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The Futurians — Damon Knight
_With fifty illustrations, many never before published._
The Futurian Society was founded in 1938 by thirteen science fiction fans; it never numbered more than twenty, including wives, girl friends and hangers-on; yet out of this small group came seven of the most famous names in science fiction: Isaac Asimov, James Blish, Damon Knight, Cyril Kornbluth, Judith Merril, Frederik Pohl and Donald A. Wollheim.
Brilliant, eccentric and poor, the Futurians invented their own subculture, with its communal dwellings, its folklore, songs and games, even its own mock religion. In later years many of them became influential novelists, editors, anthologists, literary agents and publishers.
A Futurian himself, Knight has interviewed ten of the surviving Futurians and has traced down the widow of one member whose tragic fate was previously unknown. Drawing on correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, and amateur publications (including a collection of Futurian wall newspapers which had wound up in Australia), he has written a fascinating narrative of the early days of the Futurians, the feuds and lawsuits that divided them, and their later careers.
"The demon imp of science fiction gossip is back stoking his furnace... Oh, Damon, you have done it again."
-- Harlan Ellison
"The Futurians is an absorbing read... I don't think the world is ever ready for its Futurians: rebellious, romantic, and largely reprehensible. Gifted. Real."
-- Virginia Kidd
"The book has the charm and candor of Boswell's _Journals,_ at times rising to a crescendo of pure communication."
-- Keith Laumer
"I sneaked a look at the beginning of _The Futurians,_ was immediately hooked, and did not stop until I had finished the book."
-- L. Sprague de Camp
"It will be a must for anybody interested in the history and the nature of science fiction."
-- Jack Williamson
About the Author
Damon Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre. He was a member of the Futurians, an early organization of the most prominent SF writers of the day. He founded the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA), the primary writers' organization for genre writers, as well as the Milford Writers workshop and co-founded the Clarion Writers Workshop. He edited the notable Orbit anthology series, and received the Hugo and SFWA Grand Master award. The award was later renamed in his honor. He was married to fellow writer Kate Wilhelm.
The Futurian Society was founded in 1938 by thirteen science fiction fans; it never numbered more than twenty, including wives, girl friends and hangers-on; yet out of this small group came seven of the most famous names in science fiction: Isaac Asimov, James Blish, Damon Knight, Cyril Kornbluth, Judith Merril, Frederik Pohl and Donald A. Wollheim.
Brilliant, eccentric and poor, the Futurians invented their own subculture, with its communal dwellings, its folklore, songs and games, even its own mock religion. In later years many of them became influential novelists, editors, anthologists, literary agents and publishers.
A Futurian himself, Knight has interviewed ten of the surviving Futurians and has traced down the widow of one member whose tragic fate was previously unknown. Drawing on correspondence, unpublished manuscripts, and amateur publications (including a collection of Futurian wall newspapers which had wound up in Australia), he has written a fascinating narrative of the early days of the Futurians, the feuds and lawsuits that divided them, and their later careers.
"The demon imp of science fiction gossip is back stoking his furnace... Oh, Damon, you have done it again."
-- Harlan Ellison
"The Futurians is an absorbing read... I don't think the world is ever ready for its Futurians: rebellious, romantic, and largely reprehensible. Gifted. Real."
-- Virginia Kidd
"The book has the charm and candor of Boswell's _Journals,_ at times rising to a crescendo of pure communication."
-- Keith Laumer
"I sneaked a look at the beginning of _The Futurians,_ was immediately hooked, and did not stop until I had finished the book."
-- L. Sprague de Camp
"It will be a must for anybody interested in the history and the nature of science fiction."
-- Jack Williamson
About the Author
Damon Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre. He was a member of the Futurians, an early organization of the most prominent SF writers of the day. He founded the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA), the primary writers' organization for genre writers, as well as the Milford Writers workshop and co-founded the Clarion Writers Workshop. He edited the notable Orbit anthology series, and received the Hugo and SFWA Grand Master award. The award was later renamed in his honor. He was married to fellow writer Kate Wilhelm.
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