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Robert Anson Heinlein ( July 7 , 1907 – May 8 , 1988 ) was one of the most influential and controversial authors of "hard" Science Fiction . He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility that few have equaled, but also helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality, and was the first writer to break into mainstream general magazines such as '' The Saturday Evening Post '' in the late 1940s with unvarnished science fiction. He was among the first authors of bestselling novel-length science fiction in the 1960s. For many years Heinlein, Isaac Asimov , and Arthur C. Clarke were known as the Big Three of science fiction. The major themes of Heinlein's work were social: radical Individualism , Libertarianism , Solipsism , Religion , the relationship between physical and emotional Love , and speculation about unorthodox family relationships. His iconoclastic approach to these themes has led to wildly divergent perceptions of his works. His 1959 novel '' Starship Troopers '' was excoriated by some as being Fascist . His 1961 novel '' Stranger In A Strange Land '', on the other hand, put him in the unexpected role of Pied Piper to the Sexual Revolution and Counterculture . The English language has absorbed several words from his fiction, including "," meaning "to understand something so thoroughly that it becomes part of the observer." During his lifetime, beginning with his very first works in the later 1930s, he was also a major influence on many other writers, who tried to emulate, with varying degrees of success, the apparently effortless skill with which he blended speculative concepts and fast-paced storytelling. Heinlein won four Hugo Award s for his novels following the year of publication. In addition, fifty years after publication, three of Heinlein's works were awarded " Retro Hugo s" — awards given retrospectively for years in which no Hugos had been awarded. He also won the first Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers Of America for lifetime achievement. LIFE Yearbook ]] Heinlein was born on , graduated in 1929, and served as an officer in the United States Navy . He married his second wife, Leslyn Macdonald, in 1932. Little is known about his first marriage.Heinlein's biography, as given on the Heinlein Society web site, endorsed by his estate, says about his first wife, "We do know her name and other information on her life (we helped track down her and her fate) but are withholding it until Bill Patterson presents the material in his upcoming biography on Heinlein (so don't ask, we won't tell)." See also the biography at the end of ''For Us, the Living'', 2004 edition, p. 261. Leslyn was a political radical, and Isaac Asimov recalled Robert during those years as being, like her, "a flaming liberal."Isaac Asimov, ''I, Asimov'' Heinlein served aboard the USS Roper (DD-147) in 1933-1934, achieving the rank of Lieutenant . In 1934, Heinlein was discharged from the Navy due to Pulmonary Tuberculosis . During his long hospitalization he conceived of the Waterbed , and his detailed descriptions of it in three of his books later prevented others from Patenting the idea. The military was the second great influence on Heinlein; throughout his life, he strongly believed in loyalty, leadership, and other ideals associated with the military. After his discharge, Heinlein informally attended a few weeks of graduate classes in had created a 'reign of terror.' Are ''you'' terrified? I am not, and I have in my background much political activity well to the left of Senator McCarthy's position."'' Tramp Royale '', 1992, uncorrected proof, ISBN 0-441-82184-7, p. 62 , and Isaac Asimov , Philadelphia Navy Yard , 1944.]] While not destitute after the campaign—he had a small disability pension from the Navy—he turned to writing to pay off his mortgage, and in 1939 his first published story, "Life-Line," was printed in '' Astounding '' magazine. He rapidly became acknowledged as a leader of the new movement toward "social" Science Fiction . He began fitting his early published stories into a fairly consistent Future History , a chart of which editor John W. Campbell published in the May 1941 issue of ''Astounding'', and which was later reprinted in his collection '' The Past Through Tomorrow ''. During World War II he did aeronautical engineering work for the Navy, recruiting the young Isaac Asimov and L. Sprague De Camp to work at the Naval Aircraft Factory. As the war wore down in 1945, he began reevaluating his career. The Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki and the outbreak of the Cold War galvanized him to write nonfiction on political topics, and he wanted to break into better-paying markets. He published four influential stories for '' The Saturday Evening Post '', leading off with '' The Green Hills Of Earth '' in