James Blish
James Blish was an influential American science fiction writer and critic, born on May 23, 1921, in East Orange, New Jersey. He developed a passion for science fiction at a young age, particularly after becoming involved in the science fiction fandom and joining a group known as the Futurians, which included future prominent writers and editors. Blish graduated from Rutgers University in 1942 and later served in the army during World War II. After the war, he pursued graduate studies in literature while also trying to establish himself as a writer.
Blish's notable works include the short story "Okie" (1950) and the acclaimed "A Case of Conscience" (1953), which won a Hugo Award after being expanded into a novel in 1958. His story "Surface Tension" (1952) was recognized as one of the best science fiction stories before 1965. In addition to his fiction, Blish contributed to science fiction criticism with his collection "The Issue at Hand" in 1964. He eventually found financial success by writing adaptations of the Star Trek series and moved to England in 1968, where he lived until his death from lung cancer on July 30, 1975. James Blish's work continues to be celebrated for its imaginative storytelling and thoughtful exploration of complex themes.
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James Blish
Fiction Writer
- Born: May 23, 1921
- Birthplace: East Orange, New Jersey
- Died: July 30, 1975
- Place of death: Henley-on-Thames, Oxford, England
Biography
James Blish was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on May 23, 1921, the only child of Asa Blish, an advertising manager for Esquire, and Dorothea Schneewind Blish, a piano teacher. After his parents divorced, Blish and his mother moved to Chicago, where they lived with his maternal grandparents. In 1931, after being given the April issue of Astounding Stories, Blish became an enthusiastic science fiction fan. He also attended the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair every week to view exhibits demonstrating the significance of scientific discoveries. In 1934, Blish returned to East Orange, where he attended East Orange High School until 1938. He became more engrossed in science fiction fandom, producing six issues of a fanzine, The Planeteer.
In 1938 he became involved with a group of science-fiction fans who called themselves the Futurians, many of whom later became famous as editors and writers, including Donald Wollheim, Robert Lowndes, Isaac Asimov, Judith Merril, Damon Knight, Cyril Kornbluth, and Frederik Pohl. From 1939 to 1942 he attended Rutgers University, graduating with a B.S. in education. In 1942 he was drafted into the army but got into periodic problems because of insubordination. After leaving the army in 1944, he became a graduate student at Rutgers, at first in biology, but later in literature. He wrote and later published a thesis on Ezra Pound but never received a degree. In 1947, he married Virginia Kidd, whom he had met through the Futurians. The group had by this time disbanded over sexual and political tensions, Blish describing himself at the time as a “book fascist” (although he later opposed the war in Vietnam).
Beginning in 1945, Blish worked at various firms, including Pfizer, Inc. and the Tobacco Institute, as an editor or in public relations, interspersed with periods in which he unsuccessfully tried to support himself solely by his writing. In 1950, he published an influential short story entitled “Okie.” “Surface Tension,” his 1952 story about genetically engineered microscopic humans struggling for survival in a pond, was honored by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the fifteen best science fiction stories published before 1965. In 1953 he wrote “A Case of Conscience,” a classic science fiction treatment of religion; he expanded the short story into novel length in 1958, and the novel won the Hugo Award. In 1964, the first collection of his influential science fiction criticism, The Issue at Hand, was published. After agreeing to write fictionalizations of the Star Trek television series, Blish was able to support himself as a writer, and he moved to England in 1968. A lifelong smoker, Blish died of lung cancer at his English home on July 30, 1975.