John Clute facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Clute
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | John Frederick Clute 12 September 1940 Canada |
| Occupation | Author, critic, writer |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction, novels |
John Frederick Clute (born September 12, 1940) is a Canadian author and critic. He is well-known for his writing about science fiction and fantasy literature. Since 1969, he has lived in both England and the United States. Many people say he is a very important part of science fiction history. They also call him one of the best critics of the genre. In 1982, he helped start the English magazine Interzone.
Contents
About John Clute's Books and Awards
John Clute has written many articles about speculative fiction since the 1960s. This type of fiction includes science fiction and fantasy. He helped edit two very important books: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. He also wrote The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. All these books won a special award called the Hugo Award for Best Related Work. This award is for non-fiction books.
In 1994, Clute received the Pilgrim Award. This award is given for a lifetime of great work in science fiction studies. He also wrote several collections of reviews and essays. These include Strokes, Look at the Evidence, Scores, Canary Fever, and Pardon This Intrusion.
His Exciting Novel, Appleseed
In 2001, John Clute wrote a novel called Appleseed. It is a space opera, which is a science fiction story set in space. The book is about a trader named Nathanael Freer. He flies a spaceship with an AI (a smart computer brain) called Tile Dance. He is going to the planet Eolhxir to deliver special nanotech devices. Along the way, he meets a man who calls himself Johnny Appleseed. This man helps Freer find his lost love. But a scary "plaque" (a kind of disease) is destroying data across the galaxy. This book was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book in 2002.
More Encyclopedia Success
In 2006, Clute published The Darkening Garden, a collection of essays about horror. The third edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction came out online in 2011. It has grown a lot since then. This new edition also won the Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2012.
By 2017, John Clute had written most of the articles in the Encyclopedia. He wrote over 6,400 articles by himself and helped with over 1,200 more. This adds up to more than 2.4 million words! Most of these entries are about authors. But he also wrote about media, like Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.
In 2014, John Clute was a special guest at Loncon 3. This is a big science fiction convention.
John Clute's Life Journey
John Clute grew up in Canada. He lived in the United States from 1956 to 1964. He earned a college degree from New York University in 1962. He lived with writer and artist Pamela Zoline during that time.
In 1964, Clute married artist Judith Clute. Since 1996, he has been partners with Elizabeth Hand.
His Career as a Writer
John Clute's first professional writing was a long science fiction poem. It was called "Carcajou Lament" and appeared in TriQuarterly in 1959. His first short story was "A Man Must Die," published in New Worlds in 1966. He didn't write many short stories.
In the 1960s and 70s, he wrote many essays and reviews for New Worlds magazine. In 1977, Clute published his first novel, The Disinheriting Party. This story is about a family and has a fantasy feel to it.
How He Reviews Books
John Clute's first important science fiction reviews appeared in New Worlds in the late 1960s. He has reviewed many books in different magazines and newspapers. Some of these include Interzone, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Review of Science Fiction. Some of his early reviews were collected in his book Strokes.
Clute is best known for his reviews of books. But he has also reviewed other things, like movies. His writing style can be very direct and funny.
His Unique Writing Style
John Clute once wrote about his own criticism. He said it is "practical" even if it sometimes uses unusual words. He said his work mostly appears as reviews, some of them quite long.
Matthew Davis, another writer, said that Clute stands out. He noted Clute's deep knowledge and unique writing style. Even his formal sentences are easy to spot as his own. Rich Horton from SF Site agreed. He said Clute is known for his great intelligence and wide vocabulary. He enjoys using both in his writing. Clute's writing is not simple, but it is very precise and exciting to read.
See also
In Spanish: John Clute para niños