February 1947, which made him the first science fiction writer to break out of the pulp ghetto. '' Destination Moon '', the documentary-like film for which he had written story, scenario, and script, and invented many of the effects, won an Academy Award for Special Effect s. Most importantly, he embarked on a series of juvenile novels for Scribner's that was to last through the 1950s. Heinlein was divorced from his wife Leslyn in 1947, and in 1948 married his third wife, Virginia "Ginny" Gerstenfeld , who undoubtedly served as a model for many of his intelligent, fiercely independent female characters. In 1953–1954, the Heinleins took a trip around the world, which Heinlein described in '' Tramp Royale '', and which also provided background material for science fiction novels such as '' Podkayne Of Mars '' that were set aboard spaceships. Asimov believed that Heinlein made a drastic swing to the Right politically at the same time he married Ginny. The couple formed the Patrick Henry League in 1958 and worked on the 1964 Barry Goldwater campaign, and ''Tramp Royale'' contains two lengthy apologias for the McCarthy Hearings . However, this perception of a drastic shift may result from an inappropriate tendency to try to place Libertarianism on the traditional Right - Left Spectrum of American Politics , as well as from Heinlein's iconoclasm, and unwillingness to let himself be pigeonholed into any ideology (including libertarianism). The evidence of Ginny's influence is clearer in matters literary and scientific. She acted as the first reader of his Manuscript s, and was reputed to be a better engineer than Heinlein himself.http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/ginny/GinnyNotice.html The political ideas in Heinlein's writing are discussed below under "Ideas, themes, and influence." Heinlein's Juvenile Novel s may have turned out to be the most important work he ever did, building an audience of scientifically and socially aware adults. He had used topical materials throughout his series, but his juvenile for 1959, '' Starship Troopers '', was regarded by the Scribner's editorial staff as too controversial for their prestige line and was rejected summarily. Heinlein felt himself released from the constraints of writing for children and began to write "my own stuff, my own way," and came out with a series of challenging books that redrew the boundaries of science fiction, including '' Stranger In A Strange Land '' (1961), which is his best-known work, and '' The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress '' (1966), which many regard as his finest novel. Beginning in 1970, however, Heinlein had a series of health crises, punctuated by strenuous work. The decade began with a life-threatening attack of Peritonitis , recovery from which required more than two years. But as soon as he was well enough to write, he began work on '' Time Enough For Love '' (1973), which introduced many of the themes found in his later fiction. In the mid-1970s he wrote two articles for the ''Britannica Compton Yearbook''.On Paul Dirac and antimatter, and on blood chemistry. A version of the former, titled "Paul Dirac, Antimatter, and You," was published in the anthology '' Expanded Universe '', and demonstrates both Heinlein's skill as a popularizer and his lack of depth in physics; an afterword gives a normalization equation and presents it, incorrectly as being the Dirac Equation . He and Ginny crisscrossed the country helping to reorganize Blood Donation in the U.S., and he was guest of honor at a World Science Fiction Convention for the third time at Kansas City, Missouri in 1976. In 1977 he suffered a "near-stroke" because of a blocked Carotid Artery . He became exhausted, his health began declining again, and in 1978 he had one of the earliest carotid operations to correct the blockage. Asked to appear before a Joint Committee of the U.S. House and Senate that year, he testified on his belief that Spin-off s from Space Technology were benefitting the infirm and the elderly. His surgical treatment re-energized Heinlein, and he wrote five novels from 1980 until he died in his sleep from Emphysema and Congestive Heart Failure on May 8 , 1988 , as he was putting together the early notes for his sixth "World As Myth" ( Pantheistic Solipsism ) novel. Several of his works have been published posthumously.An experimental novelization of an outline and notes created by Heinlein in 1958 has been completed by Spider Robinson for publication in late 2006. His posthumously published nonfiction includes a selection of letters edited by his wife, Virginia, his book on practical politics written in 1946, a travelogue of their first around-the-world tour in 1954. '' Podkayne Of Mars '' and '' Red Planet '', which were edited against his wishes in their original release, have been reissued in restored editions. ''Stranger In a