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Alfred Bester

アルフレッド・ベスター

Arufureddo Besutā

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1913-12-18 （Middletown, New York, U.S.）
Died
1987-09-30 （Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S.） age 73
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
New York City (long-term residence) → Italy and England (lived there for several years in mid-1950s) → Ottsville, Pennsylvania (later years)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Editor, Screenwriter (TV & radio), Comic-book writer, Magazine editor
Active Years
1939-1981
Affiliations
Hydra Club (New York science fiction writers group)
Memberships
Associated with Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA)
Influenced By
James Joyce and avant-garde literature (self-cited influence), H. L. Gold (editor and friend), John W. Campbell (editor)
Influenced
Later science fiction writers including early cyberpunk authors, Television and media creators (e.g., naming/telepathy treatment in Babylon 5)
Nominations
"Star Light, Star Bright" — 1954 (retro Hugo nominee), "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" — 1959 (Hugo nominee), "The Pi Man" — 1960 (Hugo nominee), "The Four-Hour Fugue" — 1975 (Hugo nominee), "The Computer Connection (Extro)" — 1975 (Hugo/Nebula nominee)

Education

University of Pennsylvania
Period: 1930s
Country: United States
Participated in football and fencing while at university
Columbia Law School (did not complete)
Period: 1930s（中退）
Country: United States
Left law school and turned to writing

Awards

Hugo Award (Best Novel)
1953
Work: The Demolished Man
Organization: World Science Fiction Society / Worldcon
Result: winner
SFWA Grand Master (Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master)
1988
Organization: Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA)
Result: posthumous honor
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (induction)
2001
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame / Museum of Pop Culture (associated)
Result: inducted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Demolished Man

1953 Science fiction / Police procedural

A novel set in a future where telepathy is common; a murder and its investigation in a society without deceit. Winner of the inaugural 1953 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

TelepathyCapitalism and social hierarchyMemory and identity
Adaptations
  • [Television drama (adaptation/segment)]

The Stars My Destination

1956 Science fiction (adventure / revenge)

A revenge-driven space-opera with proto-cyberpunk elements; regarded later as a precursor to cyberpunk.

RevengeSelf-transformationViolence and civilization

The Computer Connection (also published as Extro)

1975 Science fiction

A science-fiction novel about computers and longevity. Finalist for Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1975.

Technology and immortalityIdentity

Golem100

1980 Science fiction

One of his late works; treats social and psychological issues through science-fictional means.

MadnessEthics of science

Who He? (also published as The Rat Race)

1953 Mainstream novel (contemporary, about TV industry)

A contemporary novel about a TV variety-show writer who wakes after an alcoholic blackout to find someone is trying to destroy his life. Film rights were optioned though no film was made.

Fame and self-destructionDark side of the media industry

Bibliography

  • The Demolished Man — 1953
  • Who He? (The Rat Race) — 1953
  • The Stars My Destination — 1956
  • Starburst (short story collection) — 1958
  • The Computer Connection (Extro) — 1975
  • Golem100 — 1980
  • The Deceivers — 1981
  • Tender Loving Rage — 1991 (posthumous)
  • Psychoshop — 1998 (completed by Roger Zelazny; posthumous)

Adaptations

  • Murder and the Android (televised on NBC Sunday Showcase, 1959)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Experimental and exuberant proseFast pacing with strong psychological characterizationVivid, magazine-ready short-story style
Recurring Motifs
Telepathy and mind-readingRevenge and transformationCapitalism and stratified societiesMemory and identity

Health

  • Failing eyesight (progressed in later years)
    1970年代中頃から
    Significantly hampered writing ability and reduced publishing output
  • Broken hip (from a fall) and complications
    1987年（死去前）
    Died from complications related to the fall and broken hip

Legacy

Alfred Bester, a prominent 1950s science-fiction writer, influenced modern SF through experimental prose and intense psychological narratives. Winner of the inaugural Hugo for The Demolished Man, he was later honored as an SFWA Grand Master and inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. His proto-cyberpunk works continue to influence subsequent generations.

Museums

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (associated) Seattle, U.S. (associated with the Museum of Pop Culture)

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA)

In Popular Culture

  • Babylon 5 features a character named Alfred Bester, named after him
  • Referenced in media like Firefly where minor character names draw from SF writers (including Bester)

Quotes

  • "Alfred Bester was one of the handful of writers who invented modern science fiction."
    Source: Harry Harrison (introduction) (1996)

Trivia

  • Credited with creating the comic-book villain Solomon Grundy (work for DC Comics).
  • Associated with an early form of the Green Lantern oath ("In brightest day, In blackest night...").
  • Eyesight failed in later years; produced no new published work after 1981.
  • Left his literary estate to his friend and bartender Joe Suder.