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66-469: Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio screenwriter , magazine editor and scriptwriter for comics. He is best remembered for his science fiction , including The Demolished Man , winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953. Science fiction author Harry Harrison wrote, "Alfred Bester was one of the handful of writers who invented modern science fiction." Shortly before his death,

132-674: A film studio , production company , TV network, or producer, they often have to continue networking, mainly with directors or executives, and push to have their projects "chosen" and turned into films or TV shows. If interest in a script begins to fade, a project can go dead. The International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) is the international federation of screenwriters' and playwrights' unions, who recognize union membership across international borders. They have 14 different affiliates across various nations who collectively work to verify original authorship, fight for fair compensation, and enforce copyright. Most professional screenwriters in

198-409: A fair amount of money from the sale of the paperback reprint rights (the book appeared in paperback as The Rat Race ). He also received a substantial sum of money from a movie studio for the film option to the book. Reportedly, Jackie Gleason was interested in starring as the variety show writer and licensed movie rights to the story; however no movie was ever made of Who He? Still, the payout from

264-409: A first draft. Multi-step deals, where the writer is signed on for more than the first draft (typically including a rewrite) can earn a screenwriter more, with experienced WGA members earning up to $ 5,000,000 for their work. Non-union screenwriters can also work for a salary, but will typically earn less than a unionized screenwriter. Pay can vary dramatically for a non-unionized screenwriter. Some of

330-570: A future world in which telepathy is relatively common. Bester creates a harshly capitalistic, hierarchical and competitive social world that exists without deceit: a society in which the right person with some skill (or money) and curiosity can access your memories, secrets, fears and past misdeeds more swiftly than even you. Originally published in three parts in Galaxy , beginning in January 1952, The Demolished Man appeared in book form in 1953. It

396-425: A long layoff from writing science fiction, Bester returned to the field in 1972. His 1974 short story " The Four-Hour Fugue " was nominated for a Hugo Award , and Bester received Hugo and Nebula Award nominations for his 1975 novel The Computer Connection (titled The Indian Giver as a magazine serial and later reprinted as Extro ). Despite these nominations, Bester's work of this era generally failed to receive

462-595: A neglected master and a "pomegranate writer: popping with seeds—full of ideas". William S. Burroughs 's novel The Ticket That Exploded contains direct quotes from Kuttner regarding the "Happy Cloak" parasitic pleasure monster from the Venusian seas. Mary Elizabeth Counselman believed that Kuttner's habit of writing under widely varied pseudonyms deprived him of the fame that should have been his. "I have often wondered why Kuttner chose to hide his talents behind so many false faces for no editorial reason... Admittedly,

528-648: A position to further a project. Once the script is sold, the writer has only the rights that were agreed with the purchaser. A screenwriter becomes credible by having work that is recognized, which gives the writer the opportunity to earn a higher income. As more films are produced independently (outside the studio system), many up-and-coming screenwriters are turning to pitch fests, screenplay contests, and independent development services to gain access to established and credible independent producers. Many development executives are now working independently to incubate their own pet projects. Screenwriters are rarely involved in

594-432: A reputation as a short story writer in science fiction circles with stories such as "Adam and No Eve." However, Bester gained his greatest renown for the work he wrote and published in the 1950s, including The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination (also known as Tiger! Tiger! ). The Demolished Man , recipient of the first Hugo Award for best Science Fiction novel, is a police procedural that takes place in

660-509: A result of steady work with Holiday , Bester's science fiction output dropped precipitously in the years following the publication of The Stars My Destination . Bester published three short stories each in 1958 and 1959, including 1958's " The Men Who Murdered Mohammed " and 1959's " The Pi Man ", both of which were nominated for Hugo Awards. However, for a four-year period from October 1959 to October 1963, he published no fiction at all. Instead, he concentrated on his work at Holiday (where he

726-439: A script to suit the desires of a director or studio . For instance, studio management may have a complaint that the motivations of the characters are unclear or that the dialogue is weak. Hollywood has shifted writers onto and off projects since its earliest days, and the assignment of credits is not always straightforward or complete, which poses a problem for film study. In his book Talking Pictures , Richard Corliss discussed

