David Roosevelt Bunch (August 7, 1925 – May 29, 2000) was an American writer of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

and

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

. He worked mainly in the genres of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

, and

literary fiction Literary fiction, serious fiction, high literature, or artistic literature, and sometimes just literature, encompasses fiction books and writings that are more character-driven rather than plot-driven, that examine the human condition, or that are ...

. Although prolific and critically acclaimed, Bunch remained obscure throughout his career. He is mainly known for a series of violent, bleak stories set in the

cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Lowry City, Missouri Lowry City is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 613 at the 2020 census. Lowry City is the city where the Ozark Mountains meet the Great Plains. History Lowry City was platted in 1871 when a railroad was bu ...

.Bunch, David R., The Heartacher and the Warehouseman, "About the Author". Anamnesis Press (2000). He graduated from

Central Missouri State University The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri, United States. In 2024, enrollment was 13,734 students from 48 states and 52 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, inclu ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree, then received a master's degree in English from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. He pursued a Ph.D in English Literature at Washington University and the

State University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 colleges offer ...

, but rather than completing his doctoral dissertation, he shifted to creative writing and studied for two years at the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a graduate-level creative writing program. At 89 years, it is the oldest writing program offering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the United States. Its acceptance rate is between 2 ...

before dropping out. Bunch worked extensively on farms in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, taking low-level jobs in diverse industries. He later worked as a cartographer and map-chart editor for the

Defense Mapping Agency The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense whose primary mission is collecting, analyzing, and distributing geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) to support national se ...

in St. Louis until he retired in 1973 to pursue full-time freelance writing. He died of a heart attack on May 29, 2000. Bunch married Phyllis Geraldine Flette and they had two daughters, Phyllis Elaine and Velma Lorraine.Bunch, David R., dedication to "Bunch!". Broken Mirrors Press (1993).

Writing career

According to his long-time proponent

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 ...

, Bunch published over 200 stories and poems prior to his first professional science fiction sale, a short story called "Routine Emergency" in the December 1957 edition of ''If''. He published at least 100 stories in science fiction magazines between 1957 and 1997, and nearly as many in literary magazines. No comprehensive David R. Bunch

bibliography Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliograph ...

is known to exist; Bunch published almost exclusively in little magazines, digest-sized fiction magazines and fanzines, making a complete tally difficult (as the latter, particularly, are poorly indexed, and few indexes cover both the full range of little magazines and their more-commercial peers). Much of Bunch's recognition comes from his inclusion in

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...

's New Wave anthology ''

Dangerous Visions ''Dangerous Visions'' is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by American writer Harlan Ellison and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It was published in 1967 and contained 33 stories, none of which had been previously publishe ...

''. Of the 32 writers selected, Bunch was the only one to have two stories included: "Incident in Moderan" and "The Escaping". His second collection of stories, ''Bunch!'', was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award in 1993.

The Moderan sequence

Throughout his career, Bunch worked on a group of satirical far-future SF stories set in Moderan, a version of Earth paved over entirely with gray plastic and controlled by perpetually warring cyborg fortresses. Although the society of Moderan seems to project an appearance of personal valor and military perfection, its citizens are ultimately powerless, dominated by their own petty insecurities and hubris. Forty-six of the Moderan stories were collected in ''Moderan'' (1971), linked by a complex frame-story. The collection was not reprinted until 2018 and became a collector's item. Despite its relative rarity, it is sometimes suggested as a major work of

New Wave science fiction The New Wave was a science fiction style of the 1960s and 1970s, characterized by a great degree of experimentation with the form and content of stories, greater imitation of the styles of non-science fiction literature, and an emphasis on the p ...

Unjustly Neglected: David R. Bunch: http://mumpsimus.blogspot.com/2004/02/unjustly-neglected-david-r-bunch.htmlBrooks Landon, "Science Fiction After 1900: From the Steam Man to the Stars". Routledge (1995).Aldiss, Brian, "

Trillion Year Spree ''Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction'', commonly referred to as ''Trillion Year Spree,'' is a 1986 book by Brian W. Aldiss and David Wingrove. It is a book-length history of science fiction. The book is an expanded version of Aldi ...

". House of Stratus, 2001. and could have influenced

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

. Bunch continued to write and publish Moderan stories throughout his career. He had longed to see a complete collection of the Moderan sequence published. In 2018, New York Review Books Classics published an updated Moderan collection, including stories not found in the original edition.

Works

Collections

* ''Moderan'', New York,

Avon Books Avon Publications is a leading publisher of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reaching and ma ...

, 1971. * ''Bunch!'', Cambridge, Broken Mirrors Press, 1993.

Poetry

* ''We Have a Nervous Job'', 1983. Astoria, Oregon, Alba Press, 1983. * ''The Heartacher and the Warehouseman'', San Francisco, Anamnesis Press, 2000.

Notes

External links

*
Locus Magazine obituary

SFWA obituary
and an appreciation by John Novak {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunch, David R. 1925 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 20th-century American short story writers American male novelists American male poets American male short story writers American science fiction writers Novelists from Missouri People from Lowry City, Missouri University of Central Missouri alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni