William Golding - author of Lord of the Flies

Sir William Golding is one of the best known British authors of the 20th century. Famed for his first novel, “Lord of the Flies", he went from an unknown school teacher to Nobel and Booker prize winner.

Golding was born William Gerald Golding on the Sept. 19, 1911, in the Cornish village of St. Columb Minor. Though he would spend many summer holidays in the village of his maternal grandmother, he grew up in Marlborough in Wiltshire. Golding’s father, Alec, was a science schoolmaster at Marlborough Grammar School. His mother, Mildred Cumroe, was a housewife with strong suffragette views.

William Golding - Dutch National Archives - CC-BY-SA-3.0-NL

Golding attended Marlborough Grammar School, with his elder brother Joseph. Both were strongly influenced by their father’s scientific rationalism and socialist views. This influence meant that when Golding went to Oxford University in 1930 it was to study natural sciences rather than the literature he loved. Two years into his studying at Brasenose College, Oxford, Golding reacted against his father changing his degree subject to English literature and philosophy.

Golding graduated in 1934 with a BA (Hons.). On leaving university, Golding tried his hand at writing, and even had a collection of his poems, simply called “Poems” published in 1934. He found that he could not make a living from writing though, and after unsuccessful stints as a theater producer and actor, he turned to the teaching profession.

Moving back to Wiltshire, Golding found a job teaching at Bishop Wordsworth School in Salisbury. He also found himself a wife, marrying Ann Brookfield in 1939. Golding went on to have two children with his wife, David, born in 1940, and Judith Diana, born in 1945.

The second World War had a profound impact on Golding. Joining the Royal Navy in 1940, he found himself unprepared for the harshness of war. In all Golding was to spend six years at sea, chasing the Bismarck in 1940, and supporting the invasion of Normandy in 1944. In the later years of the war Golding commanded at a landing ship, firing rockets at enemy targets on beaches. One of these attacks was at Walcheren, where 23 out of 24 landing crafts were sunk.

Golding was demobilized from the Navy, as a lieutenant, in 1946, and returned back to his teaching post in Salisbury. On his return though he found he had a new desire to write, his experiences from the war giving him much writing material.

His first novel was “Lord of the Flies,” his best known work. Originally written as a story for his young children, Golding sent it off to numerous publishers seeking to get the book in print. Following a number of rejections Faber & Faber of London eventually agreed to its publication in 1954. Championed by E.M. Forster, it soon became a bestseller, its popularity even extending to the United States.

Set on a deserted island, the tale of a community of British boys evacuated because of nuclear war. The story tells of the disintegration of society from order into cruelty and death. Translated into numerous languages, and filmed twice, the novel shows Golding’s inherent beliefs that human nature is corrupt and evil.

Similar themes of violence and the wickedness of human nature became common in his follow up works. Golding received a reputation for exposing the darkness of the soul of all humans. His stories would also end up bringing in elements of mythology and Christian symbolism in relation to modern society.

Golding quickly followed up the success of “Lord of the Flies” with his 1955 work “The Inheritors.” Golding related the story of Neanderthal man competing with Homo sapiens for survival. The following year “Pincher Martin” appeared in bookstores, and returned to Golding’s naval career, telling the tale of a sailor trying to survive in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1959 Golding completed “Free Fall” and returned to his theme of the depravity of human nature when an artist looks back at his life.
It wasn’t just novels that Golding was writing. A short story “Envoy Extraordinary” was turned by the author into the 1958 play “The Brass Butterfly.” Both told the same tale of a Greek inventor trying to be accepted at a Roman court.

Publishing success allowed Golding to finally make a career out of his writing. In 1961 Golding resigned from his teaching post at Bishop Wordsworth School, although he did undertake a further academic year at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia. The year in Virginia was spent as a writer-in-residence.

Golding continued to write, producing collections of essays, “The Hot Gates”(1965), “A Moving Target” (1982) and “An Egyptian Journal” (1985). Golding produced a further eight pieces of work between 1964 and 1989.

In 1964 Golding had “The Spire” published. The tale of the construction of a cathedral spire, it soon reverts to the common theme of murder and treachery in society. Three years later “The Pyramid,” comprised of three stories, brought together the common location of a 1920s English town. The 1971 novel “The Scorpion God” is a collection of three short stories from prehistoric Africa, ancient Egypt and ancient Rome.