Strange Land'' was originally published in a shorter form, but both the long and short versions are now simultaneously available in print. WORKS Early work, 1939–1960 The first novel that Heinlein wrote, '''' (1939), did not see print during his lifetime, but Robert James later tracked down the manuscript and it was published in 2003. Although a failure as a novel, being little more than a disguised lecture on Heinlein's Social Theories , it is intriguing as a window into the development of Heinlein's radical ideas about man as a Social Animal , including Free Love . The root of many themes found in his later stories can be found in this book. It appears that Heinlein at least attempted to live in a manner consistent with these ideals, even in the 1930s, and had an open relationship in his marriage to his second wife, Leslyn. He was also a nudisthttp://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/FAQrah.html; Nudism and body Taboo s are frequently discussed in his work. At the height of the cold war, he built a Bomb Shelter under his house, like the one featured in '' Farnham's Freehold .'' '', a 1949 juvenile illustrated by Clifford Geary]] After ''For Us, The Living'', he began writing novels and short stories set in a consistent '' and '' Orphans Of The Sky ''. Subsequent authors such as Larry Niven have postulated future histories for their stories. In Solution Unsatisfactory , written in 1940, Heinlein set out the following predictions: in 1941 the US government would start a large-scale secret project, which would make nuclear weapons available for use by the end of 1944 (radioactive dust rather than a bomb - but with much the same strategic implications); the weapon would be used to destroy an Axis city in 1945; this would bring WWII to an end, but start a nuclear arms race between the US and the Soviet Union. (In Heinlein's story, it leads to a new war which the US wins, gaining domination over the whole world but becoming a military dictatorship in the process). Beyond the accurate prediction of specific events, "Solution Unsatisafactory" set out in advance the main arguments, dilemmas and mindsets of the Nuclear Age, which were to become enshrined in such terms and concepts as Nuclear Arms Race , Second Strike or Mutual Assured Destruction . This, at a time when the whole issue was barely imagined even among most political and military decision-makers in the world. Heinlein's first published novel, '' In his later life, Heinlein studiously avoided revealing the story of his early involvement in left-wing politics,[http://www.enter.net/~torve/critics/Perry/perryA.htm , and made strenuous efforts to block publication of information he had revealed to prospective biographer Sam Moskowitz.[http://www.enter.net/~torve/critics/Perry/perryA.htm] was due at least in part to the apparent contradiction between his unconventional private life and his career as an author of books for children, but ''For Us, The Living'' also explicitly discusses the political importance Heinlein attached to privacy as a matter of principle. The novels that he wrote for a young audience are a fascinating mixture of adolescent and adult themes. Many of the issues that he takes on in these books have to do with the kinds of problems that Adolescent s experience. His Protagonist s are usually very intelligent teenagers who have to make a way in the adult society they see around them. On the surface, they are simple tales of adventure, achievement, and dealing with stupid teachers and jealous peers. However, Heinlein was a vocal proponent of the notion that juvenile readers were far more sophisticated and able to handle complex or difficult themes than most people realized. Thus even his juvenile stories often had a maturity to them that make them readable for adults. '' Red Planet '', for example, portrays some very subversive themes, including a Revolution by young students modeled on the American Revolution ; his editor demanded substantial changes in this book's discussion of topics such as the use of weapons by adolescents and the confused Sexuality of the Martian character. Heinlein was always aware of the editorial limitations put in place by the editors of his novels and stories, and while he observed those restrictions on the surface, was often successful in introducing ideas not often seen in other authors' juvenile SF. '' in '' Galaxy Science Fiction '', Sept. 1951]] Many readers may not realize that some of Heinlein's apparently clichéd ideas, such as the voyage to the moon in ''Rocket Ship Galileo'', were considered surprising at the time, and in fact helped to create the clichés in the first place. Another good example from this period is '' The Puppet Masters '', which originated the idea of Alien s taking over humans' bodies, as in '' Invasion Of The Body Snatchers .'' Heinlein's last juvenile novel, and probably his