A Biography of Robert A. Heinlein

In the world of twentieth century science fiction writers Robert A Heinlein was one of the big three, alongside Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. Although perhaps not as well known outside of the science fiction genre, Heinlein managed to bring alive fiction in such a way that other writers would be proud of. Space travel was made believable, just as believable in fact as a car journey to work. Whilst the planets were like an island in the Pacific, somewhere that we never have visited but knew existed.

Robert Anson Heinlein was born in Butler, Missouri on the 7th July, 1907. Robert was the third son of Rex Ivar and Bam Lyle Heinlein. Shortly after his birth the family moved from the house of Bam Lyle's father, Alva Lyle, M.D. to Kansas City.

Heinlein was immensely influenced by his childhood growing up in Kansas City. There was a religious revival in Missouri, attempting to compensate for the social difficulties sweeping the country. At school Heinlein also became interested in space and science fiction. The passing of Halley's Comet in 1910, got the young Heinlein interested in astronomy, and as a result he read every book he could lay his hands on about astronomy and science fiction. This early reading included the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, the fathers of science fiction.

Robert Anson Heinlein - PD-USNavy

In 1924, Heinlein, at the age of 17, graduated from Kansas City's Central High School. Following a year's study at the University of Missouri, Heinlein attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. After four years of study, Heinlein graduated 20th in his class of 243 cadets.

Heinlein entered the US Navy with the rank of Ensign. Five years in the Pacific saw Heinlein serve on a number of ships, including the USS Lexington, gaining promotion to Lieutenant. The career that he loved though was cut short in 1934 when he was discharged medically unfit for service' following his contraction of pulmonary tuberculosis. Prior to his discharge, Heinlein endured a lengthy period of hospitalisation. This time was spent in writing; some of this work would prevent the US Patent on water beds, as in his own work he described so completely the new water bed that it became recognised as his idea.

During his time at Annapolis he married Eleanor Curry, the marriage though lasted for barely a year, and divorce followed in 1930. Heinlein married his second wife, Leslyn MacDonald in 1932. Throughout his life, Heinlein ensured that his personal life was just that.

Following his discharge from the navy, Heinlein looked for a new career. He briefly studied mathematics and physics at UCLA before leaving to become a politician. To support himself he tried to earn money in a variety of ways, including work in a silver mine and a real estate dealership. His political ambitions were formed as a member of the End Poverty in California' party. A socialist party under Upton Sinclair, Heinlein found himself working on Sinclair's 1934 campaign to become Democratic Governor of California. The campaign though proved to be unsuccessful. Equally unsuccessful was Heinlein's attempt at running for California State Assembly in 1938.

Politics had rejected him, and relatively broke, other than his navy pension; Heinlein looked for a new career. Writing was not his first choice, but he recognised the need for income to pay of his mortgage. In October 1938, Thrilling Wonder Stories' was on the look out for new writers, so Heinlein sat down and in four days wrote Lifeline'. Once he finished it, Heinlein realised that his story would be much better placed in a science fiction publication, so he sold it to 'Astounding Science-Fiction' for $70.

Other stories soon followed, and John W Campbell, Jr., the editor of 'Astounding' snapped them up. Within four months Heinlein had earned enough to pay off his mortgage on his Laurel Canyon house, Heinlein though decided that he wanted a new car and a holiday. By mid-1941 Heinlein though decided to retire, taking a rejection of one of his submissions as the sign to do so. Retirement though was not good for Heinlein, and although it gave him time for other hobbies, it also affected his health. Heinlein decided to review his rejected work, he made some alterations and resubmitted Goldfish Bowl which was accepted, and his writing career resumed.

Robert Heinlein, L. Sprague de Camp, and Isaac Asimov, Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1944 - PD-USNavy

The United States were to be imminently involved in the Second World War. Upon the declaration of war, Heinlein sought to re-enlist to active service with the US Navy. His tuberculosis scars, and myopia, though prevented him even getting a desk job. He was though offered a civilian role at the US Naval Experimental Centre at Mustin Field. This period of his life is most noted for his recruitment of Isaac Asimov to work in the same department.