“Rites of Passage” from 1980 was probably the second most known novel from Golding. The tale of life aboard a Napoleonic era warship spawned two sequels “Close Quarters” (1987) and “Fire Down Below” (1989).

In 1979 Golding was awarded his first literary prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, for “Darkness Visible” in which he told the tale of the London blitz and the injury of one young boy.
The following year he received a Booker Prize for “Rites of Passage.” His final award was the biggest with the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. For an author who was not the most prolific he did receive his fair share of awards.

Away from literature Golding received a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1965; he was elevated to a knighthood in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II. He did miss out though on the Chancellorship of the University of Kent in 1970.

His spare time was taken up with music and sailing. He was also a keen archaeologist, with a strong interest in ancient Greece. Golding was also a strong believer in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, writing papers and articles on the appearances of the monster.

Golding and his wife, Ann, moved to Perranarworthal in Cornwall in 1985, where he lived a reclusive and eccentric life. It was in the Cornish village that Golding passed away, due to heart failure, on June 19, 1993, at the age of 81. He was though returned to Bowerchalke, to be buried in the village churchyard. Ann passed away 18 months later.

Following his death, his last novel “The Double Tongue” (1995), a story of Ancient Greece and the oracle of Delphi, was published. Remembered for one novel, the rest of his writing career has been overlooked. Keen readers should look beyond “Lord of the Flies,” as there are some thought provoking novels amongst his works, many of which focus on the same issues of human nature and society.

Copyright - First Published 20th March 2008

Biography of JB Priestley

John Boynton Priestley is one of the premier English writers of the 20th century. In a writing career spanning sixty years, Priestley wrote novels, essays, plays and screenplays. Priestley was more than just a writer though; during the Second World War he turned his hand successfully to radio broadcasting. Most people will not recognise the name John Boynton Priestley and will know him better as simply JB Priestley.

Priestley was born on the 13th September 1894, in a well to do suburb of Bradford. Priestley’s father, Jonathan, was a respected school teacher. A happy childhood was made difficult for Priestley when his mother, Emma Holt, died. Priestley was only two years of age when she died. Though he was to have no memory of his mother, Priestly did consider his stepmother to be kind, gentle and loving’.
Priestely did well at the local grammar school, and could have gone onto further education. His father though wanted him to get into a trade. So at the age of sixteen Priestley entered the wool trade in Bradford. Priestley was not particularly interested in the wool industry, although it did give him the opportunity to travel across Europe. The other benefit of his employment though was that it gave him enough spare time to indulge in his love of writing. He even became a correspondent of the "Bradford Pioneer".

JB Priestley

His happy existence though was interrupted as he approached his twentieth birthday. The First World War broke out and Priestley immediately signed up. Initially he served in the 10th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington Regiment. Sent to France, Priestley took part in the Battle of Loos in September 1915. Priestley survived the fighting on the Western Front until he was injured in 1917, and promptly was sent back to England for six months recuperation.

His return to the front line was short lived though, as he was injured in German mortar and gas attack. The effects of the gas were not serious enough for him to be sent back to England. The Medical board review did mean he was removed from the fighting to serve in the Entertainers Corp.

In 1919 Priestley was released from the army. Discharge gave him the opportunity to go onto further education, an opportunity that had passed him by when he was sixteen. Priestley enrolled at Trinity hall, Cambridge. Priestley studied Modern History and Political Science but augmented his studies by writing for the "Cambridge Review". Writing also helped him pay some of his university fees, as Priestley sold articles to provincial and London newspapers.

Having graduated in 1922, Priestley moved to London, where he found employment as theatre critic for the Daily News. Priestley again supplemented his wages by writing articles for other papers, including the" Spectator", "Challenge" and "Nineteenth Century". His work was quickly recognised for its quality, and Priestley soon had a reputation as a first rate critic and essayist.

Prior to his move to London, Priestley married his first wife, Pat Tempest. Together they had two daughters. The marriage though was cut short by pat’s untimely death in 1925. The following year, Priestley married Jane Wyndham-Lewis. This second marriage lasted until a divorce decree in 1953. Three children, two daughters and a son were produced as a result of this union. Priestley’s third and final marriage began in 1953, when he married the archaeologist Jacquetta Hawkes, who has collaborated in his "Dragon’s Mouth" work. This last marriage was childless though.

Priestley and Jacquetta lived in a spectacular home in Stratford, which they called "Kissing Tree House".