most controversial work in general, was '', but that Suffrage should belong only to those willing to serve their society by two years of voluntary civil or military service. Mature work, 1961–1973 From about 1961 ('''' tells of a war of independence of Lunar colonies, with between-the-lines satire on the threat posed by any government -- including a republic -- to individual freedom. Although Heinlein had previously written a few short stories in the Fantasy Genre , during this period he wrote his first fantasy novel, '' Glory Road '', and in '' Stranger In A Strange Land '' and '' I Will Fear No Evil '', he began to mix hard science with fantasy, Mysticism , and Satire of organized religion. Critics William H. Patterson, Jr., and Andrew ThorntonPatterson and Thornton, 2001. believe that this is simply an expression of Heinlein's longstanding philosophical opposition to Positivism . Heinlein stated that he was influenced by James Branch Cabell in taking this new literary direction. The next-to-last novel of this period, '' I Will Fear No Evil '', is according to critic James Gifford "almost universally regarded as a literary failure," and he attributes its shortcomings to Heinlein's near-death from peritonitis.''Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader's Companion'', James Gifford, Nitrosyncretic Press, Sacramento, California, 2000, p. 102. Later work, 1980–1987 After a seven-year hiatus brought on by poor health, Heinlein produced five new novels in the period from 1980 ('' 2006 . Heinlein's four Hugo awards were all for books written before this period. Many feel that his later novels were not up to the quality of his earlier work; some have suggested the quality drop stemmed from his near-stroke in 1977. Heinlein's books of the 1980s sold well, in spite of some critics' lack of enthusiasm; many readers believe that those who criticize them are missing their Irony and self-conscious Parody ing of both science fiction and Literature in general. Some of these books, such as '' The Number Of The Beast '' and '' The Cat Who Walks Through Walls '', start out as tightly constructed adventure stories, but transform into philosophical fantasias at the end. It is a matter of opinion whether this demonstrates a lack of attention to craftsmanship or a conscious effort to expand the boundaries of science fiction into a kind of Magical Realism , continuing the process of literary exploration that he had begun with ''Stranger in a Strange Land''. The tendency toward authorial self-referentialism begun in ''Stranger in a Strange Land'' and ''Time Enough For Love'' becomes even more evident in novels such as ''The Cat Who Walks Through Walls'', whose first-person protagonist is a disabled military veteran who becomes a writer, and finds love with a female character who, like all of Heinlein's strong female characters, appears to be based closely on his wife Ginny. The self-parodying element of these books keeps them from bogging down by taking themselves too seriously, but may also fail to evoke the desired effect in readers who are not familiar with Heinlein's earlier novels. Many readers are split on their reactions to Heinlein's wit, particularly in his dialogue -- characters from a plethora of milieus tend to favor the same midwestern-American, post-Depression style and referents. Some find it charming and disarming. Others attack it as unsophisticated. '''' is an overt satire of evangelical Christianity connected to his 1942 short story " The Unpleasant Profession Of Jonathan Hoag ." Like ''Job,'' '' Friday '' does not tie in to the other three self-referential novels but with the world of an earlier story, the 1953 novelette " Gulf ." Posthumous Publications Four Heinlein works were published after his death — the aforementioned '''' as well as 1989's '' Grumbles From The Grave '', a collection of letters between Heinlein and his editors and agent, 1992's '' Tramp Royale '', a travelogue of a southern hemisphere tour the Heinleins took in the 1950s, and a tribute volume called '' Requiem '', containing some additional short works never published in book form previously. A fifth work, '' Robert A. Heinlein's Variable Star '' has been completed by Spider Robinson , a science fiction author who admits to being greatly influenced by Heinlein. It is scheduled for publication in October 2006. IDEAS, THEMES, AND INFLUENCE Politics Heinlein's writing may appear to have oscillated wildly across the political spectrum. His first novel, ''For Us, The Living'', consists largely of speeches advocating the Social Credit system, and the early story " Misfit " deals with an organization which seems to be Franklin D. Roosevelt 's Civilian Conservation Corps translated into outer space. '' Stranger In A Strange Land '' was embraced by the Hippie Counterculture , and '' Glory Road '' can be read as an antiwar piece, while ''Starship