Robert Anson Heinlein 1907 - 1988
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Robert Anson Heinlein 1907 - 1988 “The obituaries called Heinlein ‘the most influential SF writer since H.G. Wells,’ and that was accurate enough. He pioneered the techniques of modern sf writing, the matter-of-fact acceptance of change and the economical ways of evoking that change in his stories, and he pioneered new fields in which that sf could present itself: the slick magazines, books, the juveniles, film, and finally the bestseller. Like Moses he led sf into the promised land . perhaps he was the writer Wells might have been if he had been born in Butler, Missouri, in 1907. Certainly it is as impossible to imagine contemporary sf existing as it is without Heinlein as without Wells.” James Gunn, Ph.D. “Robert A. Heinlein: In Memoriam” LOCUS magazine, July 1988, p. 42 OBERT A. HEINLEIN came late to writing: his first support himself, he hit on what would become his third — and story was sold at age 32, more than a decade after final — career. most writers start their writing careers. Writing was Heinlein has said that he read all the science fiction he R Heinlein’s third career, after the Navy and could lay hands on from the age of 16. The cosmic romances of California politics — but it was the last, and it was the most Olaf Stapledon affected him particularly. He read the first series important. of Tom Swift books, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907, in Butler, Missouri. A H.G. Wells. He had read the pulp magazines where most few months after he was born, his family moved from Butler to science fiction appeared, and noticed that the pulp science Kansas City, where he was to grow up as the family grew, by fiction field was expanding. Several magazines were running 1920, to seven children. He was fascinated by astronomy and contests to recruit new writers. Over a four-day period in early earned money as a teenager, lecturing on astronomical subjects. April 1939, Heinlein wrote the story “Life-Line” and thought it His other great fascination was with the family’s long military might be good enough for the top market of the day. He sent it tradition. A Heinlein had served in every war since the family to John W. Campbell, Jr., at ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION. emigrated from Bavaria to the U.S. in 1754. As a teenager he Campbell was at that time just at the start of his own career as joined both his high school R.O.T.C. and the Missouri National the most influential editor in the field. He recognized in the Guard. He discovered science fiction at the age of 16. story just what he wanted to do with science fiction: expand the Heinlein entered the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1925 and permissible story formulas and treat serious issues. graduated in 1929. He was assigned to the most science- By the time “Life-Line” appeared in the August 1939 issue fictional environment on earth at the time: fire-control officer on of Astounding, Heinlein had sent half a dozen more stories to the world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Campbell, which were rejected (and ultimately sold to lesser Lexington. He settled into his first choice of career as a naval markets)— but Campbell did buy another story, “Misfit,” and in officer, receiving his promotion from Ensign to Lieutenant, j.g. quick succession published a pivotal series of stories — in mid-1932. Lexington was headquartered in San Pedro, “Requiem,” “If This Goes On —,” “The Roads Must Roll,” California, and he had just married a California girl, a minor “Coventry,” and a story that predicted the atomic weaponry and actress who was then working for the Music Department of explored the dynamics of the Cold War (in 1940!), “Blowups Columbia Pictures, Leslyn MacDonald. Happen.” Following his tour on the Lexington, in mid-1932 Heinlein By February 1940, Heinlein had been able to retire the was assigned to the destroyer U.S.S. Roper. The constant mortgage on his Laurel Canyon home. He would continue to rolling of the destroyer caused him to be seasick much of the write science fiction only as the spirit moved him. He set an “up time, and he contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. When he or out” policy for himself: if ever he began to slip from top finally recovered, he was retired (August 1934), medically unfit place in reader ratings or in payment rates or if he began to for service — “totally and permanently disabled.” His first collect rejections, he would get out then, leave at the top. choice of careers was a washout. Eventually (mid-1941) Campbell did reject a Fortean story He returned to California and started classes at U.C.L.A. to Heinlein considered a fairly important work. Heinlein