JB Priestley - Wikipedia

Whilst Priestley was writing his theatre reviews, he also began to write books and critical writing. The critical writings; "The English Comic Characters" (1925), "The English Novel" (1927), "English Humour" (1928) all found acclaim cementing his reputation within the literary community.
His novels of the same time drew upon his early experiences in Bradford. With the publication of novels such as the "Good Companions" (1929), Priestley found both a public following, and also a reputation of comic rationalist. "Good Companions" was a success in the United States as well as England, and Priestley found himself picking up his first award; the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. His follow up novel, "Angel Pavement" (1930) was another success, and soon Priestley found himself a national figure.

Priestley though became concerned about social problems affecting the country. The best display of this can be seen "English Journey" (1934), where Priestley retold accounts of his travels through England.

Though Priestley continued to write novels, he soon found himself drawn to plays and dramas. He adapted "Good Companions" into a 1931 play, before writing his first theatre play, "Dangerous Corner" (1932). "Dangerous Corner" proved to be a resounding success, receiving critical acclaim that ensured a successful run in the West End. The West End success enabled Priestley to form his own theatrical company, for which he wrote more plays of all genres.

His best known play came almost fifteen years later, when "An Inspector Calls" (1946) was written. Again it received critical acclaim to such an extent that it was also adapted into a 1954 film with Alastair Sim.

Priestley was a prolific writer. In his sixty year writing career he produced some one hundred and twenty novels, essays and plays. Many of his works displayed his political views, with numerous references to socialism. In the latter years of his life though his writing dropped off to the production of novels and non-fiction work.

During the Second World War Priestley’s writing took a back seat to a new career as a radio presenter. The BBC programme, Postscripts’, was broadcast every Sunday evening and soon an estimated forty percent of the adult population was listening in. Whilst the programme went out from the summer of 1940 through until the early part of 1941, it was shelved. Members of the Conservative Party complained that Priestley was expressing left-wing views.

The cancellation of his programme did not stop Priestley expressing his political views. Priestley chaired the 1941 Committee’, a group of British politicians, writers and other people of influence pushing for more efficiency in the war effort. The Committee called for the public control of railways, mines and docks.

In 1942 many of the Committee’s members went onto form the Common Wealth Party. Again Priestley was the co-founder and chairman. The new political party pushed for Common Ownership, Vital Democracy and Morality in Politics. Priestley though soon stepped down from the position after a disagreement with one of the other co-founders, Richard Acland. Priestley could not reconcile himself with the politics of Acland.

Following the war, Priestley became more obviously political. In 1946 and 1947, Priestley acted as the British delegate to the UNESCO conferences. By the latter part of the 1950′s Priestley was writing articles that favoured a unilateral nuclear disarmament programme. His point of view proved to be very popular with the readers of the "New Statesman". As a result of the support, Priestley and Kingsley Martin, the editor of the "New Statesman", formed the CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Priestley received relatively few honours in his lifetime, although he was especially proud of being made a Freeman of his native Bradford in 1973. Four years later he also received the Order of Merit, the highest civilian honour of Great Britain.

Priestley passed away on the 14th August 1984, at the age of eighty-nine, at his home in Stratford.
Priestley is best remembered for his literary work. His political work during the Second World War and afterwards though should not be ignored.

Copyright - First Published 10th March 2008

Short biography of HG Wells

Herbert George Wells, now much more widely known simply as H.G.Wells, is one of the best writers England has ever produced. A more than competent writer in a number of subjects, Wells is now most well known for his science fiction work; indeed he is known as one of the “Fathers of Science Fiction,” but his non-fiction work on science and history were also best sellers in his day.

Wells was born on the Sept. 21,1866 in Bromley, Kent, and was the youngest of four children. His father, Joseph Wells, was a professional cricketer and shopkeeper, whilst his mother, Sarah Neal, was a maid. His upbringing was a poor one; the china shop his father owned was unsuccessful, whilst the wages of a cricketer were unreliable. To increase their income Sarah returned to her job as a maid, though this meant living apart from her husband and child.

HG Wells 1890 - F Hollyer - PD-life-70

Wells received a basic education at a local school, but it was through an accident that Wells developed a love of reading and writing. At the age of 7, Wells broke his leg, and whilst recuperating, he read every book that he could lay his hands on, and he was soon immersed in the writer’s imagined worlds. For a few years Wells attended the Thomas Morley Commercial Academy. Though a private school, Wells often stated that the teaching was erratic at best and focused on learning trade skills. Wells was forced to leave the school in 1880 when his father was unable to afford the school fees, a broken leg effectively ending his cricketing career.

