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Harlan Ellison

ハーラン・エリソン

Harlan Ellison

Aliases: Harlan Jay Ellison
Pen Names: Cordwainer Bird（Pseudonym used to protest mangled works, especially in Hollywood）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1934-05-27 （Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.）
Died
2018-06-28 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.） age 84
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism （Baptismal Name: Jewish atheist）
Residence History
Cleveland, Ohio → Painesville, Ohio → New York City → Chicago → California

Career

Occupations
Author, Screenwriter, Essayist
Active Years
1949-2018
Influenced By
Isaac Asimov, Cordwainer Smith
Influenced
Stephen King, George R. R. Martin

Education

Ohio State University
Creative Writing
Period: 1951-1953
Country: United States
Expelled after 18 months for abusing a creative writing professor

Awards

Hugo Award
1966
Work: "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman
Category: Best Short Story
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Winner
Hugo Award
1968
Work: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Category: Best Short Story
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Winner
Nebula Award
1966
Work: "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman
Category: Best Short Story
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
Result: Winner
SFWA Grand Master
2006
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

1967 Science Fiction

A story where five humans are tormented by an all-knowing computer eternally

AI horrorHumanity
Adaptations
  • [Video game] I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995)

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

1965 Science Fiction

Celebration of civil disobedience against repressive authority

Anti-authorityTime

A Boy and His Dog

1969 Post-apocalyptic SF

Examines friendship and love in a violent post-apocalyptic world

FriendshipLovePost-apocalypse
Adaptations
  • [Film] A Boy and His Dog / L. Q. Jones (1975)

Dangerous Visions

1967 Anthology

Influential SF anthology

New Wave SF

Style & Themes

Literary Style
ProvocativeInnovativeColloquial
Recurring Motifs
HumanityCritique of authorityTechnological horror

Health

  • Heart attack
    1994
    Quadruple coronary bypass surgery
  • Clinical depression
    2010-
    Treated, diagnosed with bipolar disorder
  • Stroke
    2014
    Right-side paralysis

Legacy

Pioneer of New Wave speculative fiction, prolific and influential

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous controversies, Terminator lawsuit, Simpsons cameo

Quotes

  • My work is foursquare for chaos
    Source: Self-description in Danse Macabre (1981)

Trivia

  • Fired by Disney on first day
  • Cordwainer Bird pseudonym
  • Sent dead gopher to publisher