth, and they were literally green. Deeply embarrassed by this, Kornbluth developed the habit of holding his hand in front of his mouth when speaking.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' Outpost Mars'' (1952) (with Judith Merril, writing as Cyril Judd), first published as a ''

Galaxy A galaxy is a Physical system, system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar medium, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek ' (), literally 'milky', ...

'' serial entitled ''Mars Child'' (May–July 1951) and later reprinted as ''Galaxy novel'' No. 46 retitled ''Sin in Space'' (1961) * '' Gunner Cade'' (1952) (with Judith Merril, writing as Cyril Judd), first published as an ''

Astounding Science Fiction ''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 ...

'' serial (March–May 1952) * ''Takeoff'' (May 1952), later serialised in '' New Worlds'' (April–June 1954) * ''

'' (April 1953) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a ''

'' serial entitled ''Gravy Planet'' (June–August 1952) * ''

'' (October 1953), later serialised in '' Science Fiction Adventures'' (December 1953-March 1954), entered the

Prometheus Award The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society. American author and activist L. Neil Smith established the Best Novel category for the award in 1979; however, it was not award ...

Hall of Fame in 1986 * '' Search the Sky'' (February 1954) (with Frederik Pohl), later revised by Pohl (October 1985) * '' Gladiator at Law'' (May 1955) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a ''

'' serial (June–August 1954), later revised by Pohl (April 1986) * ''

'' (July 1955) (AKA ''Christmas Eve''), later revised by Pohl (December 1981) * '' Wolfbane'' (September 1959) (with Frederik Pohl), first published as a ''

'' serial (October–November 1957), later revised by Pohl (June 1986)

Collections

* '' The Explorers'' (1954) ** "Foreword", rederik Pohl** "Gomez" ** "The Mindworm", 1950 ** "The Rocket of 1955", 1939 **
The Altar at Midnight
, 1952 ** "Thirteen O’Clock" s by Cecil Corwin (1941) "Peter Packer" series ** "The Goodly Creatures", 1952 **
Friend to Man
, 1951 ** "With These Hands", 1951 ** "That Share of Glory", 1962 * ''The Mindworm and Other Stories'' (1955) ** "The Mindworm”, (1950) ** "Gomez”, 1954 ** "The Rocket of 1955”, 1939 ** "The Altar at Midnight”, 1952 ** "The Little Black Bag”, 1950 ** "The Goodly Creatures”, 1952 ** "Friend to Man”, 1951 ** "With These Hands”, 1951 ** "That Share of Glory”, 1952 ** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s by Simon Eisner · 1952 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "The Marching Morons · nv ''Galaxy'' Apr ’51 * '' A Mile Beyond the Moon'' (1958) bridged for its 1962 paperback reprint, see below** "Make Mine Mars”, 1952 ** "The Meddlers”, 1953 ot in 1962 paperback** "The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy”, 1958 ** "The Little Black Bag”, 1950 (related to "The Marching Morons") ** "Everybody Knows Joe”, 1953 ** "Time Bum”, 1953 ** "Passion Pills”, riginal here ot in 1962 paperback** "Virginia”, 1958 ** "The Slave”, 1957 ot in 1962 paperback** "Kazam Collects"

s by S. D. Gottesman S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. ...

1941 ** "The Last Man Left in the Bar”, 1947 – "a confrontation between aliens and a magnetron technician, written with an audacious literary command" ** "The Adventurer”, 1953 ** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941 – "an early but striking fantasy about a genius child acquiring supernatural power" ** "Shark Ship" Reap the Dark Tide" 1958 ** "Two Dooms”, 1958 ot in 1962 paperback* '' The Marching Morons (and other Science Fiction Stories)'' (1959) ** "The Marching Morons”, 1951 ** "Dominoes”, 1953 ** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s by Simon Eisner 1952 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie”, 1957 ** "The Only Thing We Learn”, 1949 ** "The Cosmic Charge Account”, 1956 ** "I Never Ask No Favors”, 1954 ** "The Remorseful”, 1953 * ''

The Wonder Effect ''The Wonder Effect'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writers Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, published by Ballantine Books in 1962. The first Short story, novelette, "Critical Mass", is a science fiction piece by P ...

