Ken Grimwood
Ken Grimwood was an American author born on February 27, 1944, in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Emory University and Bard College before embarking on a career as a radio station news director. Grimwood is best known for his novel "Replay," published in 1987, which features a unique narrative in which the main character, Jeff Winston, relives his life multiple times after dying from a heart attack. This innovative plot not only gained popularity but also influenced various films, including the critically acclaimed "Groundhog Day." "Replay" received significant recognition, including the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and has been celebrated as a seminal work in science fiction. Aside from "Replay," Grimwood also explored themes of dolphin intelligence in his 1994 novel "Into the Deep," reflecting his interest in marine life and environmental issues. Tragically, Grimwood passed away from a heart attack on June 6, 2003, in Santa Barbara, California, while working on a sequel to "Replay." His works, especially "Replay," continue to resonate in discussions of alternate realities and the human experience.
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Subject Terms
Ken Grimwood
Writer
- Born: February 27, 1944
- Birthplace: Pensacola, Florida
- Died: June 6, 2003
- Place of death: Santa Barbara, California
Biography
Ken Grimwood was born in Pensacola, Florida, on February 27, 1944, the son of F. Milton Grimwood; he had a sister, Theresa, and a brother, Mark. He attended Emory University and Bard College before starting work as a radio station news director. Of his five novels, the best known is the award-winning Replay (1987), whose innovative plot structure helped it become a best-seller in Japan and influenced the American film Groundhog Day, the television movie 12:01, and the Japanese film Taan.
In the novel, the main character, radio station news director Jeff Winston, finds himself dying of a heart attack, only to “reawaken” as his earlier college-age self. Winston has the opportunity to relive his life to the point where the heart attack ends it, but he keeps returning to his original self—though each time he returns, it is at a point slightly later in his life. Thus the character’s ability to make different decisions and refine the choices of his life are set against its ever-shortening span. Additional complications occur when Winston discovers that he is not the only person experiencing this phenomenon, and he wonders if he will be given the chance to break the cycle to create a new and truly better future.
Replay received the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and was short-listed for the 1988 Arthur C. Clarke Award. It also was recommended as Best Science Fiction Novel in the Locus Reader’s Poll for that year and included on Modern Fantasy’s list of the hundred best novels in 1988. In later years it appeared as a recommended novel in Aurel Guilemette’s The Best in Science Fiction and David Pringle’s Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction. In addition to Replay, Grimwood was known for his interest in dolphin intelligence, which inspired his 1994 novel, Into the Deep, which was about dolphin communications. At one point he researched the cruelty to dolphins of the tuna industry by secretly infiltrating the crew of a tuna boat.
Ironically, Grimwood himself shared the fate of his best-known character when he died of a heart attack on June 6, 2003, at his home in Santa Barbara, California, where he was working on a sequel to Replay. As interest in alternate worlds remains high, Replay will likely continue to be considered a classic novel.