John Brunner (author) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Brunner
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Brunner c. 1967
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| Born | John Kilian Houston Brunner 24 September 1934 Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Died | 25 August 1995 (aged 60) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Period | 1951–95 |
| Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
| Notable works | Stand on Zanzibar (1968) The Jagged Orbit (1969) The Sheep Look Up (1972) The Shockwave Rider (1975) |
John Kilian Houston Brunner (born September 24, 1934 – died August 25, 1995) was a British author. He was famous for writing science fiction novels and stories. His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar was about a world with too many people. It won the 1969 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. It also won the BSFA award that same year. His book The Jagged Orbit won the BSFA award in 1970.
Contents
Life Story
John Brunner was born in 1934 in Preston Crowmarsh, a small place near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, England. He went to school at St Andrew's Prep School. Later, he studied at Cheltenham College.
He wrote his first novel, Galactic Storm, when he was only 17 years old. He published it using the pen-name Gill Hunt. He didn't start writing full-time until 1958. This was after he finished his time in the military.
Brunner served as an officer in the Royal Air Force from 1953 to 1955. He married Marjorie Rosamond Sauer in 1958.
In the 1980s, Brunner's health started to get worse. It became even more difficult after his wife, Marjorie, passed away in 1986. He married again in 1991 to Li Yi Tan. John Brunner died from a heart attack in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1995. He was attending the World Science Fiction Convention at the time.
His Books and Ideas
At first, John Brunner wrote typical space opera stories. These are adventure stories set in space. But later, he began to try new ways of writing novels.
His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar used a special writing style. It broke up the story into many small parts. This style helped show how media and information spread quickly in the world.
The Jagged Orbit (1969) is set in the United States. It shows a country where many weapons are available. It also shows lots of fighting between different groups of people. This book has 100 short chapters.
The Sheep Look Up (1972) tells a story about a big environmental disaster in America. It shows what could happen if we don't take care of our planet.
Brunner is famous for using the word "worm" in computing. He also predicted computer viruses in his 1975 novel The Shockwave Rider. In this book, he described software that could copy itself across computer networks. Brunner's work also predicted other modern ideas. These include genetic engineering, same-sex marriage, and online encyclopedias.
These four novels are very important:
- Stand on Zanzibar (1968)
- The Jagged Orbit (1969)
- The Sheep Look Up (1972)
- The Shockwave Rider (1975)
They are sometimes called the "Club of Rome Quartet." This name comes from the Club of Rome. This group published a report in 1972 called The Limits to Growth. That report warned about the bad effects of too many people on Earth.
John Brunner used several different pen names. Some of these were Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, and Keith Woodcott.
Besides his novels, Brunner also wrote poetry. He wrote many articles for different magazines, especially fanzines. These were magazines made by fans. He also wrote about how science fiction can be helpful for learning.
Brunner was an active member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. This group worked to stop nuclear weapons. He even wrote the words to a song called "The H-Bomb's Thunder." This song was sung during marches. He was also good at languages and worked as a translator.
Film and TV Work
John Brunner wrote the script for a science fiction movie called The Terrornauts (1967).
Two of his short stories were made into TV plays. They were shown in the BBC science fiction series Out of the Unknown. These stories were "Some Lapse of Time" (in 1965) and "The Last Lonely Man" (in 1969).
Selected Works
Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels
- Galactic Storm (1951) (as Gill Hunt)
- Threshold of Eternity (1959)
- The 100th Millennium (1959)
- Stand on Zanzibar (1968)
- The Jagged Orbit (1969)
- The Sheep Look Up (1972)
- The Shockwave Rider (1975)
- The Crucible of Time (1983)
- Children of the Thunder (1989)
Spy Novels
- A Plague on Both Your Causes (1969)
- Good Men Do Nothing (1971)
Collections of Stories
- No Future in It (1962)
- Times Without Number (1962)
- The Traveler in Black (1971)
- The Best of John Brunner (1988)
Poetry Books
- Life in an Explosive Forming Press (1970)
- Trip: A Sequence of Poems Through the USA (1971)
Other Novels
- The Crutch of Memory (1964) (a regular novel set in Greece)
- Wear the Butchers' Medal (1965) (a mystery novel)
- Black Is the Color (1969) (a horror story)
See also
In Spanish: John Brunner para niños
