It is difficult to overestimate the contribution that the American writer Frederick Paul made to the formation of science fiction literature. He stood at the origins of this genre, was the editor of science fiction magazines, in every possible way supported young writers, especially aspiring science fiction writers.
Biography
The future writer was born in 1919 in New York, in the family of George Paul and Anna Mason. The head of the family often moved from place to place for work, and the whole family went with him. They lived in deserted Texas, New Mexico, on the banks of the Panama Canal. Frederick went to school in Brooklyn.
He studied well, but most of all he liked literature, especially science fiction. His passion was so great that he formed a fan group, the Futurians, at his high school when he was in high school. He personally knew writers such as Donald Wolheim and Isaac Asimov, and was friends with Jack Robins and Dave Kyle. They came to the club to talk about their writing, and the children listened to them with their mouths open. Since then, Frederick "fell ill" with science fiction.
After graduating from high school, Paul entered technical school, but did not graduate because he started working as an editor for the science fiction magazine Astounding Stories. Later he begins to participate in the publication of the magazine "Super Science Stories". By that time, he himself began to write small works and publish them in these magazines. Surprisingly, the young writer was only nineteen years old at the time.
Frederick was published under pseudonyms, his fees were very small. However, this was his favorite pastime, and he agreed to anything to work in this area.
And, as you can see, Paul excelled as the editor-in-chief of the magazine: for his work he received the "Hugo Award". In total, the writer has more than a dozen different prizes and awards for science fiction novels. And in 1998 he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Apparently, he was a fairly independent person. In his younger years, Paul was an active Komsomol, led the local branch of the Komsomol in Brooklyn. He supported the Communists, but in 1939 his views changed and he left the Komsomol. But this could not but affect his life, because the ideas of communism were close to him.
Writing career
Paul began writing seriously in the late 1930s, using the pseudonym "Elton Andrews". He wrote short stories and poetry and then began a career as a literary agent. He was the representative of such a famous writer as Isaac Asimov, collaborated with Hall Clement. It was said about him that "this clever young man represents more than half of the successful science fiction writers."
With the outbreak of World War II, he left his job as editor of science fiction magazines and took up advertising. At the same time, he was engaged in the creation of the "Hydra" club. This is a club where science fiction writers met with readers and discussed current topics, arranged disputes and had a good time.
After the war, Paul was actively involved in advertising copywriting, and also edited popular science books. Then he wrote in collaboration with other authors, because he himself did not feel the strength for a full-fledged work. At the same time, the main reason was his constant preoccupation with editorial and other work. And when he finally decided to do nothing but writing, everyone was surprised by this powerful creative outburst.
Frederick Paul's first successful novel is called The Plus Man (1976). He was awarded the Nebula Prize. The novel takes place on Mars. This planet has recently been mastered by Earthlings, and cyborgs are used here for hard work. The drama of one of the artificially created creatures is the main theme of the novel. In 1994, a sequel to the novel called Mars Plus was released, and it was also a great success.
Over the years, the writer's skill grew, his work became more and more in demand. Readers were already waiting for each new Paul's novel and bought it up in a few days. Among such works, the most popular was the novel "Space Merchants". However, the most ambitious success awaited the series about Stargate and contacts with the Heechee civilization. The novel "The Gate" was published in 1977 and a year later collected all the top prizes in the fantasy genre.
Then he wrote the novel "Jam", as well as "Years of the City", "Rise of the Black Star", "The World at the End of Time" and many others. And also wrote a sequel to the novel "Gate".
Personal life
In his personal life, Paul was also an independent and courageous person: in his ninety-three years, he married five times. He met the first lady of his heart at the Futuries club: they discussed science fiction together, and it turned out that they thought the same way. Their marriage lasted four years.
The writer met his second wife, Dorothy Lestin, when he served in the army. It was the spring of 1945, it was in Paris, it was romance and hopes for a brighter future. However, the marriage lasted only two years.
In 1948, Paul was married to Judith Merrill, and this time their marriage was sealed by the birth of a daughter. However, a little less than five years passed, and Frederick and Judith broke up in 1952.
A year later, he tied the knot with Carol M. Ulf Stanton, and this union was stronger and longer than the rest: they lived together until 1977, that is, almost a quarter of a century. They had a daughter, Katy, and two sons, whom their parents named Frederick III and Frederick IV.
In 1984, Paul married Elizabeth Ann Hull, who was an expert in science fiction literature. It was Elizabeth who accompanied her husband on his last journey in September 2013.
