Daniel F. Galouye
Daniel F. Galouye was an American author and journalist born on February 11, 1920, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Louisiana State University in 1941, shortly before enlisting in the U.S. Navy to serve as a naval aviator during World War II. After the war, he pursued a career in journalism, joining the New Orleans States-Item as a reporter in 1946 and later becoming the chief editorial writer. Galouye began his foray into science fiction in the early 1950s, achieving notable success with his first novel, "Dark Universe," which was nominated for a Hugo Award. His work is often associated with the "Golden Age" of American science fiction, although he did not receive major critical accolades during his lifetime. One of his most recognized works, "Counterfeit World," was adapted into a popular television series in Germany and a film titled "The Thirteenth Floor." Following a war-related injury, Galouye retired in 1967 and spent his later years in ill health, occasionally publishing anthologies and his final novel, "The Infinite Man," before passing away on September 7, 1976. He is remembered for his contributions to the science fiction genre and left behind a legacy of stories that continue to resonate with readers.
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Daniel F. Galouye
Writer
- Born: February 11, 1920
- Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Died: September 7, 1976
- Place of death: New Orleans, Louisiana
Biography
Daniel F. Galouye was born February 11, 1920, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father, Jean Baptiste Galouye, was a businessman, and his mother, Hilda Mouney Galouye, a schoolteacher. Educated at several New Orleans Catholic schools, Galouye matriculated in 1938 at Louisiana State University, where he achieved a B.A. in journalism in 1941. Only a little more than six months later, however, the United States entered World War II, and Galouye enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Training as a naval aviator at the Pensacola Naval Air School in Florida, Galouye flew missions in the South Pacific theater, where he was wounded in action. After his injury he was sent to run an aviation training school in Hawaii.
When victory over Japan was declared in August of 1945, Galouye returned to the United States, though he remained in the Naval Reserves. On the day after Christmas, 1945, he married schoolteacher Carmel Barbara Jordan. With the advent of their first child, Denise Marie, Galouye concluded that it would be easier to raise a family on civilian wages, and put his journalism degree to the test by joining the New Orleans States-Item as a reporter in 1946. The discipline of writing for daily deadlines increased his facility for writing quickly, which he soon applied to fiction writing.
In 1952, Galouye sold his first novelette, “Rebirth,” to Imagination magazine, and by the end of the decade had sold stories to virtually all of the major science-fiction periodicals. In 1961 he published his first novel, Dark Universe, which was nominated for a Hugo. Galouye, however, despite being a prolific and popular writer, never received a major critical award, for his style was that of the “Golden Age” of American science fiction of the 1930’s and 1940’s, and fans and critics tended to honor more up-to-date styles.
In Hollywood and on television, however, what little science fiction there was in the 1960’s appealed to the supposedly outdated Golden Age style, and so Galouye’s 1964 novel Counterfeit World (later renamed Simulachron-Three), became a popular German television series, and later a film titled The Thirteenth Floor. In 1955, Galouye moved from reporting to the assistant news editor’s desk, and soon became the chief editorial writer for the States-Item. In 1966, his war injury caused him to lessen his activity, and Galouye was forced to retire the following year. He lingered in ill health for nearly another decade, not writing many new stories, but managing to support himself and his wife by putting together his short stories into an anthology, Project Barrier (1968), and writing his final novel, The Infinite Man (1971). On September 7, 1976, Galouye died at the Veteran’s Hospital in New Orleans, survived by his wife, two daughters, and five grandchildren.