'' (1962) (with Frederik Pohl) ** "Introduction”, ** "Critical Mass”, 1962 ** "A Gentle Dying”, 1961 ** "Nightmare with Zeppelins", 1958 ** "Best Friend"

1941 ** "The World of Myrion Flowers”, 1961 ** "Trouble in Time"

1940 ** "The Engineer”, 1956 ** "Mars-Tube

��, 1941 ** "The Quaker Cannon”, 1961 * ''Best Science Fiction Stories of C. M. Kornbluth'' (1968) ** "Introduction”, dmund Crispin** "The Unfortunate Topologist”, 1957 (poem) ** "The Marching Morons”, 1951 ** "The Altar at Midnight”, 1952 ** "The Little Black Bag”, 1950 ** "The Mindworm”, 1950 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "I Never Ask No Favors”, 1954 ** "Friend to Man”, 1951 ** "The Only Thing We Learn”, 1949 ** "Gomez”, 1954 ** "With These Hands”, 1951 ** "Theory of Rocketry”, 1958 ** "That Share of Glory”, 1952 * ''Thirteen O'Clock and other Zero Hours'' (1970) (edited by

James Blish James Benjamin “Jimmy” Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case ...

) stories published originally as by "Cecil Corwin" plus "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" (see above) ** "Preface”, ames Blish** "Thirteen O’Clock ombined version of the "Peter Packer" stories, “Thirteen O’Clock” and “Mr. Packer Goes to Hell”, both 1941��, irst combined appearance here** "The Rocket of 1955”, 1939 ** "What Sorghum Says" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "Crisis!" s by Cecil Corwin 1942 ** "The Reversible Revolutions" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "The City in the Sofa" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "The Golden Road" s by Cecil Corwin 1942 ** "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie”, 1957 * ''

'' (1976) ** "An Appreciation”, rederik Pohl** "The Rocket of 1955”, 1939 ** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941 ** "The Only Thing We Learn”, 1949 ** "The Adventurer”, 1953 ** "The Little Black Bag”, 1950 ** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s by Simon Eisner 1952 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "The Remorseful”, 1953 ** "Gomez”, 1954 ** "The Advent on Channel Twelve”, 1958 ** "The Marching Morons”, 1951 ** "The Last Man Left in the Bar”, 1957 ** "The Mindworm”, 1950 ** "With These Hands”, 1951 ** "Shark Ship" ��Reap the Dark Tide” 1958 ** "Friend to Man”, 1951 ** "The Altar at Midnight”, 1952 ** "Dominoes”, 1953 ** "Two Dooms”, 1958

Spider Robinson Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-Canadian science fiction author. He has won a number of awards for his hard science fiction and humorous stories, including the Hugo Award 1977 and 1983, and another Hugo with his co-author ...

praised this collection, saying "I haven't enjoyed a book so much in years.""Galaxy Bookshelf", ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Edi ...