Despite continuing to write, the war affected both him, his personal life and his writing style. In addition to writing some non-fiction political work, Heinlein also looked to a more lucrative market than the pulp fiction publishers. The 'Saturday Evening Post' published four of his stories, as he became better known to the wider public, starting with The Green Hills of Earth (1947).

Heinlein also sought a new market for his work, and started aiming his work at a younger audience. Although initially turned down by the first publisher it was offered to, 1947 also saw the release of Rocket Ship Galileo, a tale of rocket ships and moon landings. So began a series of novels called 'Juveniles', initiating a generation into science but also into social awareness.

As Heinlein became more and more successful, his personal life suffered and his marriage to Leslyn ended in divorce.

Schribners had produced his 'Juveniles' but they found his 1959 book Starship Troopers far too controversial to publish. With a strong anti-communist message, when published by Putnam's Sons, it brought a new angle to the whole science fiction genre. The public loved his new work, and he was soon rewarded with the Hugo Award at the 1960 World Science Fiction Convention.

Heinlein also found himself in a position to write what he wanted, when he wanted to. He wrote The Man From Mars, at 800 pages long it brought a satire of sex and religion, which was again a new angle for the science fiction genre. Though Heinlein was forced to edit certain sections of the novel, it was published in 1961 as Stranger In a Strange Land. This release became a national bestseller, crossing over from the science fiction market to the reading public as a whole. The book became a symbol for counterculture and the new sexual revolution.

The change in style has been attributed to his new wife, as in 1948 Heinlein married Virginia Ginny Gerstenfeld. The new couple were described as very outgoing, always willing to entertain at their house in Colorado. The Colorado house was designed by Heinlein to incorporate all of the most modern technology and design. Ginny is often used by Heinlein as a model for his lead female characters, as the characters would take on many of the attributes of his wife.

Together they designed a new house in Bonny Doon, California. There were two reasons for this more, one was Ginny's ill health, and also the fact that NORAD moved into the Colorado area they were living in.

Ginny's ill health was followed by an illness of Heinlein's. A bout of severe peritonitis, an abdomen inflammation, almost cost his life in 1970. Hospitalised, writing ceased for almost two years.
This illness seemed once again to change the emphasis of Heinlein's writing. New work of the 1970's and 1980's moved into a more philosophic mode, with themes of love and death prevalent. This change though did not affect his popularity and most of his novels; including I Will Fear No Evil (1970) and Friday (1982) topped the bestselling charts.

His health declined again from 1978, when he suffered a transient ischemic attack whilst on holiday on Tahiti. Whilst he had a brief recovery after a carotid bypass operation, by 1987 he was forced to move to Carmel to be near medical facilities. Years of smoking eventually caught up with him when he died during his morning nap, from emphysema and heart failure on 8th May, 1988. His cremated ashes were strewn across the Pacific ocean from a warship of the US Navy.

His personal life was never in the limelight, although Ginny and Heinlein would often go on cruises, these jaunts were never publicised. Heinlein himself said that he would write for half the year and be lazy for the rest of it.

Robert and Ginny Heinlein in Tahiti 1980 - Hayford Pierce - CC-BY-SA-3.0

In all Heinlein published 32 novels, 59 short stories and 16 collections, so other writers, such as Asimov, were more prolific. For his work, though he did receive some of the highest writing awards available. Four Hugos were topped by the first awarding of the SWFA Grand Master Nebula award in 1975 for his lifetime achievement.

In all Heinlein, has the accolade of being one of the most important science fiction writers of all time. As well as the obvious technology elements of his work, were the more subtle social themes, themes of; liberty, self-reliance, the counterculture and the sexual revolution.