To earn some money, Wells was forced into an apprenticeship as a draper, a cloth merchant, and whilst he disliked the work it did provide future material for his writing. Failing as a draper, he had a brief stint as a chemist, before acquiring a role as a student-teacher at Midhurst Grammar School.

In 1883, Wells won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London, a school which eventually became the Royal College of Science. Wells studied biology and Darwinism, and soon came under the tuition of the famous T.H. Huxley. Inspired by Huxley, Wells developed a strong interest in evolution, which again came through in his later writings. The scholarship given to him allowed him a comfortable living at the school, with no need to seek additional employment, Wells used his spare time to help found the Science School Journal and he also joined the debating society; the latter of which helped develop a socialist outlook to his political views. Wells’ time at university though was cut short in 1887 when his scholarship was stopped as Wells failed his geology exams.
Leaving school without any income could have proved tough, though his aunt came to his rescue, allowing him to live in her house. To provide an income, Wells began tutoring, a job which allowed him time to study for his Zoology BSc from the University of London, which he gained in 1890. Tutoring also allowed him to write, and in 1891 his first essay was published.

Wells was married for the first time in 1891, when he married his cousin, Isabel Mary Wells. This marriage lasted less than four years, as Wells left Isabel for one of the students he had been tutoring, Amy Catherine Robbins. Wells married Amy in 1895, and they had two sons, George Philip, born in 1901, and Frank Richard, born in 1903. Wells though was not known for his faithfulness, and was known to have had a number of affairs, two of which resulted in further offspring. The writer Amber Reeves, produced Wells a daughter, Anna-Jane, in 1909, whilst the feminist novelist Rebecca West, gave birth to Anthony West in 1914.

HG Wells 1943 - Yousuf Karshn -

Wells had started to write some short stories, in addition to his science essays, but it was the publication of his first novel in 1895, that saw his writing career commence. 1895 saw the publication of “The Time Machine” and “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” both classed as scientific romances.
Wells soon became the most successful writer of the day, with his fame also spreading across the Atlantic to the United States. In America “The War of the Worlds” (1898) and “First Man on the Moon” (1901) were both serialised in Cosmopolitan magazine, as well as other work appearing in Collier’s Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post.

Over time, his writing deviated from science fiction to novels of social commentary, although there was a large amount of prophecy or futuristic input. Whilst it is mostly his science fiction novels that are read today, his historic non-fiction work was equally well received.

The “Outline of History” published in 1920, was a best-selling work, and did a lot to popularise history, which was followed in 1922 by the abridged work “A Short History of Time.” Due to the popularity of Wells, both have recently been republished.

At the same time has his history work, Wells also wrote about social topics, including the 1933 “The Shape of Things to Come” and “The New World Order.” Wells was a lifelong socialist, as well as an advocate for women’s rights; in fact, Wells briefly joined the Fabian Society, although he was seen as too radical by one of the founders, George Bernard Shaw. Unlike many socialists, he wasn’t a pacifist, and writing during World War I, wrote on the side of war. Ironically, many of his early science fiction works had predicted the invention of the tank.

After the First World War, Wells pushed for the formation of the League of Nations, although he quickly became disillusioned with it, just as he became disillusioned with the Russian Communist revolution. Wells was appalled by the outbreak of the Second World War, and his last book, “Mind at the End of its Tether” (1945), advocates the idea that humanity should be replaced by another species.

Due to Wells’ outspoken beliefs on a number of issues, and the popularity of his fiction work, meant that throughout his writing life, Wells was in demand by the popular media, to comment and contribute to newspapers and magazines.

One of the most famous facts about Wells’ though has nothing directly to do with his writing; Wells’ name appeared on the same Nazi death list as Winston Churchill. In the event of England being invaded by Germany, Wells would have been shot, partly for being a socialist and party for overseeing the expulsion of the German literary body from the International group in 1934, due to their racist views.

Having lived in London throughout the Second World War, Wells died on Aug. 13, 1946, shortly before his 80th birthday. It should be noted there is no epitaph stating “I told you so. You damned fools,” despite Wells’ wishes, as Wells was cremated and the ashes scattered from an aeroplane.
Wells has transcended the literary world, and he has appeared as a character in science fiction programmes, most notably with several appearances in “Doctor Who” and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” His influence on Science Fiction is still apparent today, with recent Hollywood versions of “The Time Machine” and “War of the Worlds.”