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792-480: A sideline than the focus of his career. As a result, from 1964 until the original version of Holiday folded in 1971, Bester published only one science fiction short story, a 700-word science fiction spoof in the upscale mainstream magazine Status . Still, as senior editor of Holiday , Bester was able to introduce occasional science fiction elements into the non-fiction magazine. On one occasion, he commissioned and published an article by Arthur C. Clarke describing

858-611: A story in mid-paragraph or even mid-sentence, with the latest page of the manuscript still in the typewriter. The other spouse would routinely continue the story where the first had left off. They alternated in this manner as many times as necessary until the story was finished. Among Kuttner's most popular work were the Gallegher stories, published under the Padgett name, about a man who invented high-tech solutions to client problems (assisted by his insufferably egomaniacal robot) when he

924-587: A tourist flight to the Moon. Bester himself, though, never published any science fiction in Holiday , which was a mainstream travel/lifestyle magazine marketed to upscale readers during an era when science fiction was largely dismissed as juvenilia. Holiday magazine ceased publication in 1971, although it was later revived and reformatted by other hands, without Bester's involvement. For the first time in nearly 15 years, Bester did not have full-time employment. After

990-620: A year in the mid-1950s and moved to exurban Pennsylvania with Rolly in the early 1980s. Once settled there, they lived on Geigel Hill Road in Ottsville, Pennsylvania . After his university career, 25-year-old Alfred Bester was working in public relations when he turned to writing science fiction. Bester's first published short story was "The Broken Axiom", which appeared in the April 1939 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories after winning an amateur story competition. Bester recalled, "Two editors on

1056-431: Is dedicated to him. Roger Zelazny has talked about the influence of The Dark World on his Amber series. Kuttner's friend Richard Matheson dedicated his 1954 novel I Am Legend to Kuttner, with thanks for his help and encouragement. Ray Bradbury has said that Kuttner actually wrote the last 300 words of Bradbury's first horror story, "The Candle" ( Weird Tales , November 1942). Bradbury has referred to Kuttner as

1122-461: Is put out about a project that a film studio , production company , or producer wants done, they are referred to as "open" assignments. Open assignments are more competitive. If screenwriters are competing for an open assignment, more established writers usually win the assignments. A screenwriter can also be approached and personally offered a writing assignment. Many screenwriters also work as full- or part-time script doctors , attempting to better

1188-412: Is sold, it is called a spec script . Amateur screenwriters will often pursue this work as "writers in training," leading these spec scripts to often go uncredited or come from unknown screenwriters. Further separating professional and amateur screenwriters is that professionals are usually represented by a talent agency . These screenwriter-specific employment agencies work to handle the business side of

1254-503: Is someone who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting . These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television commercials, video games, and the growing area of online web series. In the silent era , screenwriters were denoted by terms such as photoplaywright , photoplay writer , photoplay dramatist , and screen playwright . Screenwriting historian Steven Maras notes that these early writers were often understood as being

1320-490: The Cthulhu Mythos genre, based on the writing of the former and added to, among other authors, by the latter. Among these were "The Secret of Kralitz" (Weird Tales, October 1936), "The Eater of Souls" ( Weird Tales , January 1937), "The Salem Horror" ( Weird Tales , May 1937), "The Invaders" ( Strange Stories , February 1939) and "The Hunt" ( Strange Stories , June 1939). Kuttner added a few lesser-known deities to

1386-561: The Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) named Bester its ninth Grand Master , presented posthumously in 1988. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001. Alfred Bester was born in Manhattan , New York City, on December 18, 1913. His father, James J. Bester, owned a shoe store and was a first-generation American whose parents were both Austrian Jews . Alfred's mother, Belle (née Silverman),

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1452-743: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001, its sixth class of two deceased and two living writers. Beside winning the inaugural Hugo Award, he was one of the runners-up for several annual literary awards. Hugo Award: Hugo nominations: In the Best Novel categories, The Computer Connection was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and third place for the Locus Award. Screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter , scribe , or scenarist )

1518-600: The University of Pennsylvania , where he was a member of the Philomathean Society . He played on the Penn Quakers football team in 1935 and, by his own account, was "the most successful member of the fencing team." He went on to Columbia Law School , but tired of it and dropped out. Bester and Rolly Goulko married in 1936. Rolly Bester was a Broadway, radio and television actress, the first to play

