Robert Hoskins
Robert Hoskins was an American writer born on May 26, 1933, in Lyons Falls, New York. Growing up in a football-centric town, he found solace in comic books and pulp fiction rather than athletics. His educational journey included attending Albany State College for Teachers, but his career path took various turns before he fully embraced writing. Initially working in his family's business and later engaging in social work, he eventually transitioned to the literary world as a sub-agent and editor. Hoskins gained recognition for his Gothic romance novels and the acclaimed Infinity series of science fiction anthologies, where he explored themes of humanity's blend of primitive and advanced traits, particularly in his Stars trilogy. In addition to science fiction, he wrote mysteries and adventure novels under pseudonyms, contributing to series like Phoenix Force. Hoskins's diverse body of work also includes biographies of notable figures such as Louis Armstrong and Muhammad Ali. He returned to upstate New York, where he passed away on June 1, 1993, leaving behind a legacy that reflects both entertainment and thoughtful reflection on societal themes.
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Robert Hoskins
Writer
- Born: May 26, 1933
- Birthplace: Lyons Falls, New York
- Died: June 1, 1993
Biography
Robert Hoskins was born in Lyons Falls, New York, on May 26, 1933, to Fredric M. Hoskins, a builder, and Irene (Clune) Hoskins. As a non-athlete growing up in a small town devoted to football, Hoskins turned to the usual avenues of escape for an imaginative child of that era: comic books and pulp fiction. His route to a writing career was a circuitous one. He went to Albany State College for Teachers from 1951 to 1952. He worked in his family’s business until 1964, publishing his first short story in 1958. Hoskins next became involved in social work as a child-care worker for the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene, and in 1966 worked at the Brooklyn Home for Children.
Turning to more literary jobs, he became a sub-agent for the Scott Meredith Literary Agency from 1967 to 1968, and then worked as editor at Lancer Books from 1969 until just before the publishers went bankrupt in 1972, when he became a full-time freelance writer. He said that his work as agent and editor prepared him for his writing career. He wrote Gothic romance novels, under a variety of pseudonyms, throughout his writing career. He first became well known for the acclaimed Infinity series of science fiction anthologies.
Hoskins’s own science fiction dealt with the central theme of the integration of humanity’s primitive and advanced characteristics. This theme can be traced in his Stars trilogy: Master of the Stars, To Control the Stars, and To Escape the Stars. Although Hoskins wrote some forty short stories, including mysteries for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, he said he found novels simpler to write. Hoskins also wrote adventure novels under the shared pseudonym Gar Wilson, for the Phoenix Force series, as well as biographies of Louis Armstrong and Muhammad Ali.
He eventually returned to upstate New York and died in Troy, New York, on June 1, 1993. Although Hoskins called himself an entertainer and has been regarded as such by some critics, his central themes, as revealed in those science fiction adventures, show that some thought, perhaps inspired by his social work, went into them as well.