'', August 1977, p. 143. Mark Rich wrote, "Critics judging Kornbluth by this anthology, edited by Pohl, have seen a growing bitterness in his later stories. This reflects editorial choice more than reality, because Kornbluth also wrote delightful humor in his last years, in stories not collected here. These tales demonstrate Kornbluth's effective use of everyday individuals from a variety of ethnic backgrounds as well as his well-tuned ear for dialect." * ''Critical Mass'' (1977) (with Frederik Pohl) ** "Introduction”, (Pohl) ** "The Quaker Cannon”, 1961 ** "Mute Inglorious Tam”, 1974 ** "The World of Myrion Flowers”, 1961 ** "The Gift of Garigolli”, 1974 ** "A Gentle Dying”, 1961 ** "A Hint of Henbane”, 1961 ** "The Meeting”, 1972 ** "The Engineer”, 1956 ** "Nightmare with Zeppelins”, 1958 ** "Critical Mass”, 1962 ** "Afterword”, (Pohl) * ''Before the Universe'' (1980) (with Frederik Pohl) ** "Mars-Tube" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1941 ** "Trouble in Time" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1940 ** "Vacant World" s by Dirk Wylie (with Dirk Wylie, and Frederik Pohl) 1940 ** "Best Friend" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1941 ** "Nova Midplane" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1940 ** "The Extrapolated Dimwit" s by S. D. Gottesman (with Frederik Pohl) 1942 * '' Our Best: The Best of Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth'' (1987) (with Frederik Pohl) ** "Introduction”, (Pohl) ** "The Stories of the Sixties”, (Pohl, section introduction) ** "Critical Mass”, 1962 ** "The World of Myrion Flowers”, 1961 ** "The Engineer”, 1956 ** "A Gentle Dying”, 1961 ** "Nightmare with Zeppelins”, 1958 ** "The Quaker Cannon”, 1961 ** "The 60/40 Stories”, (Pohl, section introduction) ** "Trouble in Time"

1940 ** "Mars-Tube"

1941 ** "Epilogue to The Space Merchants”, (Pohl, section introduction) ** "Gravy Planet”, (extract from the magazine serial, not used in the book) ** "The Final Stories”, (Pohl, section introduction) ** "Mute Inglorious Tam”, 1974 ** "The Gift of Garigolli”, 1974 ** "The Meeting”, 1972 ** "Afterword”, (Pohl) * ''His Share of Glory: The Complete Short Science Fiction of C.M. Kornbluth'' (1997) – this includes almost all of Kornbluth's solo fiction, but does not include all of the collaborative pseudonymous works which were published among his earliest work between 1940 and 1942, some of which were published in Before the Universe (1980). ** "Cyril”, rederik Pohl** "Editor’s Introduction”, imothy P. Szczesuil** "That Share of Glory”, 1952 ** "The Adventurer”, 1952 ** "Dominoes”, 1953 ** "The Golden Road" s by Cecil Corwin 1942 ** "The Rocket of 1955”, 1939 ** "The Mindworm”, 1950 ** "The Education of Tigress McCardle”, 1957 ** "Shark Ship" ��Reap the Dark Tide” 1958 ** "The Meddlers”, 1953 ** "The Luckiest Man in Denv" s by Simon Eisner 1952 ** "The Reversible Revolutions s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "The City in the Sofa" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "Gomez”, 1954 ** "Masquerade" s by Kenneth Falconer 1942 ** "The Slave”, 1957 ** "The Words of Guru" s by Kenneth Falconer 1941 ** "Thirteen O’Clock" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "Mr. Packer Goes to Hell" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "With These Hands”, 1951 ** "Iteration”, 1950 ** "The Goodly Creatures”, 1952 ** "Time Bum”, 1953 ** "Two Dooms”, 1958 ** "Passion Pills”, 1958 ** "The Silly Season”, 1950 ** "Fire-Power"

1941 ** "The Perfect Invasion"

1942 ** "The Adventurers”, 1955 ** "Kazam Collects"

1941 ** "The Marching Morons”, 1951 ** "The Altar at Midnight”, 1952 ** "Crisis!" s by Cecil Corwin 1942 ** "Theory of Rocketry”, 1958 ** "The Cosmic Charge Account”, 1956 ** "Friend to Man”, 1951 ** "I Never Ast No Favors”, 1954 ** "The Little Black Bag”, 1950 ** "What Sorghum Says" s by Cecil Corwin 1941 ** "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie”, 1957 ** "The Only Thing We Learn”, 1949 ** "The Last Man Left in the Bar”, 1957 ** "Virginia”, 1958 ** "The Advent on Channel Twelve”, 1958 ** "Make Mine Mars”, 1952 ** "Everybody Knows Joe”, 1953 ** "The Remorseful”, 1953 ** "Sir Mallory’s Magnitude"

