Cyril M. Kornbluth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cyril M. Kornbluth
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Kornbluth c. 1955
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| Born | July 2, 1923 New York City, United States |
| Died | March 21, 1958 (aged 34) Levittown, New York, United States |
| Pen name | Cecil Corwin S.D. Gottesman Edward J. Bellin Kenneth Falconer Walter C. Davies Simon Eisner Jordan Park |
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| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Spouse | Mary Byers |
Cyril M. Kornbluth (born July 2, 1923 – died March 21, 1958) was an American writer. He was famous for his science fiction stories. He also used many different pen names, like Cecil Corwin and S. D. Gottesman. He was part of a group of science fiction fans and writers called the Futurians.
About Cyril M. Kornbluth
Cyril M. Kornbluth was born and grew up in New York City. His family was of Polish-Jewish background. His father was a veteran of World War I.
People close to him said he was a very smart child. He learned to read when he was only three years old. By the time he was seven, he was already writing his own stories! He finished high school at thirteen. He even got a scholarship for college at fourteen, but he left college early.
As a teenager, he joined the Futurians. This was a very important group of science fiction fans and writers. In this group, he met other famous writers like Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril. He also met his future wife, Mary Byers, there.
Military Service and Education
Kornbluth served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He fought in Europe and received a special award called the Bronze Star Medal. This was for his bravery during the Battle of the Bulge. He was part of a team that used a heavy machine gun.
After the war, he went back to school at the University of Chicago. He used a program called the G.I. Bill to help pay for his education. While in Chicago, he also worked for a news service. In 1951, he started writing full-time. He moved back to the East Coast and began writing novels with his friends from the Futurians.
His Amazing Stories
Kornbluth started writing when he was just 15 years old. His first story by himself was "The Rocket of 1955." It was published in a fan magazine in 1939. He also wrote stories with other writers.
Some of his most famous short stories include "The Little Black Bag" and "The Marching Morons." He also wrote "The Altar at Midnight" and "Gomez."
The Little Black Bag
"The Little Black Bag" is a story that was made into a TV show three times! It first appeared on Tales of Tomorrow in 1952. Later, the BBC adapted it in 1969. In 1970, Rod Serling also made it into an episode for his show Night Gallery.
In this story, a doctor who lost his license finds a special bag. This bag contains advanced medical tools from the future. He uses these tools to help people.
The Marching Morons
"The Marching Morons" is a story about a future world. In this future, most people are not very smart. There are billions of "idiots" and only a few million "geniuses." The small group of geniuses works very hard behind the scenes. They try to keep the world running smoothly.
This story is actually a follow-up to "The Little Black Bag." The special black bag from the first story is a tool from the future world of "The Marching Morons." It was designed for people who weren't very smart to "play doctor."
Other Notable Works
Kornbluth also wrote "MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie" in 1957. This story is about someone who finds the "secret of life" hidden in fortune cookies.
His 1958 story "Two Dooms" explores important questions about science. It follows a scientist who accidentally travels to a different universe. In this other world, the Nazis and Japanese rule a divided United States. The story makes him think about the choices he made in his own world. He had to decide whether to help create the atomic bomb.
Many of Kornbluth's novels were written with other authors. He wrote with Judith Merril using the name Cyril Judd. He also wrote many books with Frederik Pohl. These include famous books like Gladiator-At-Law and The Space Merchants. The Space Merchants was very important for making science fiction more respected. Kornbluth also wrote novels by himself, such as The Syndic.
His Passing
Cyril Kornbluth died at the age of 34 in Levittown, New York. He was on his way to an important meeting for a job as an editor. He had to shovel snow from his driveway, which made him late. He ran to catch his train and suffered a heart attack at the station.
Some of his stories were not finished when he died. His friend Frederik Pohl later completed and published them. One of these stories, "The Meeting" (published in 1972), won a special award called the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1973.
His Personality
Friends like Frederik Pohl and Isaac Asimov described Kornbluth as a unique person. He had some interesting habits.
For example, he decided to teach himself by reading an entire encyclopedia from A to Z! He learned many unusual facts this way. He would then use this knowledge in his stories. His friends could tell what letter of the encyclopedia he was on by the topics he wrote about. If he wrote about a "ballista" (an ancient Roman weapon), they knew he had finished the 'A's and started on the 'B's.
See also
In Spanish: C. M. Kornbluth para niños