The “War of the Worlds” remains one of the favourite science fictions books of all time. There are of course inaccuracies in the work, but there is a depth to characters and descriptions that ensures the work is as readable today as it was a hundred years ago.

Copyright - First Published 25th February 2008

The Most Famous Science Fiction Characters

The twentieth century saw an explosion in the whole science fiction genre, and with this explosion there was a whole new range of heroes and villains born. Comic book, pulp fiction and science fiction novel writers managed to create characters that gripped the reader’s imagination. The heroes were strong characters with extraordinary powers, fighting against adversaries that were clearly evil. For every good guy there was a bad guy to battle, and a bad guy who’s powers were a clear threat to the hero.

With the prevalence of science fiction, spreading into every sort of media, many characters are known by large proportions of the population. Therefore many people could provide a list of their favourite characters or those they believe to be the most famous. My selection appears below, and I hope that you agree with at least a few of them.

DOCTOR WHO 

The Doctor and The Master

My favourite science fiction character is the Doctor’ from Doctor Who. Created by the BBC some forty-five years ago, the Doctor has spread from the small screen, to radio, to film and to some two hundred books. The Time Lord from Gallifrey is now in his tenth regeneration and is nine hundred years old. Despite his age, the Doctor still travels through time and space with a succession of companions in the TARDIS. Regarded as do-gooder’ by his enemies, the Doctor continues to stick his nose into historical events, gets to meet famous people and fights a succession of aliens. The special effects have improved greatly over the year, although generations of children have hidden behind their sofas as the Daleks or Cybermen appeared on their television screen.

The Master is almost the total opposite of the Doctor, and is a reoccurring adversary for the Doctor to fight. The Master is the greatest individual enemy that the Doctor has yet faced. The Master is a renegade Time Lord, and in many aspects is the classic villain. The Master is shown to be a genius, a maniac and a man with a huge ego and a lust for power. The Doctor and The Master were once class mates, and developed a number of the same skills, including hypnosis. If anything it shows that there is perhaps very little difference between a hero and a villain.

The Doctor and Amy Pond - Stephen Broadhurst - CC-BY-2.0

STAR TREK 

Captain Kirk and the Klingons

James Tiberius Kirk, Star Fleet captain and admiral. I am not sure that you can think of science fiction on television without William Shatner springing to mind. As the lead character in the original Star Trek series, Kirk captained the Enterprise in 80 episodes and 7 films. Kirk’s mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.’ This of course brings him into weekly contact with aliens, including his main adversaries, the Klingons.

Created by Gene Roddenberry in 1964, to rival Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, Kirk in the official series has been killed off, brought back and then killed off again. Shatner himself though has resurrected the character himself in a series of his own novels.

Kirk rarely faces an individual enemy, as he normally annoys a whole species. Throughout the original series, the Klingons appeared as the main opposition to Kirk and Star Fleet. A warrior race from Qo’noS (Kronos), they originally fought against the Federation. It is a possibility that they just fought Kirk, as after his demise they joined the Federation to fight against the Dominion. As an alien race the Klingons have a cult following.

Captain Kirk - PD US no notice

FLASH GORDON 

Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless

The stories of Flash are a classic tale of good versus evil. Flash leaves earth with a couple of companions, Dale Arden and Dr Zarko. Travelling to the planet of Mongo, there are years of adventure as the companions travel through the Forest world of Arboria; the ice kingdom of Frigia; the jungle kingdom of Tropica; the undersea kingdom of the Shark Men; and the flying city of the Hawkmen.

Created originally for the comic by Alex Raymond, the story of Flash spreads from the comic book, to radio and television series, animated series and also a number of appearances on the big screen. The 1934 comic strip hero has recently been resurrected for a US television series. I would suggest ignoring the 1980′s film, although in itself it quite entertaining for being so bad, but I would seriously recommend the soundtrack, as it written and performed by Queen.

Flash faced one constant adversary in Ming the Merciless. The evil emperor of Mongo is a dictator, who uses his army and technology to keep the population in servitude. As Flash battles Ming, he is eventually overthrown although not killed. As a new leadership is put in place on Mongo, Ming fights back.