1584-417: The 1940s and 1950s and most of the work was credited to pseudonyms, mainly Lewis Padgett and Lawrence O'Donnell. L. Sprague de Camp , who knew Kuttner and Moore well, has stated that their collaboration was so seamless that, after a story was completed, it was often impossible for either Kuttner or Moore to recall who had written what. According to de Camp, it was typical for either partner to break off from

1650-737: The Android . Telecast in color on October 18, 1959, the hour-long drama took place in the year 2359 amid futuristic sets designed by Ted Cooper. This NBC Sunday Showcase production, produced by Robert Alan Aurthur with a cast of Kevin McCarthy , Rip Torn , Suzanne Pleshette and Telly Savalas , was reviewed by syndicated radio-television critic John Crosby :' Despite the fact that the androids refer contemptuously to human beings as people who suffer from glandular disorders called emotions, Torn wants very much to suffer from these disorders himself. Eventually, he does. I have no intention of unraveling

1716-757: The Labor Day weekend in which that Hugo Award was presented (to The Twilight Zone ) at the World Science Fiction Convention in Pittsburgh . Bester returned to Sunday Showcase March 5, 1960, with an original teleplay, Turn the Key Deftly . Telecast in color, that mystery, set in a traveling circus, starred Julie Harris , Maximilian Schell and Francis Lederer . For Alcoa Premiere , hosted by Fred Astaire , he wrote Mr. Lucifer , which aired November 1, 1962, with Astaire in

1782-569: The Mythos is a collection of Kuttner's Cthulhu Mythos stories edited by Robert M. Price (Chaosium, 1995). (It also contains three additional tales concerning 'Iod's dread tome' by Robert Bloch , Lin Carter and Robert M. Price ). The Kuttner stories included are: "The Secret of Kralitz", "The Eater of Souls", "The Salem Horror", "The Jest of Droom-Avesta", "Spawn of Dagon", "The Invaders", "The Frog", "Hydra", "Bells of Horror" and "The Hunt" - thus, all

1848-399: The Mythos stories which had appeared in the special Kuttner issue of Crypt of Cthulhu , plus "Spawn of Dagon" and "The Invaders". The story "The Black Kiss" (printed here, as often elsewhere, under the joint byline of Kuttner and Robert Bloch), was in fact written entirely by Bloch; Bloch co-credited Kuttner on the tale due to using the character Michael Leigh from "The Salem Horror". "Beneath

1914-641: The Mythos, including Iod ("The Secret of Kralitz"), Vorvadoss ("The Eater of Souls"), the Hydra and Nyogtha ("The Salem Horror"). Critic Shawn Ramsey suggests that Abigail Prinn, the villain of "The Salem Horror", might have been intended by Kuttner to be a descendant of Ludvig Prinn , author of De Vermis Mysteriis —a book that appears in Kuttner's "The Invaders". Etchings and Odysseys No 4 (1984), edited by Eric A. Carlson, John J. Koblas and R. Alain Everts,

1980-617: The U.S. are unionized and are represented by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Although membership in the WGA is recommended, it is not required of a screenwriter to join. The WGA is the final arbiter on awarding writing credit for projects under its jurisdiction. The WGA also looks upon and verifies film copyright materials. Other notable screenwriters' unions include the Writers' Guild of Great Britain , representing screenwriters in

2046-574: The UK, and La Guilde Française des Scénaristes, representing screenwriters in France. Minimum salaries for union screenwriters in the US are set by the Writers Guild of America . The median compensation for a first draft from a first time screenwriter is $ 100,000, while the most experienced members have a median compensation of $ 450,000. The most experienced WGA members have reported up to $ 4,000,0000 compensation for

Alfred Bester - Misplaced Pages Continue

2112-503: The advent of American network television in 1948, Bester also began writing for television, although most of these projects were lesser-known. In early 1950, after eight years away from the field, Bester resumed writing science fiction short stories. However, after an initial return to Astounding with the story "The Devil's Invention" ( a.k.a. "Oddy and Id"), he stopped writing for the magazine in mid-1950 when editor John Campbell became preoccupied with L. Ron Hubbard and Dianetics ,

2178-684: The authors of the films as shown, and argues that they could not be precisely equated with present-day screenwriters because they were responsible for a technical product, a brief " scenario ", "treatment", or "synopsis" that is a written synopsis of what is to be filmed. Screenwriting is a contracted freelance profession, not a hired position. No education is required to be a professional screenwriter, but good storytelling abilities and imagination give aspiring screenwriters an advantage. Many screenwriters start their careers doing speculative work ("work on spec"), practicing their screenwriting with no guaranteed financial compensation. If one of these scripts

