Victor Contoski (born 1936, Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American writer and university professor of Polish descent, best known for his science-fiction chess story ''Von Goom's Gambit'', published in

The Magazine of Fantasy and 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 Spiva ...

, December 1966. He got his Ph.D. in American Literature from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

in 1969. In 1980 he edited a book of poetry by poets of Polish ancestry, ''Blood of Their Blood''. He has published multiple volumes of poetry and taught creative writing and American Literature at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. In 2000, he was recipient of the HOPE Teaching Award, chosen by students. He is retired and resides in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers. As of the 2020 census ...

Bibliography

* ''Von Goom's Gambit'', ''Chess Review'', April 1966, reprinted in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', December 1966. * ''Four Contemporary Polish Poets'' (translations), Quixote, 1967 * ''Astronomers, Madonnas, and Prophecies'' (poetry), Juniper, 1972 * ''Broken Treaties'' (poetry), New Rivers, 1973 * ''Planting Beeches'' (translations of Harasymoxicz), New Rivers, 1975 * ''Names'' (poetry), New Rivers, 1979 * ''Unease'' (translations of Rozewicz), New Rivers, 1980 * ''A Kansas Sequence'' (poetry), Tellus, 1983 * ''Midwestern Buildings'' (poetry), Cottonwood, 1997

References

* http://www.kuonlinedirectory.org/endacott/data/OralHistoryTranscripts/Victor%20Contoski.pdf 1936 births Living people Writers from Minneapolis People from Lawrence, Kansas University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni {{US-sf-writer-stub