BSFA Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1980) Winner
Thomas M. Disch
トーマス・M・ディッシュ
Tōmasu M. Dishhu
Pen Names:
Leonie Hargrave（Female pen name used for some novels）,
Victor Hastings（Used for certain publications）,
Thom Demijohn (with John Sladek)（Pseudonym used for collaborations with John Sladek）,
Cassandra Knye（One of his collaborative pseudonyms）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1940-02-02 （Des Moines, Iowa）
- Died
- 2008-07-04 （Manhattan, New York City） age 68
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Atheism
- Residence History
- New York (Manhattan) → England (resided) → Spain (resided) → Rome (resided) → Mexico (resided) → Barryville, New York
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Poet, Critic, Playwright, Game designer
- Active Years
- 1962-2008
- Influenced By
- Michael Moorcock, Brian W. Aldiss, J. G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick (friend/criticised relationship)
- Nominations
- Hugo Award nominations (2 other nominations), Nebula Award nominations (9 nominations), National Book Critics Circle Award nomination (1996, The Castle of Indolence)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Union (attended, dropped out) | — | — | — | 短期間在籍（詳細不明） | United States |
| New York University (night school) | — | Took classes on novella writing and utopian fiction | — | 夜間学校での在籍（卒業せず） | United States |
Cooper Union (attended, dropped out)
Period:
短期間在籍（詳細不明）
Country:
United States
Scored highly on entrance exam but dropped out after a few weeks
New York University (night school)
Took classes on novella writing and utopian fiction
Period:
夜間学校での在籍（卒業せず）
Country:
United States
Stopped attending to pursue published writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Hugo Award (Best Related Book) | The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of | Best Related Book | World Science Fiction Society | 受賞 |
| — | John W. Campbell Memorial Award | — | — | John W. Campbell Memorial Award committee | 受賞 |
| — | Rhysling Award | — | — | Science Fiction Poetry Association | 受賞 |
| — | Seiun Award | — | — | Seiun Award committee | 受賞（2回） |
| 1999 | Michael Braude Award for Light Verse | — | — | Awarding organization (details unknown) | 受賞 |
Hugo Award (Best Related Book)
1999
Work:
The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of
Category:
Best Related Book
Organization:
World Science Fiction Society
Result:
受賞
John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Organization:
John W. Campbell Memorial Award committee
Result:
受賞
Rhysling Award
Organization:
Science Fiction Poetry Association
Result:
受賞
Seiun Award
Organization:
Seiun Award committee
Result:
受賞（2回）
Michael Braude Award for Light Verse
1999
Organization:
Awarding organization (details unknown)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 8 (1980) Winner
Michael Braude Award for Light Verse
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (1999) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Genocides
1965 Science fiction (New Wave)A dystopian science-fiction novel about survivors coping as alien flora devastates Earth's ecosystems.
catastrophesurvivalenvironmental destructionindividual vs collective
Camp Concentration
1968 Science fiction (philosophical/experimental)Set in a penal institution where experiments on intelligence raise ethical questions about intellect, morality, and violence.
ethicsintelligencemilitary-science complex
334
1972 Science fiction (social satire)A linked-story novel depicting life in a future city, satirizing bureaucratic society and urban stagnation.
urban lifebureaucracyfuture society
The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of
1998 Non-fiction (science fiction criticism)A critical meditation on how science fiction shaped culture; won the 1999 Hugo Award for Best Related Book.
cultural criticismSF and mediapopular culture
The Brave Little Toaster
1980 Children's fiction (fantasy)A fable-like children's story about household appliances; widely known from its animated film adaptations.
friendshipadventurebelonging
Adaptations
- [Animated film] The Brave Little Toaster (film) / Jerry Rees (1987)
Bibliography
- The Genocides (1965)
- Camp Concentration (1968)
- 334 (1972)
- Fun With Your New Head (story collection)
- The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of (1998, non-fiction)
- The Wall of America (posthumous story collection, 2008)
Adaptations
- The Brave Little Toaster (1987 film and sequels)
- The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998)
- The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1999)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Experimental, intellectual New Wave SF styleSatirical and ironic tonePoetic and condensed language
- Recurring Motifs
- Cities (especially New York)Critiques of religion and faithBureaucracy and civic emptinessDeath and loss
Health
-
Depression2005–2008（パートナーの死後に悪化）Marked reduction in output (stopped most fiction writing except poetry and blog entries); increased psychological distress
Legacy
Thomas M. Disch was a major New Wave SF writer and a respected poet and critic. He contributed to raising the literary profile of science fiction and influenced culture criticism; his work also crossed into children's literature, theater, and interactive fiction.
Archives
- Thomas M. Disch Papers (Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)
In Popular Culture
- The Brave Little Toaster film series is widely known in children's animation
Quotes
-
"I write poetry because I think it is the hardest thing I can do well. And so I simply enjoy the doing of it, as an equestrian enjoys spending time on a good horse. Poetry is my good horse."
Source: Interview (reported as said ten days before his death) (2008)
Trivia
- Used pen names including Leonie Hargrave, Victor Hastings, and Thom Demijohn (collaboration with John Sladek).
- Attempted suicide at age 18 (failed due to not affording gas bill).
- Collaborated on the interactive fiction game Amnesia (1986).
- Longtime partner was poet Charles Naylor; Disch's depression deepened after Naylor's death in 2005.
- Papers and manuscripts are held at Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
- Died by suicide (gunshot) in his Manhattan apartment on July 4, 2008.