Troopers'' has been deemed Militaristic , and '' To Sail Beyond The Sunset '', published during the Reagan administration, is stridently Right-wing . There are, however, certain threads in Heinlein's political thought that remain constant. A strong current of Libertarianism runs through his work, as expressed most eloquently in '' The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress ''. His early juvenile novels often contain a surprisingly strong Anti-authoritarian message, as in his first published novel '' Rocket Ship Galileo '', which has a group of boys blasting off in a rocket ship in defiance of a court order. A similar defiance of a court order to take a moon trip takes place in the short story "Requiem." In ''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'', the unjust Lunar Authority that controls the lunar colony is usually referred to simply as "Authority," which leads to an obvious interpretation of the book as a parable for the evils of Authority in general, rather than the evils of one particular authority. Heinlein was opposed to any encroachment of religion into government, and pilloried organized religion in '''', and, with more subtlety and ambivalence, in ''Stranger in a Strange Land''. His future history includes a period called the Interregnum, in which a backwoods Revivalist becomes Dictator of the United States. Positive descriptions of the military ('' Between Planets '', '' The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress '', '' Red Planet '', '' Starship Troopers '') tend to emphasize the individual actions of volunteers in the spirit of the Minutemen , while the Draft and the military as an extension of government are portrayed with skepticism in '' Time Enough For Love '', '' Glory Road '', and '' Starship Troopers ''. Despite Heinlein's work with the Socialist EPIC and Social Credit movements in his early life, he was an ardent, lifelong Anti-communist . In the political world of the 1930s (and other times), there was no perceived contradiction between being a socialist and being passionately anti-communist. Heinlein's nonfiction includes ''Who are the heirs of Patrick Henry ?'' (an anti-communist Polemic published as an advertisement) and articles such as ''Pravda Means Truth'' and ''Inside Intourist'', in which he recounted his visit to the USSR and advised Western readers on how to evade official supervision on such a trip. Many of Heinlein's stories explicitly spell out a view of history which could be compared to 's Frontier Thesis . In ''Red Planet'', Doctor MacRae links attempts at Gun Control to the increase in population density on Mars. (This discussion was edited out of the original version of the book at the insistence of the publisher.) In '' Farmer In The Sky '', overpopulation of Earth has led to hunger, and emigration to Ganymede provides a "life insurance policy" for the species as a whole; Heinlein puts a lecture in the mouth of one of his characters toward the end of the book in which it is explained that the mathematical logic of Malthusianism can lead only to disaster for the home planet. A subplot in '' Time Enough For Love '' involves demands by farmers upon Lazarus Long's bank, which Heinlein portrays as the inevitable tendency of a pioneer society evolving into a more dense (and, by implication, more decadent and less free) society. This episode is an interesting example of Heinlein's tendency (in opposition to Marx) to view history as cyclical rather than progressive. Another good example of this is ''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'', in which a revolution deposes the Authority, but immediately thereafter, the new government falls prey to the inevitable tendency to legislate people's personal lives, despite the attempts of one of the characters, who describes himself as a "rational anarchist." Race Heinlein grew up in the era of , in which the title character is revealed early on to be fairly dark-skinned (she describes herself as having a "permanent tan"). However, she conceals her skin pigment many times in the course of the novel, and she does indeed take on the identity of a white female at one point. '' The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress '' and '' Podkayne Of Mars '' both contain incidents of racial prejudice or injustice against their protagonists.''