Campbell, John Wood

John Campbell was born June 8, 1910 in Newark ( New Jersey ). He began writing science fiction while still a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Duke University . He received a diploma in physics in 1932, and by that time he was already one of the most famous American science fiction writers . Debuting in the magazine “ Amazing Stories ” in January 1930 with the story “When the atoms do not stand up” (“When the Atoms Failed”), already in June published the story “I Prefer Piracy” (“Piracy Preferred”), and in the fall - a small novel “Passage Of the Black Star ”(“ The Black Star Passes ”). These and his next works are accepted by readers "with a bang." He continues to write, but by 1934 he begins to use the primitiveness of techniques and the science fiction of that time, and under the pseudonym Don A. Stewart begins to publish stories in Astounding in which he works on this or that “breakthrough” of fiction into new stylistic and thematic areas - “ Twilight "(" Twilight ")," Machine "(" The Machine ")," Night "(" Night ")," Invaders "(" The Invaders ") and others. His writing career almost ends with the publication of the story “ Who goes? "(" Who Goes There? ", 1938 ), which is still considered one of the best sf thrillers and has been screened three times - the films" Something from Another World "by Christian Nibi (" The Thing From Another World ", 1951 )," Something by John Carpenter (“The Thing”, 1982 ) and “ Something ” by Mattis van Heinigen (“The Thing”, 2011 ).

In September 1937, F. Orlin Trimain left the chair of the Astounding editor and this work is offered to Campbell ^[1] , who immediately agrees and begins to implement the long-conceived reform of science fiction . It was during this period that he found such authors as Isaac Asimov , Robert E. Heinlein , Theodore Starjon , Alfred van Vogt , Lester del Rey , and also attracted to the work the promising "old men" - Henry Kuttner and Catherine Moore , L. Sprague de Campa , Clifford Saymak , Jack Williamson and others. All this allows him to make Astounding the best fiction magazine of the 1940s. Later he also creates the fantasy magazine Unknown ( 1939 - 1943 ).

In the early 1950s, Campbell’s leadership was shaken by the emergence of new fiction magazines that were more literary-oriented than conceptual — Galaxy , Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , If , and others. Nevertheless, until his death in 1971, Campbell remained one of the most authoritative figures of American and world fiction.

In honor of John Campbell, two awards are given - the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel and the John W. Campbell Award for the best new science fiction writer .

• 1968 - Skylark Prize for contribution to the development of fiction.
• 1971 - The first place of the story " Who Goes There?" "And the story" Twilight "as the best fiction works of short form, published before 1940 , in a vote of readers of the magazine" Analog "
• 1996 - Posthumously inscribed on the SF Hall of Fame.
• 1996 - Retro Hugo Award (Retro Hugo) as the best editor in 1945
• 2001 - Retro Hugo Award (Retro Hugo) as the best editor of 1950
• 2004 - Retro Hugo Award (Retro Hugo) as the best editor in 1967

• John Campbell at Fiction Lab