Terry Carr
Terry Gene Carr was a notable figure in the science fiction genre, born in 1937 in Oregon. As a young boy, he developed a passion for science fiction, writing letters to pulp magazines and producing fanzines by the age of fourteen. He pursued higher education, earning an associate's degree from the City College of San Francisco and attending the University of California, Berkeley. Carr worked as an associate editor at the Scott Meredith Literary Agency and later became an editor at Ace Books, where he played a significant role in publishing influential works, including Ursula K. Le Guin's *The Left Hand of Darkness* and William Gibson's *Neuromancer*. His own writing career included novels such as *Warlord of Kor* and *Cirque*, the latter exploring themes of alien tourism and rebirth in a dystopian city. Carr's contributions to the genre earned him recognition, including a Hugo Award for Best Fan Magazine and multiple Nebula Award nominations. He was also a founding member of the Science Fiction Writers of America. Carr passed away in 1987 due to congestive heart failure and diabetes, leaving behind a legacy in science fiction literature.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Terry Carr
Writer
- Born: February 19, 1937
- Birthplace: Grants Pass, Oregon
- Died: April 7, 1987
- Place of death: Oakland, California
Biography
Terry Gene Carr was born in 1937 in Oregon to Leslie Clarence, a machinist, and Marcella Carr. As a twelve-year-old boy, Terry started reading science fiction and writing letters to the pulp magazines. At fourteen, he was already producing science-fiction fanzines.
Carr graduated from the City College of San Francisco with his associate’s degree in 1957. From 1957 to 1959, he attended the University of California, Berkeley. He was an associate editor for the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, Inc., in New York City from 1962 to 1964. For seven years, he was editor for Ace Books, Inc., also based in New York City. He then moved to California and became a freelance writer and editor, and he lectured on science fiction at various colleges.
As an editor, Carr introduced the reading public to such classic science-fiction novels as The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Neuromancer by William Gibson. Carr’s first novel, Warlord of Kor, was published in 1963. Cirque, published in 1977, is about the earth’s last great city, where an alien tourist arrives to begin the city’s rebirth.
Carr has had his stories published in approximately twenty anthologies. In 1959, the World Science Fiction Convention bestowed him with the Hugo Award for Best Fan Magazine, Fanac. In 1968, his short story “The Dance of the Changer and the Three” was nominated for the Nebula Award. A year later, that same story was nominated for the Hugo Award. Cirque was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1977. Carr was a charter member of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He died from congestive heart failure and diabetes in 1987.