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'' includes an incident in which the protagonist visits the Southern U.S. , and is briefly jailed for Polygamy , later learning that the "...range of color in Davis family was what got judge angry enough..." to have him arrested. '' Podkayne Of Mars '' deals briefly with racial prejudice against the protagonist due to her mixed-race ancestry. Heinlein repeatedly denounced racism in his non-fiction works, including numerous examples in '' Expanded Universe ''. Race was a central theme in some of Heinlein's fiction. The most prominent example is '' Farnham's Freehold '', which casts a White family into a future in which white people are the slaves of Black rulers. In the 1941The novel was published as a serial in 1941, the year of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was published in book form in 1949. novel '' Sixth Column '' (also known as ''The Day After Tomorrow''), a resistance movement defends itself against an invasion by an Asian fascist state (the "Pan-Asians") using a "super-science" technology that allows ray weapons to be tuned to specific races. The idea for the story was pushed on Heinlein by editor John W. Campbell , and Heinlein wrote later that he had "had to reslant it to remove racist aspects of the original story line" and that he did not "consider it to be an artistic success."Robert A. Heinlein, ''Expanded Universe'', foreword to "Solution Unsatisfactory", p. 93 of Ace paperback edition. Some readers may mistake Heinlein's dislike of communist China for a dislike of Asians,'' Sixth Column '' concentrates more on the Japanese, and was first serialized in 1941, the year of the Pearl Harbor attack, although it was not published in book form until 1949, the year of the revolution in China. '' Tunnel In The Sky '' and '' Farmer In The Sky '' were both written after the revolution. or misinterpret negative depictions of overpopulation in Asia in '' Tunnel In The Sky '' and '' Farmer In The Sky '' as general criticism of Asian civilization. Good and bad people are to be found among all races in Heinlein's fiction. For example, in ''Sixth Column'', a Japanese-American heroically sacrifices himself in the fight against the invaders.The protagonist in ''Starship Troopers'' is Filipino, and "Tiger" Kondo in '' The Cat Who Walks Through Walls '' is a cameo appearance by Yoji Kondo, a NASA scientist of Heinlein's acquaintance who also edited the tribute volume '' Requiem ''. A Japanese-American character plays a pivotal role in '' Sixth Column ''. The protagonist in '' Between Planets '' is assisted by a Chinese restaurant owner, a major character in the book. In The Star Beast , a harried African bureaucrat is sympathetically portrayed as the behind-the-scenes master of the world government, while a white sheriff in rural Colorado is parochial and prejudiced. Some of the alien species in Heinlein's fiction can be interpreted in terms of an allegorical representation of human Ethnic Group s, but this is often risky. '' Double Star '', '' Red Planet '', and '' Stranger In A Strange Land '' all deal with tolerance and understanding between humans and Martians. Several of his stories, such as '' Jerry Was A Man '', '' The Star Beast '', and '' Red Planet '', involve the idea of nonhumans who are incorrectly judged as being less than human. Although it has been suggested that the strongly hierarchical and anti-individualistic "bugs" in ''Starship Troopers'' were meant to represent the Chinese or Japanese, Heinlein wrote the book in response to the unilateral ending of nuclear testing by the U.S., so it is more likely that they were intended to represent Communism . The slugs in ''The Puppet Masters'' are likewise explicitly and repeatedly identified as metaphors for communism. A problem with interpreting aliens as stand-ins for races of ''homo sapiens'' is that Heinlein's aliens generally occupy an entirely different mental world than humans. For example, an alien race depicted in '' Methuselah's Children '', the Jockaira, are sentient domesticated animals ruled by a second, godlike species. In his early juvenile fiction, the Martians and Venerians are usually depicted as ancient, wise races who seldom deign to interfere in human affairs. Individualism and self-determination Many of Heinlein's novels are stories of revolts against political oppression, for example:
But in keeping with his belief in individualism, his more sophisticated work for adults often portrays both the oppressors and the oppressed with considerable ambiguity. In '' Farnham's Freehold '', the protagonist's son accepts the security that comes with being castrated. In ''Glory Road'', a Monarch is depicted positively, and in The Star Beast , a publicity-shy bureaucrat is sympathetically portrayed as the behind-the-scenes decision-maker behind the planetary government. In ''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'', prerevolutionary life under the Lunar Authority is portrayed as a kind of anarchist or libertarian Utopia ; projections of economic disaster are the true (and secret) justification for the revolution, which brings with it the evils of Republican Government . Novels such as '' Stranger In A Strange Land '' and '' Friday '' revolve around individual rebellions against oppression by society rather than by government. Heinlein believed that individualism did not go hand-in-hand with ignorance. He