1941 ** "The Events Leading Down to the Tragedy”, 1958 ** "King Cole of Pluto"

1940 ** "No Place to Go" s by Edward J. Bellin 1941 ** "Dimension of Darkness"

1941 ** "Dead Center"

1941 ** "Interference" s by Walter C. Davies 1941 ** "Forgotten Tongue" s by Walter C. Davies 1941 ** "Return from M-15"

1941 ** "The Core"

1942

Non-science fiction

* ''The Naked Storm'' (1952, as Simon Eisner) * ''Valerie'' (1953, as Jordan Park), a novel about a girl accused of witchcraft * ''Half'' (1953, as Jordan Park), a novel about an

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

person * ''A Town Is Drowning'' (1955, with Frederik Pohl) * ''Presidential Year'' (1956, with Frederik Pohl) * ''Sorority House'' (1956, with Frederik Pohl, as Jordan Park), a lesbian pulp novel * ''A Man of Cold Rages'' (1958, as Jordan Park), a novel about an ex-dictator

Uncollected short stories

* "Stepsons of Mars", (1940) s "Ivar Towers" (with Richard Wilson) * "Callistan Tomb", (1941) [as "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl)* "The Psychological Regulator", (1941) [as "Arthur Cooke" (with Elsie Balter , Robert A. W. Lowndes, John Michel, Donald A. Wollheim) * "The Martians Are Coming", (1941) [as "Robert A W Lowndes" (with Robert A. W. Lowndes)] * "Exiles of New Planet", (1941) Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)">s "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)* "The Castle on the Outerplanet", (1941) Robert A. W. Lowndes)">s "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes)* "A Prince of Pluto", (1941) s "S D Gottesman" (with Frederik Pohl)* "Einstein's Planetoid", (1941) Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)">s "Paul Dennis Lavond" (with Frederik Pohl, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Dirk Wylie)* "An Old Neptunian Custom", (1942) s "Scott Mariner" (with Frederik Pohl)

Articles

* "A Funny Article on the Convention", (1939) * "New Directions", (1941) s "Walter C. Davies"* "The Failure of the Science Fiction Novel as Social Criticism", in ''The Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism'', ed. Basil Davenport, Advent Press, 1959. (pages 64–101).

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (25 July 1948 – 24 February 2024) was a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who published a hundred novels and over a hundred volumes of translations. His earlier books were published under the name Br ...

called this "an important early piece of sf criticism, sharply pointing out the genre's shortcomings."

References

Kornbluth is mentioned in

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler and a fictional character of his creation. Handler has published various children's books under the name, including ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 millio ...

's '' Series of Unfortunate Events'' as a member of the V.F.D., a secret organization dedicated to the promotion of literacy, classical learning, and crime prevention.

References

Sources

* Asimov, Isaac. ''In Memory Yet Green'' (Doubleday, 1979) and ''I. Asimov: A Memoir'' (Doubleday, 1994) * Knight, Damon. ''The Futurians'' (John Day, 1977) * Pohl, Frederik. ''The Way the Future Was: A Memoir'' (Ballantine Books, 1978) * Rich, Mark. ''C. M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary'' (McFarland, 2009)

External links

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Past Masters – Cyril with an M, or I'm As Kornbluth as Kansas In August
by Bud Webster at Galactic Central {{DEFAULTSORT:Kornbluth, Cyril M. 1923 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists United States Army personnel of World War II American mystery writers American science fiction writers American satirists American satirical novelists Futurians Hugo Award–winning writers Military personnel from New York City United States Army soldiers Jewish American novelists Jewish American short story writers American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers People from Inwood, Manhattan Writers from Manhattan