Robert A. Heinlein In Dialogue with His Century by Patterson William H. Jr

Author:Patterson, William H., Jr. [Patterson, William H., Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2010-08-17T04:00:00+00:00

He asked for one of Heinlein’s nude photos to put up in his locker and around his office. Without having to talk about his prowess as a ladies’ man, he could let everyone assume he was a regular guy, and no one ever questioned him. He credited Heinlein with literally saving his life.30

Heinlein certainly approved of the use they were put to: anything that screened off personal privacy from Mrs. Grundy, with or without stripes, was always okay by him.

Heinlein’s name had not quite disappeared from the pulp magazines, however: an enthusiastic review promoting Willy Ley’s Shells and Shooting came out in the November 1942 issue of Astounding. It may have been commissioned verbally by John Campbell to fill a last-minute one-page hole, since the review does not appear on the table of contents for that issue, and Campbell would certainly have gotten Heinlein’s name on cover or contents if he could possibly have managed it—but in any case, Heinlein wanted to take any opportunity to promote Ley’s science writing.

And that was all the writing he had done for pulp—perhaps all he would ever do.

Even if his entire pulp production were forgotten, however, he had been immortalized: In the fall of 1942 William A. P. White finished a roman à clef mystery novel, Rocket to the Morgue, using the characters and situations from the Mañana Literary Society. The characters were blends, taking a bit from this person, a bit from another, but recognizable if you knew the players. John Campbell, who most certainly did know the players, read proof on the typeset galleys: “I dunno whether it’s a good murder mystery novel or not,” he told Heinlein. “I had too much fun reading the story and recognizing people.”31

Heinlein was most of the chief suspect, Austin Carter. Campbell was in it, under his pseudonym Don A. Stuart, and White even put himself in as the detective, but also as his science fiction pseudonym, Anthony Boucher.32

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.