Ming the Merciless - PD US not reneewed

X-MEN 

Professor Xavier and Magneto

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Professor Charles Xavier, or Professor X, was the leader of the X-men. A paraplegic, his mutant abilities compensate for his lack of movement. Xavier is a high level telepath, as well as a scientific genius, and leading authority on genetics and mutation. Xavier seeks a peaceful co-existence between mutants and humans. With the renegade mutants willing to cause trouble, Xavier creates the School for Gifted Youngsters, which teaches but also moulds X-men to fight against Magneto and his Evil Mutants.

Magneto is a villain that it is often hard to hate. One of the most powerful of all mutants he is supervillain, anti-hero and hero at various stages of his life. Initially he is the supervillain fighting the X-men, and using terrorism to improve life for mutants. His motives though are relatively pure, having survived Auschwitz; Magneto wants to ensure that mutants do not face the same kind of holocaust

HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY 

Arthur Dent and the White Mice

Arthur Dent may not necessarily be famous but he is a cult character. Arthur was the human lead from Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, originally a 26 episode 1970′s BBC radio production, Arthur soon became the lead character in a series of 5 books, a television series and finally a Hollywood movie.

Arthur escapes the destruction of earth, dressed in his dressing gown with the help of Ford Prefect, an alien from Betelgeuse and not Guildford as he claimed. Travelling through space with Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Marvin the paranoid android, Arthur has a series of adventures in time and space, where everything seems to be a result of the spaceship improbability drive. It is far too complex to explain, but if you get the chance take the time to read the trilogy of five’, all will become clear, well at least as clear as a cup of tea.

Arthur doesn’t really have enemies, he is chased by the Vogons, but he is mainly fleeing the attention of Frankie and Benjy Mouse. Part of a pan-dimensional race, Frankie and Benjy are after Arthur’s brain to obtain the question to the ultimate answer of 42.

The list is of course in no way exhaustive, and everybody will have their own opinion on whether those listed are famous at all, or how they relate to characters from other series. There is so many television series, comics or novels that each person will have to make their own minds up.

Copyright - First Published 22nd February 2008

The Most Famous Science Fiction Authors

How can you measure the fame of one person? Is someone famous or just well-known? Within the world of Science Fiction literature there are five authors who I would say are more widely known than their counterparts, although this may not make them famous. At the peak of their profession, I would argue that HG Wells, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Robert A Heinlein and Arthur C Clarke are the most famous.

HG (Herbert George) Wells is now perceived to be one of the fathers of science fiction. The 19th and 20th century English writer, started by writing factual science essay to earn a small living to supplement the wages of a tutor. Wells soon found that there was more money to be made in the writing of short stories for magazines, and by 1895 he was well established as a contributor to a number of popular magazines. 1895 was the year, though, that his career started to take off, as it was the year that "The Time Machine"; and "The Island of Dr. Moreau" were first published. Wells soon had a large popular following for his scientific romances’ and he became one of the most successful writers of his time. There was further success with the novels of “The Invisible Man” (1897) and “The War of the Worlds” (1898).

HG Wells - F Hollyer - PD-life-70

Wells’ science fiction novels are as readable today as they were when they were first published. There may be flaws in the science behind the novels, but Wells has managed to transcend his own work to become a science fiction character himself. Wells, as a character, has appeared in episodes of Doctor Who and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. His influence on science fiction is still felt today, as he influences the work of new authors, as well as the continued production of Hollywood films based on his novels.

Jules Gabriel Verne, shares the accolade of founding father of science fiction with Wells, although during their lifetimes they were fierce rivals. At an initial disadvantage of a more limited reading base, as his novels were written in French, his worldwide popularity grew as his works were translated. His works have had a better reputation based on the accuracy of the science involved, but they are mostly recognised of being more prophetic than Wells’. In fact his work made prophecies about modern Paris and even air conditioning for cars.

Jules Verne - Nadar (1820-1910) - PD-life-70

Verne would write about air, space and underwater travel and exploration decades before they became feasible. Verne wrote many classics; “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” (1864), “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea” (1870) and “The Mysterious Island” (1874) are all science fiction classics. Verne is perhaps done less well than Wells in the modern popular media, although many of his books were turned into films in the 1950′s and 1960′s there has been less Hollywood interest in recent years.

Within modern science fiction writing, Isaac Asimov is considered to be one of the “big three”. The Russian born, American science fiction writer is acknowledged as one of the best, and one of the most prolific writing more than 450 books and some 90,000 letters, short-stories and postcards. Asimov was not just a fiction writer though and in his own right was a well known writer of non-fiction science and history books.