believed that an appropriate level of adult competence was achieved through a wide-ranging education, whether this occurred in a classroom or not (as in '' Citizen Of The Galaxy ''). In his juvenile novels, more than once a character looks with disdain at a student's choice of classwork, saying "Why didn't you study something useful?" In '' Time Enough For Love '', Lazarus Long gives a long List Of Capabilities that anyone should have, ending with "Specialization is for insects." The common thread, then, is the struggle for '', humanity would not only be happier, but perceptually, behaviorally, and morally aligned with reality. Sexual liberation For Heinlein, personal liberation included ''. '' Beyond This Horizon '' (1942) cleverly subverts traditional gender roles in a scene in which the protagonist demonstrates his archaic Gunpowder gun for his friend and discusses how useful it would be in Duel ing — after which the discussion turns to the shade of his Nail Polish . '' "—All You Zombies—" '' (1959) is the story of a person who undergoes a Sex Change operation, goes back in time, has sex with herself, and gives birth to herself. Sexual freedom and the elimination of sexual jealousy are a major theme of '' Stranger In A Strange Land '' (1961), in which the straitlaced nurse Jill acts as a dramatic foil for the less parochial characters Jubal Harshaw and Mike. Over the course of the story, Jill learns to embrace her innate tendency toward Exhibitionism , and to be more accepting of other people's sexuality (e.g., Duke's fondness for pornography). As discussed in more detail in the book's Article , two brief negative references to Homosexuality have been interpreted by some readers as being Homophobic , but both deal with Jill's hang-ups, and one is a discussion of Jill's thoughts. Homosexuality is treated with approval — even gusto — in books such as the 1970 '' I Will Fear No Evil '', which posits the social recognition of six innate genders, consisting of all the combinations of male and female with straight, gay, and Bisexual . In later books, Heinlein dealt with Incest and the sexual nature of children, topics that, Freud notwithstanding, touch a raw nerve with many readers. In '' Time Enough For Love '', Lazarus Long uses Genetic arguments to dissuade a brother and sister he's adopted from sexual experimentation with each other (and later arranges for them to be married), and consummates his strong Sexual Attraction to his own mother, whom he goes back in time to rescue. In some of his books, '' To Sail Beyond The Sunset '' for instance, a young girl climbs into her father's lap or bed, but he kicks her out. In the same book, when the protagonist is unable to dissuade two of her teenage children from having a sexual relationship, she washes her hands of them, sends them to their father, and never mentions them again. The protagonist of '' The Cat Who Walks Through Walls '' recalls a homosexual experience with a Boy Scouts leader, which he didn't find unpleasant. In Heinlein's treatment of the possibility of sex between adults and children, some readers may feel that he dodges many of the valid reasons for the taboo by portraying the sexual attractions or actual sex as taking place only between Nietzsche an Supermen , who are so enlightened that they can avoid all the ethical and emotional pitfalls. Perhaps the greatest form of sexual liberation found in Heinlein's work, from first to last, was his treatment of females. Beginning with '' For Us, The Living '' and '' Life-Line '', Heinlein's female characters of all ages were generally competent, intelligent, courageous, powerful and in control of their lives and situations to whatever extent the circumstances permitted. Those few of his female characters who were weak or helpless are held in contempt by other characters (including other females). Philosophy In '' is strictly Tautological and because Inductive Reasoning is always subject to doubt, the only source of reliable "answers" to such questions is direct experience — which we do not have. Maureen's son/lover Lazarus Long makes a related remark in '' Time Enough For Love ''. In order for us to answer the "big questions" about the universe, Lazarus states at one point, it would be necessary to stand ''outside'' the universe. During the 1930s and 1940s, Heinlein was deeply interested in Alfred Korzybski 's General Semantics and attended a number of seminars on the subject. His views on Epistemology seem to have flowed from that interest, and his fictional characters continue to express Korzybskian views to the very end of his writing career. Many of his stories, such as '' Gulf '', '' "If This Goes On—" '', and '' Stranger In A Strange Land '', depend strongly on the premise, extrapolated from the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis , that by using a correctly Designed Language , one can liberate