2244-423: The comics industry, in 1946 Bester turned his attention to radio scripts, after wife Rolly (a busy radio actress) told him that the show Nick Carter, Master Detective was looking for story submissions. Over the next few years, Bester wrote for Nick Carter , as well as The Shadow , Charlie Chan , The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe and other shows. He later wrote for The CBS Radio Mystery Theater . With

2310-418: The critical or commercial success of his earlier period. Bester's eyesight began failing in the mid-1970s, making writing increasingly difficult, and another layoff from published writing took place between early 1975 and early 1979. It is alleged during this period that the producer of the 1978 Superman movie sent his son off to search for a writer. The name Alfred Bester came up, but Bester wanted to focus

2376-490: The event neared, however, Bester fell and broke his hip. With his worsening overall health, he was plainly too ill to attend. Bester died less than a month after the convention from complications related to his broken hip. However, shortly before his death he learned that the Science Fiction Writers of America would honor him with their Grand Master Nebula award at their 1988 convention. Two works by Bester were published posthumously. The first, Tender Loving Rage (1991),

2442-516: The film option was large enough that Alfred and Rolly Bester decided they could afford to travel to Europe for the next few years. They lived mainly in Italy and England during this period. This novel was both widely criticized and praised when it first appeared, but over time gathered acclaim as a classic work in its own right. It has been recognized as a prescient forerunner of the cyberpunk literary genre, having first been published two decades before

2508-561: The forerunner to Scientology . Bester then turned to Galaxy Science Fiction , where he found in H. L. Gold another exceptional editor as well as a good friend. In New York, he socialized at the Hydra Club , an organization of New York's science fiction writers, whose notable members included Isaac Asimov , James Blish , Anthony Boucher , Avram Davidson , Judith Merril , and Theodore Sturgeon . In his first period of writing science fiction (1939–1942), Bester had been establishing

2574-403: The front of the table to be closer to the audience, and paced back and forth, gesturing and talking. The other three writers (none exactly shrinking violets) tried to interrupt but finally lapsed into what might have been either respectful or overwhelmed silence. It was one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen. Bester published two short stories in 1979 and rang in the 1980s with

2640-574: The fun is in pretending to be someone else. But Kuttner cheated himself of much fame that he richly deserved by hiding his light under a bushel of pen names that many fans did not know were his. Seabury Quinn and I both chided him about this." According to J. Vernon Shea , August Derleth "kept promising to publish Hank's and Catherine's books under the Arkham House imprint, but kept postponing them." A friend of Lovecraft's as well as of Clark Ashton Smith , Kuttner contributed several stories to

2706-533: The genre was named. While on his European trip, Bester began selling non-fiction pieces about various European locations to the mainstream travel/lifestyle magazine Holiday . The Holiday editors, impressed with his work, invited Bester back to their headquarters in New York and began commissioning him to write travel articles about various far-flung locales, as well as doing interviews with such stars as Sophia Loren , Anthony Quinn , and Sir Edmund Hillary . As

Alfred Bester - Misplaced Pages Continue

2772-581: The highest amounts paid to writers for spec screenplays: $ 5 million: $ 2 million: $ 1 million: Henry Kuttner Henry Kuttner was born in Los Angeles, California in 1915. Naphtaly Kuttner (1829–1903) and Amelia Bush (c. 1834–1911), the parents of his father, the bookseller Henry Kuttner (1863–1920), had come from Leszno in Prussia and lived in San Francisco since 1859;

2838-475: The historian's dilemma: "A writer may be given screen credit for work he didn't do (as with Sidney Buchman on Holiday ), or be denied credit for work he did do (as with Sidney Buchman on The Awful Truth )." After a screenwriter finishes a project, they pair with an industry-based representative, such as a producer, director, literary agent , entertainment lawyer, or entertainment executive. The partnerships often pitch their project to investors or others in

2904-489: The last half of [the twentieth] century, what the Great American Novel was for the first half. Closet writers who used to dream of the glory of getting into print now dream of seeing their story on the big or small screen." Every screenplay and teleplay begins with a thought or idea, and screenwriters use their ideas to write scripts, with the intention of selling them and having them produced. In some cases

