''Greybeard'' is a

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 ...

novel by British author

Brian Aldiss Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for oc ...

, published in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Plot summary

Set decades after the Earth's population has been sterilised as a result of nuclear bomb tests conducted in Earth's orbit, the book shows a world emptying of humans, with only an ageing, childless population left. The story is mainly told through the eyes of Algernon "Algy" Timberlane (the titular Greybeard) and his wife, Martha.

Publishing history

Since its first publication by

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

and Harcourt, Brace and World in 1964, it has had numerous reprints and translations, including

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, Norwegian,

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and French. It was included in the Gollancz science fiction reprint series, SF Masterworks.

Reception

The book is included in '' Interzone'' editor

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whi ...

's '' Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels'' (1985).

References

*''Greybeard'', Brian Aldiss. New York: Signet/New American Library, 1965. p. 2689

External links

Greybeard
at Brian Aldiss website *
review at "My Science Fiction Life", BBC Four website
Novels by Brian Aldiss 1964 British novels British science fiction novels 1964 science fiction novels British post-apocalyptic novels Faber & Faber books {{1960s-specf-novel-stub