Joseph H. Delaney
Joseph H. Delaney was an American science fiction writer born in Illinois in 1932, who passed away in 1999 at the age of sixty-seven. Prior to his writing career, Delaney served in the U.S. Army and practiced law after earning his law degree, operating as a lawyer from 1958 until 1983. His writing journey began with the publication of his novella "Brainchild" in 1982, which marked his entry into the professional science fiction sphere, followed closely by his first novel, "The New Untouchables." Delaney gained recognition for his innovative storytelling, particularly with his novella "Valentina: Soul in Sapphire," co-written with Marc Stiegler, which explored themes of sentient software and was published in 1984. Throughout his career, he authored four novels and over a dozen short stories, receiving multiple nominations for prestigious awards such as the Hugo Awards and the John W. Campbell Award. Delaney's contributions to the genre were acknowledged with a win in the Analytical Laboratory readers' poll in 1985 for "Valentina: Soul in Sapphire." His works continue to be appreciated for their creativity and foresight within the science fiction community.
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Joseph H. Delaney
Fiction Writer
- Born: February 5, 1932
- Birthplace: Alton, Illinois
- Died: December 21, 1999
- Place of death: Alpine, Texas
Biography
Science fiction writer Joseph Henry Delaney was born Illinois in 1932, and he died at the age of sixty-seven in 1999. He served for a time in the U.S. Army, was married, and had a son. He received a law degree and was a practicing lawyer from 1958 until 1983, when be became a full-time writer. He belonged to the bar associations in Maryland, Illinois, and Texas.
His first professional sale was his novella, Brainchild, which appeared in the June, 1982, edition of Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact. That same year, his first novel, The New Untouchables, was also published. Delaney was noted for his novella Valentina: Soul in Sapphire, which was cowritten with Marc Stiegler and published in 1984. This was one of the first works of fiction to utilize the possible existence of computer software as a sentient entity. Over the course of his career, Delaney sold four published novels and more than a dozen short stories.
Delaney received Hugo award nominations for the following works: 1983 best novella nominee for Brainchild, 1984 best novella nomination for In the Face of My Enemy, and 1985 best novella nominee for Valentina: Soul in Sapphire. He was also nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1983. A regular contributor, Delaney was nominated five times for the Analytical Laboratory, the Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact annual readers’ poll, and he won in 1985 for Valentina: Soul in Sapphire.