Laurence Janifer facts for kids

Janifer's novelette "Sword of Flowers" was the cover story on the August 1962 issue of Fantastic

Laurence M. Janifer (born Laurence M. Harris) was an American science fiction author. He wrote books and stories for over 50 years! He was born on March 17, 1933, and passed away on July 10, 2002.

About Laurence Janifer

Laurence Janifer was born in Brooklyn, New York. His last name was Harris at birth. Later, in 1963, he changed it to Janifer. This was his Polish grandfather's original family name. Many of his first stories were published as 'Larry M. Harris'.

Laurence Janifer wrote his first short story in 1953. It appeared in a magazine called Cosmos. But his main writing career really began in 1959. This is when he started writing for popular magazines like Astounding and Galaxy Science Fiction.

Famous Works

Janifer worked with another writer, Randall Garrett. Together, they wrote the novel Brain Twister. They used a special pen name, or pseudonym, called Mark Phillips. This book was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960. The Hugo Award is a very important prize for science fiction. The book was later published in 1962.

Janifer's most famous work is the "Survivor" series. This series includes five novels and many short stories. The stories follow a character named Gerald Knave. He travels to different planets far away in the galaxy. And he always manages to survive his adventures!

Other Talents

Besides writing novels and short stories, Laurence Janifer had other jobs too. He worked as an editor for a literary agency. He also edited different detective and science fiction magazines. He even reviewed movies for several magazines. Plus, he was a very talented piano player!