took it as work toward a doctorate in physics, but left college to take up a sign and quietly retired, fiddling with photography and politics. The Socialist writer Upton Sinclair had been asked to masonry, his favorite hobbies. He found, however, that he run as the Democratic candidate for governor, to try a radical could not stay retired. He had somehow acquired a permanent program for handling the effects of the Great Depression on itch for writing and allowed himself to be talked back into it. California, when Depression Relief threatened to bankrupt the Campbell accepted a revised version of the rejected story, state. Sinclair was defeated in 1934, but Heinlein continued to published later under Heinlein's original working title of work with his Democratic program, EPIC —“End Poverty in “Goldfish Bowl.” California.” In 1938, he ran for the 59th Assembly District seat Heinlein had been following the war news from Europe (Hollywood) and lost to the Republican incumbent. with increasing unease. He finished BEYOND THIS HORIZON on The failed campaign was a pivotal event of Heinlein's adult December 6, 1941. The next day, the Japanese attacked Pearl life. His efforts after the campaign to get the California Demo- Harbor, and the U.S. was in the war. cratic Party back on track were unsuccessful, and he decided to Heinlein immediately applied for active duty, but was get out of politics. In the fall of 1938, he was broke, with a wife rejected for medical reasons — it was the policy of the Navy and a mortgage to support. Casting around for some way to medical department not to have recovered tuberculosis victims working side-by-side with seamen, because they could become for production in the summer of 1949. Robert was hired to do carriers. However, a Navy buddy, Albert Scoles, was in charge technical direction. The Heinleins duly set off for Hollywood, of the Materials Laboratory at the Naval Air Experimental but the production was delayed as the script was re-written and Station in Philadelphia, and he wanted to take on Heinlein as a re-written. civilian engineer. DESTINATION MOON is considered the first modern science He and wife found a house in Lansdowne, a suburb of fiction film. It was nominated for an Oscar in three categories Philadelphia, and Heinlein went to work on what he described (Art, Direction, Set Direction, and Special Effects) and won the as “the necessary tedium of aviation engineering.” Although he Award for its Special Effects. Although Heinlein never made a was trained as a “mechanical engineer specializing in linkages,” great deal of money from the film, his writing career was his experience with aircraft on the U.S.S. Lexington targeted booming. When they returned to Colorado Springs, they him toward the Navy's aircraft program. decided to design and build their own ultramodern home in the One of the more interesting aspects of his work was two Broadmore district. letters written in the closing weeks of the war, formally urging Among the contracts that came in while they were building the Navy to take up space exploration. One was killed at the was a television adaptation of his second juvenile for Scribner's, Materials Laboratory. The other went up the naval hierarchy, SPACE CADET, into the television series TOM CORBETT, SPACE finally reaching the level of Truman's cabinet. When the CADET. Heinlein did no scriptwriting (or even consulting) for sponsoring officer was asked if these spaceships might be the series. Since that network was not carried by the local launched from the surface of a seagoing vessel, the proposal was television markets, he did not even see the show until years officially turned down, and so the Air Force would later become later. the official “owner” of space exploration. The 1950's were a vintage era for the Heinleins. Ginny had Some time in 1945, Heinlein had been approached by “a introduced Robert to figure skating. In 1952 they began Philadelphia publisher” to do a “boy's book.” The Philadelphia traveling, with a tour of the National Parks. In 1953, they took a publisher turned down YOUNG ATOMIC ENGINEERS: Atomic six-month round-the-world tour, and Robert wrote a kind of rockets and rogue Nazis on the moon were too “out there” for fascinating travel-diary called TRAMP ROYALE. The Heinleins his line. Heinlein's new agent, Lurton Blassingame, took the were a gregarious and outgoing couple, entertaining manuscript to Scribner’s, where the editor for the juvenile houseguests, sometime for weeks at a time, between jaunts. division recommended they buy it. Heinlein's book was One consequence of his increasing fame he found flattering, scheduled for release in 1947 under the title ROCKET SHIP if distracting: in 1952, he was invited to be a guest speaker on GALILEO.