2970-616: The next few years, Bester continued to publish short fiction, most notably in John W. Campbell 's Astounding Science Fiction . In 1942, two of his science fiction editors got work at DC Comics , and invited Bester to contribute to various DC titles. Consequently, Bester left the field of short story writing and began working for DC Comics as a writer, including, and, under the editorship of Julius Schwartz , Green Lantern , among other titles. He created super-villain Solomon Grundy and

3036-470: The parents of his mother, Annie Levy (1875–1954), were from Great Britain. Henry Kuttner's great-grandfather was the scholar Josua Heschel Kuttner . Kuttner grew up in relative poverty following the death of his father. As a young man he worked in his spare time for the literary agency of his uncle, Laurence D'Orsay (in fact his first cousin by marriage), in Los Angeles before selling his first story, " The Graveyard Rats ", to Weird Tales in early 1936. It

3102-448: The prize was only $ 50 and Heinlein realized he could do better selling his 7,000-word unpublished story to Astounding Science Fiction for a penny a word, or $ 70. Years later, Bester interviewed Heinlein for Publishers Weekly and the latter told of changing his mind for Astounding . Bester says that he replied (in jest), "You sonofabitch. I won that Thrilling Wonder contest, and you beat me by twenty dollars." However, as Bester

3168-422: The production of a film. Sometimes they come on as advisors, or if they are established, as a producer. Some screenwriters also direct. Although many scripts are sold each year, many do not make it into production because the number of scripts that are purchased every year exceeds the number of professional directors that are working in the film and TV industry . When a screenwriter finishes a project and sells it to

3234-506: The publication of two new novels: Golem (1980), and The Deceivers (1981). In addition to his failing eyesight, other health issues began to affect him, and Bester produced no new published work after 1981. His wife Rolly died in 1984. In the following years, Bester dated Judith H. McQuown (pronounced "McQueen"). In 1985, it was announced that Bester would be a Guest of Honor at the 1987 Worldcon , to be held in Brighton , England. As

3300-519: The role of Lois Lane , which she did on the radio program The Adventures of Superman . She changed careers in the 1960s, becoming a vice president, casting director and supervisor at the advertising agency Ted Bates & Co. in New York City. The Besters remained married for 48 years until her death. Bester was very nearly a lifelong New Yorker, although he lived in Europe for a little over

3366-453: The screenwriting job, typically taking on legal, financial, and other important representative roles for the screenwriter. These professional screenwriters rarely work for free. There are a legion of would-be screenwriters who attempt to enter the film industry , but it often takes years of trial and error, failure, and gritty persistence to achieve success. In Writing Screenplays that Sell , Michael Hague writes, "Screenplays have become, for

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3432-505: The script is based on an existing property, such as a book or person's life story, which is adapted by the screenwriter. In most cases, a film project is initiated by a screenwriter. The initiator of the project gets the exclusive writing assignment. They are referred to as "exclusive" assignments or "pitched" assignments. Screenwriters who often pitch new projects, whether original or an adaptation, often do not have to worry about competing for assignments and are often more successful. When word

3498-432: The staff, Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff, took an interest in me, I suspect mostly because I'd just finished reading and annotating Joyce 's Ulysses and would preach it enthusiastically without provocation, to their great amusement. ... They thought "Diaz-X" [Bester's original title] might fill the bill if it was whipped into shape." This was the very same contest that Robert A. Heinlein famously chose not to enter, as

3564-528: The story on Clark Kent as the real hero, while Superman was only "his gun." The producers instead hired Mario Puzo , author of The Godfather , to write the film. Carolyn Wendell wrote, "I shall always remember the time I saw Alfie Bester in larger-than-life action, at an academic conference in New York City ten years before he died": Bester had been invited to share a panel with Charles L. Grant , Isaac Asimov, and Ben Bova . He arrived attired in well-worn high-top sneakers, jeans whose major characteristic

3630-484: The title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery . A light comedy, the story concerned the modern day Lucifer—whose offices are now on Madison Avenue—working with his beautiful secretary to try to corrupt a clean-cut American husband and wife. After a four-year layoff, Bester published a handful of science fiction short stories in 1963 and 1964. However, writing science fiction was at this stage in Bester's life clearly more of

