Stanton A. Coblentz
Stanton A. Coblentz (1896-1982) was an American writer renowned for his contributions to science fiction and poetry. After earning a master’s degree in English literature, he began his literary career writing book reviews before transitioning into science fiction, a genre he would explore for over six decades. Coblentz published his first poetry collection, *The Thinker and Other Poems*, in 1923, and continued to engage with poetry throughout his life, including editing anthologies. His notable entry into science fiction came with the story "The Sunken World" in 1928, which satirized American culture through a narrative set in Atlantis. He published several other well-regarded stories in the pulp magazine *Amazing Stories Quarterly*, including "After 12,000 Years" and "The Blue Barbarians." Coblentz is recognized for his ability to create imaginative worlds, although some critics noted a consistency in his style that reflected the conventions of earlier pulp fiction. Despite his later work receiving less acclaim, he remained active in the genre, continuing to publish stories and novels until the end of his life. Coblentz's legacy includes a body of work that captures the sense of wonder central to early science fiction.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Stanton A. Coblentz
Writer
- Born: August 24, 1896
- Birthplace: San Francisco, California
- Died: September 9, 1982
- Place of death: Monterey, California
Biography
Stanton A. (Arthur) Coblentz (1896-1982) earned a master’s degree in English literature and wrote book reviews for New York newspapers before turning to science fiction. He would continue turning out stories in that genre for some sixty years. He published his first volume of poetry, The Thinker and Other Poems, in 1923. He continued to write poetry and poetry criticism and edited a number of poetry anthologies throughout his life.
His first published science fiction story, “The Sunken World” (1928), appeared in Amazing Stories Quarterly. Set in Atlantis, an underwater city protected by a glass dome, the utopia is a satire on American culture. Coblentz would publish a total of five science fiction stories in Amazing Stories Quarterly, many of them satires: “After 12,000 Years” (1929; book version published in 1950); “Reclaimers of the Ice” (1930); “The Blue Barbarians” (1931; book version published in 1958), and “The Man from Tomorrow” (1933).
Though Coblentz was talented at creating alien environments, he continued to write in what some have considered an old- fashioned, stagnant style. John Clute in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction credits him with conveying the sense of wonder so important to the science fiction genre, especially in its early days of pulp science fiction. Coblentz’s first non-magazine novel was The Wonder Stick (1929), a tale with a prehistoric theme. Hidden World, published as In Caverns Below in a 1935 issue of Wonder Stories, takes place in an underground world and is another satire with a well- drawn setting but uninspired characterization.
Subsequent novels included The Pageant of Man (1936); Youth Madness (1944); When the Birds Fly South (1945); The Sunken World (1948), a book version of his earlier magazine story; Into Plutonian Depths (1950); The Planet of Youth (1952); Under the Triple Suns (1955); Next Door to the Sun (1960); The Runaway World (1961); The Moon People (1964); The Last of the Great Race (1964); The Lizard Lords (1964); The Lost Comet (1964), which had been published in Amazing Stories Quarterly as Reclaimers of the Ice; Lord of Tranerica (1966), originally published in 1939 in Dynamic Science Fiction magazine; The Crimson Capsule (1967), revised in 1970 as The Animal People; The Day the World Stopped (1968); The Island People (1971); and Light Beyond (1989). Stylistically, Coblentz never moved far from his pulp magazine roots. His later work was less successful than his earliest stories. Nevertheless, he continued publishing science fiction stories throughout his life.