American science fiction writer Robert Silverberg

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Diverse author of science fiction novels and serious works on history and archeology. He was repeatedly nominated for awards for his works in the fantasy genre. To date, about two hundred science fiction novels and popular science works of the writer have been published.

Young years

Born in New York (Brooklyn) January 15, 1935 in the family of Michael and Elena (Baim) Silverberg. Robert had no brothers and sisters and his main friends from an early age were books. The boy especially liked to read science fiction. At school age, he began to write fantasy stories, which were published in magazines as early as 1949. Robert Silverberg wrote his first major work, Uprising on Alpha C, while studying at Columbia University. In 1956 it was published and Robert, as the best young author, received his first Hugo Award.

Commercial creative period

Having graduated from university in 1956 with a degree in Comparative Literature, Robert has been hard at work as a freelance writer. He writes manyfantasy and adventure stories for various magazines over the years. During the same period, Robert Silverberg married Barbara Brown. The young family needed funds, and the science fiction genre in which the author worked began to lose reader interest. Therefore, the writer pays more attention to quantity, and writes in various genres from serious works to simple entertaining stories, fairy tales and light erotica. Later, the author admitted that during this time he became his own enemy, because he was so addicted to sales that he did not use his own talent. Creativity turned into hard work and the author had to write on topics that the market demanded. Robert Silverberg wrote many works during this commercial period that were only published once and never reprinted. The author decided to change this state of affairs and moved away from the science fiction and entertainment genre.

Return to sci-fi

In the early 1960s, Silverberg moved on to write scientific works on archaeological and historical topics for children and became nationally known as a popularizer of such literature. At the same time, he receives a lucrative offer of cooperation from Frederick Pohl, editor of several science fiction magazines. In the mid-sixties, the popularity of this genre began to grow, and good science fiction writers became more and more in demand. Silverberg is returning to writing science fiction, but nowthe author's works have a deeper meaning.

A new stage in creativity

Having revised the commercial approach to creativity, the writer in his works no longer binds himself with the need to tell a heroic story with a happy ending. Its themes often raise the issue of loneliness and isolation of the individual, and the ending is often sad or ambiguous, but not without hope. Allegorically, Robert Silverberg makes it clear to the reader that if a person's life is filled with inevitable suffering, then somewhere there must be an alternative. A striking example of renewal in creativity were the works "Open Sky" in 1967 and "Down to Earth" in 1969, published in the journal "Galaxy" by Frederick Pohl. Acute problems of a person's personality are also considered in the novel "Dying in Yourself". It is about a person who has the gift to hear the thoughts of other people. Which is worse, living with that ability or losing it? Silverberg's novel "Vertical World" is often called by critics one of his best works. This is a gloomy and cynical look at the world of the future, people and human essence. Other major works of the author of this period: "Live Again", "Book of Skulls", "Glass Tower", "Down to Earth", "Thorns", "Sundays", "Born with the Dead", "Caliban". Almost all of the author's works from 1969 to 1974 are of a very high level. Therefore, it was during this period that Silverberg received many of his awards: "Nightwings" 1969 - the Hugo Award, "Time for a Change" 1971 - the Nebula Award, "Good News from the Vatican" 1971 - the awardNebula.

Changes in creativity and personal life

By 1975, the author again decided to move away from the science fiction genre. He stopped writing short stories, published several more novels, and despite the persuasion of editors and fans, publicly announced his retirement from the genre, citing fatigue. His sabbatical lasted until 1978, and already in 1980 Silverberg made a triumphant return with the first novel, Lord Valentine's Castle, in the Majipur series. In the same eighties, changes were taking place in the personal life of the writer. He divorces his first wife in 1986 and marries the writer Karen Haber. This union became fruitful for both authors. Robert and Karen collaborate on a number of projects, most notably Season of the Mutant. Today, the couple lives in Auckland, Robert Silverberg continues to delight the reader with his works. The author's books are still interesting and expected.