Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an influential American science fiction writer, born on January 26, 1918, in North Terre Haute, Indiana. He began his literary journey while studying English literature at Bradley University, where he earned a creative writing scholarship. Farmer's distinguished career was marked by his groundbreaking novella "The Lovers," published in 1952, which challenged conventional themes in science fiction, particularly regarding sexuality. He achieved critical acclaim early on, winning a Hugo Award for Most Promising New Talent in 1953 and receiving additional accolades for works like "Riders of the Purple Wage" and "To Your Scattered Bodies Go."
Despite facing financial challenges, including the bankruptcy of his publisher, Farmer persisted in his writing career, eventually transitioning to freelance work. He moved several times throughout his life, spending significant periods in New York and Arizona, and eventually returning to Peoria, Illinois. Farmer’s unique narratives and imaginative world-building have left a lasting legacy in the genre, making him a respected figure among science fiction enthusiasts. He passed away on February 25, 2009, leaving behind a rich body of work celebrated for its creativity and depth.
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Philip José Farmer
Writer
- Born: January 26, 1918
- Birthplace: North Terre Haute, Indiana
- Died: February 25, 2009
- Place of death: Peoria, Illinois
Biography
Phillip José Farmer was born in North Terre Haute, Indiana, on January 26, 1918, the son of George and Lucile Theodora (Jackson) Farmer. Between 1920 and 1927 the family moved six times, living variously in Indiana, Missouri and Illinois. Farmer graduated from Peoria Central High School in 1936 as one of only five lettermen elected to the National Honor Society. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia, from 1936 to 1937. He left to work for Illinois Power and Light on a line crew to help his father pay off debts from a bad investment. In 1939 he attended Bradley Polytechnical Institute in Peoria, where he switched his major to English literature and minored in philosophy. While at Bradley, he won a creative writing scholarship, and he transferred back to University of Missouri in 1941.
On May 10, 1941, Farmer married Elizabeth Virginia Andre, a music scholarship student he had met the previous year. Their son, Philip Laird was born in 1942, and their daughter, Kristen, was born in 1945. In 1941, Farmer became an aviation cadet in the Army Air Force, but he asked to be discharged. While waiting to be drafted, he took a job with the Keystone Steel & Wire Company in 1942, and he remained there for eleven and half years. Farmer returned to Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, in 1949 and graduated with a B.A. in English the following year.
Farmer had been reading science fiction since 1928, and had had small successes with the publication of a couple of stories and a poem before his novella, The Lovers appeared in 1952. This book shattered the sex taboo in the genre. He turned to full time writing the same year. In 1953 he attended his first World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia and received a Hugo Award as the most promising new talent. The same year he won the Shasta prize for I Owe for the Flesh, the original novel of his Riverworld series. Shasta, however, went bankrupt before he received his prize of four thousand dollars. As a result, Farmer lost his house and had to return to full time work, but over the next couple of years he managed to published a number of stories, articles and poems.
In 1956 Farmer moved to Syracuse, New York, and got a job as a technical writer for General Electric. In 1957 he saw the publication of The Green Odyssey. This was the true beginning of his writing career. In 1958 he moved from Syracuse to Scottsdale, Arizona, and got a job as a technical writer for Motorola’s military electronics division. In 1965 he moved to Beverly Hills and began working as a free lance technical writer He went to work for McDonnell-Douglas as a technical writer in 1967 but was laid off in 1969. From that point on, Farmer would work primarily as a freelance writer. He and his family returned to Peoria, Illinois, in 1970. Farmer moved a number of times after 1970, but he always remained in the Peoria area. Farmer won his second Hugo in 1968 for the novella Riders of the Purple Wage and a third Hugo for Best Novel in 1972 for To Your Scattered Bodies Go.