oneself mentally, or even become a superman. He was also strongly affected by the religious philosopher P. D. Ouspensky . Freudianism and Psychoanalysis were at the height of their influence during the peak of Heinlein's career, and stories such as '' Time For The Stars '' indulged in psychoanalysis. However, he was skeptical about Freudianism, especially after a struggle with an editor who insisted on reading Freudian sexual symbolism into his Juvenile Novels . He was strongly committed to Cultural Relativism , and the sociologist Margaret Mader in his novel '' Citizen Of The Galaxy '' is clearly a reference to Margaret Mead . In the World War II era, cultural relativism was the only intellectual framework that offered a clearly reasoned alternative to Racism , which Heinlein was ahead of his time in opposing. Many of these sociological and psychological theories have been criticized, debunked, or heavily modified in the last fifty years, and Heinlein's use of them may now appear credulous and dated to many readers. The critic Patterson says "Korzybski is now widely regarded as a crank,"Patterson and Thornton, 2001, p. 120 although others disagree. Influence Heinlein is usually identified, along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke , as one of the three masters of Science Fiction to arise in the so-called Golden age of science fiction, associated with John W. Campbell and his magazine '' Astounding ''. However, in the 1950s he was a leader in bringing science fiction out of the low-paying and less prestigious Pulp ghetto. Most of his works, including short stories, have been continuously in print in many languages since their initial appearance and are still available as new paperbacks years after his death. He was at the top of his form during, and himself helped to initiate, the trend toward Social Science Fiction , which went along with a general maturing of the Genre away from Space Opera to a more Literary approach touching on such adult issues as Politics and Human Sexuality . In reaction to this trend, Hard Science Fiction began to be distinguished as a separate subgenre, but paradoxically Heinlein is also considered a seminal figure in hard science fiction, due to his extensive knowledge of Engineering , and the careful scientific research demonstrated in his stories. Heinlein's influence extends to hundreds of science fiction and general fiction authors, including later notables like Techno-thriller writer Tom Clancy and Science-fiction writers John Ringo , Eric Flint , and David Weber . Outside the science fiction community, several words coined or adopted by Heinlein have passed into common English usage: during Neil Armstrong 's Apollo 11 moon landing. BIBLIOGRAPHY Main article is the Robert A. Heinlein Bibliography . Heinlein published 32 novels, 59 short stories and 16 collections during his life. Four films, two TV series, several episodes of a radio series, and a board game derive more or less directly from his work. He wrote a screenplay for one of the films. Heinlein edited an anthology of other writers' SF short stories. Three non-fiction books and two poems have been published posthumously. has been published posthumously and Another will be published in October 2006. Four collections have been published posthumously. See also: List Of Robert A. Heinlein Characters EXTERNAL LINKS Bibliography links are in the Robert A. Heinlein Bibliography article.
NOTES REFERENCES Critical
::A critique of Heinlein from a Marxist perspective. Somewhat out of date, since Franklin was not aware of Heinlein's work with the EPIC Movement . Includes a biographical chapter, which incorporates some original research on Heinlein's family background, but contains many of the same omissions and inaccuracies as other 20th-century bios of Heinlein.
::A comprehensive bibliography, with roughly one page of commentary on each of Heinlein's works.
Biographical
:: Includes an introduction by Spider Robinson, an afterword by Robert E. James with a long biography, and a shorter biographical sketch.
::A lengthy essay that treats Heinlein's own autobiographical statements with skepticism.
::Contains a shorter version of the Patterson bio.
::Incorporates a substantial biographical sketch by Virginia Heinlein, which hews closely to his earlier official bios, omitting the same facts (the first of his three marriages, his early left-wing political activities) and repeating the same fictional anecdotes (the short story contest).
::Repeats many incorrect statements from Heinlein's fictionalized professional bio.
::Autobiographical notes are interspersed between the pieces in the anthology. :::Reprinted by Baen, hardcover October 2003, ISBN 0743471598 :::Reprinted by Baen, paperback July 2005, ISBN 0743499158 :::Electronic edition available at: webscription.net (not free) |
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