3696-663: The version of the Green Lantern Oath that begins "In brightest day, In blackest night". Bester was also the writer for Lee Falk 's comic strips The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician while their creator served in World War II . It is widely speculated how much influence Bester had on these comics. One theory claims that Bester was responsible for giving the Phantom his surname, "Walker". After four years in

3762-412: The whole plot which was not so much complicated as psychologically dense. If I understand him correctly, Mr. Bester is trying to say that having androids to free us of mundane preoccupations like work is by no means good for us. His humans are pretty close to being bums. Murder and the Android was nominated for a 1960 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and was given a repeat on September 5, 1960,

3828-576: Was a mainstream (i.e., non–science fiction) novel that was probably written in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The second, Psychoshop (1998), was based on an incomplete 92-page story fragment. It was completed by Roger Zelazny and remained unpublished until three years after Zelazny's death. When published, it was credited as a collaborative work. Upon his death, Bester left his literary estate to his friend and bartender Joe Suder. The Science Fiction Writers of America made Bester its ninth SFWA Grand Master in 1988 (announced before his 1987 death) and

3894-507: Was a special Kuttner tribute issue featuring three reprinted tales by Kuttner - "It Walks By Night", "The Frog" and "The Invaders," together with various essays on Kuttner, and an interview with his wife and fellow writer C.L. Moore . Crypt of Cthulhu 5, No 7 (whole number 41) (Lammas 1986), edited by Robert M. Price , was a special Henry Kuttner issue collecting eight Cthulhu Mythos stories by Kuttner. (It did not include "Spawn of Dagon" or "The Invaders"). The Book of Iod : Ten Tales of

3960-495: Was born in Russia and spoke Yiddish as her first language before coming to America as a youth. Alfred was James and Belle's second and final child, and only son. (Their first child, Rita, was born in 1908.) Though his mother was born Jewish , she became a Christian Scientist , and Alfred himself was not raised within any religious traditions; he wrote that "his home life was completely liberal and iconoclastic." Bester attended

4026-635: Was dedicated to Gold, who made a number of suggestions during its writing. Originally, Bester wanted the title to be Demolition! , but Gold talked him out of it. Bester's 1953 novel Who He? (also known as The Rat Race ) concerns a TV variety show writer who wakes up after an alcoholic blackout and discovers that someone is out to destroy his life. According to Bester, the TV show elements were based on his experiences working on The Paul Winchell Show . A contemporary novel with no science fiction elements, it did not receive wide attention. It did, however, earn Bester

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4092-473: Was drunk, only to be completely unable to remember exactly what he had built or why after sobering up. These stories were later collected in Robots Have No Tails . In her introduction to the 1973 Lancer Books edition, Moore stated that Kuttner wrote all the Gallegher stories himself. Marion Zimmer Bradley is among many authors who have cited Kuttner as an influence. Her novel The Bloody Sun

4158-404: Was made a senior editor), reviewed books for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (from 1960 to 1962) and returned to television scripting. During the 1950s, Bester contributed a satiric sketch, "I Remember Hiroshima", to The Paul Winchell Show . His later story "Hobson's Choice" was based on it. In 1959, Bester adapted his 1954 story " Fondly Fahrenheit " to television as Murder and

4224-446: Was that they looked comfortable, and a sports coat whose better days had been years before. He carried what must have been the world's largest jock bag, crammed with newly-purchased bottles of wine that did not quite fit into the zippered closing. He sat down behind a long table with the other writers and managed to behave conventionally for about half the discussion. Then, apparently able to stay put no longer, he leapt up, walked around to

4290-480: Was the winner of the contest, Mort Weisinger also "introduced me to the informal luncheon gatherings of the working science fiction authors of the late thirties." He met Henry Kuttner , Edmond Hamilton , Otto Binder , Malcolm Jameson and Manly Wade Wellman there. During 1939 and 1940 Weisinger published three more of Bester's stories in Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories . For

4356-496: Was while working for the d'Orsay agency that Kuttner picked Leigh Brackett 's early manuscripts off the slush pile; it was under his tutelage that she sold her first story (to John W. Campbell at Astounding Stories ). Kuttner was known for his literary prose and worked in close collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore . They met through their association with the " Lovecraft Circle ", a group of writers and fans who corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft . Their work together spanned

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