Isaac Asimov - Phillip Leonian - PD Library of Congress

Within the genre of science fiction, Asimov is best known for his series, “Foundation”, “Galactic Empire” and “Robot”. The last of which was recently made into a film “I,Robot” with Will Smith. In writing his fiction work, Asimov claimed every major science fiction award going. In addition to his accuracy in terms of science, Asimov is best known for his “Three Laws of Robotics”;

• A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Sir Arthur C (Charles) Clarke is the best known living science fiction writer. The British writer has written over 75 books as well as hundreds of short stories, and is perhaps most well known for the Odyssey series. “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1951) has been acclaimed as one of the best science fiction novels and films ever, although the sequels; “2010: Odyssey Two” (1982), “2061: Odyssey Three” (1988), “3001: The Final Odyssey” (1997), are less well known. “Childhood’s End” (1953), another of his early works, has been acclaimed as one of the premier pieces of science fiction ever written.

Arthur C Clarke - Amy Marash - Released into PD

Clarke is another member of the “Big Three”, and is often credited with the inception of geostationary communications satellites, although I prefer to think of him as one of the contributors to “Eagle” and “Dan Dare”.

The last of the “Big Three’, Robert A (Anson) Heinlein, the American writer, was the best selling of his generation. Heinlein is credited with setting the standards of plausibility thus raising the level of science fiction writing. In individual terms, his novels are not as well known as his rivals, although “Starship Trooper” (1959) was turned into a 1990′s movie. Though not as well known, they are of critical acclaim and in the 1950′s and 1960′s Heinlein won four Hugo Awards for best science fiction novels.

Robert A Heinlein - PD US Fed Govt

In improving the standards of science fiction, with science and engineering being within the realms of possibility, Heinlein managed to break modern science fiction into mainstream literature.

There is any number of writers that could be added to this list, and some of my favourites are outside of those previously listed. Russell T Davies is one of my favourites due to his success with Doctor
Who, work that includes novels although he was not the Doctor’s original creator. Douglas Adams, with his “Trilogy of Five, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" brings a lighter side to the world of science fiction. Finally Frank Herbert brings one of the best series of works in his “Dune” novels. I am sure every fan of science fiction could make their own list of famous writers, and within the list I am sure there would be many of my favourite.

Copyright - First Published 22nd February 2008

Dulce et Decorum Est

Latin is now largely seen as a dead language, exiled to the words of doctors and scientists. Yet its impact on modern language is not insignificant. One phrase comes not from science but instead, most famously, from the world of English twentieth century poetry and literature – that phrase being “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”

“Dulce et Decorum Est” is the title of a poem first published in 1920, a poem written by Wilfred Owen in 1917. It was a posthumous publication as Owen was killed one week before Armistice Day during the crossing of Sambre-Oise canal.

Wilfred Owen - Unknown - PD-life-70

The English translation, especially in reference to the poem, of “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” is normally given as “it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”

The poem has become the epitome of anti-war literature, dismissing the glory of war and showing warfare in all its horrifying detail. Owen titled his poem as a reaction to the widespread use of the term at the start of World War I, where it was used by supporters of the war to encourage the feeling of justification for fighting.

It is an emotive concept as many believe that to die for what an individual truly believes in is surely as good a way to go as any; whilst many also hold the opposite view that war and fighting can never be justified. Arguably though there is no better use of the phrase than at the Arlington National Cemetery, where it is to be found at the central entrance to the Memorial Amphitheatre.

Arlington Memorial - Wknight94 talk - CC-BY-SA-2.0

Wilfred Owen may now be the most famous user of the Latin phrase, but he was by no means the first. Throughout the growth of the British Empire, the term had been used to inspire British soldiers, and even before this, Lord Lovat (Simon Fraser) quoted the line prior to his execution following his role in the Jacobite Uprising. Lord Lovat was himself citing from the works of Horace, the Roman lyrical poet.

“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori:

mors et fugacem persequitur virum

nec parcit inbellis iuventae

poplitibus timidove tergo.”

["How sweet and fitting it is to die for your native land:

Death pursues the man who flees,

spares not the hamstrings or cowardly backs

Of battle-shy youths."]

Odes iii 2.13

The phrase has spread around the world from Rome and is used as a motto for many organisations beyond the military to journalism and schools. It is a beautiful and memorable phrase that sounds wonderful even if you do not agree with the sentiments.

Copyright - First Published 15th February 2008