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RIP James E. Gunn
Another great of the Golden Age has left us. James E. Gunn was not just a science fiction writer but was known as a scholar of the genre. While not as famous as the Big Three, he certainly made a significant contribution.
Who was James E. Gunn?
James E. Gunn was born in 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri. He decided to become a writer after hearing H.G. Wells talk at the age of 14…which seems unimaginable to us decades later.
However, his plans were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the Navy. After the war he went back to school, got his bachelor’s in journalism then got a Master’s in English…and stayed at school. In fact, it would be 40 years before Gunn left the University of Kansas, during which time he became the first person to teach a class on science fiction (in 1969). The James E. and Jane F. Gunn Professorship in Science Fiction has played a major role in the development of science fiction as a serious academic subject.
Being a professor supported his career as not just a writer but an editor. He wrote a play for the university in 1947, and he published his first science fiction story in 1949.
His first novel, Star Bridge was a collaboration between Jack Williamson, but he went on to write over 30 novels. But he was perhaps just as well known, if not more, for his…