Sci-fi connoisseurs revere Edmond Hamilton as the founder of what has become known as the space opera. It was he who introduced the main attributes of this genre into literary circulation. Readers got acquainted with interest with the adventures of the star warriors, followed the intergalactic flights of the heroes, created by the power of the imagination of the American science fiction writer.
From the biography of Edmond Hamilton
The future science fiction writer was born on October 21, 1904. His place of birth is the city of Youngstown (Ohio, USA). He became the third child in the family. Hamilton's father was a cartoonist who worked for a local newspaper. Mom taught at school. Subsequently, Edmond's father quit his job and bought a modest farm. In 1911 the family moved to Newcastle.
At school, Edmond showed exceptional ability - he was considered a child prodigy. Hamilton graduated from an educational institution ahead of schedule - at that time he was only 14 years old. He immediately entered the prestigious college in East Wilmington, choosing the physics department.
Hamilton studied two courses brilliantly. However, the next year he was expelled for academic failure and failure to attend classes. The interests of the young man were clearly shifting in the other direction.
The path to science fiction
Hamilton's debut in science fiction was the story "The Monstrous God of Mamurta" (1926). The work was published in the magazine and found a response among fans of science fiction. The story even for some time pushed aside in popularity the works of Howard Lovecraft himself, who wrote in the horror genre.
Over time, Edmond became a part of the group of writers who created works in the science fiction genre for Weird Tales magazine. Over the next two decades, almost eight dozen of Hamilton's works were published in this edition.
In 1928, Edmond presented to the public his series "Interstellar Patrol", which later resulted in eight stories. This cycle is considered the world's first "space opera".
Hamilton developed the canons of this fascinating genre that have persisted for many decades. The attributes of the "space opera": interstellar flights, bloodthirsty space pirates, armadas of fighting starships. A prerequisite for the development of the plot was the presence of a "star federation", which included the worlds of a large part of the Galaxy.
Hamilton's works were popular with the reading public. He has been published in many American magazines. For the story "The Island of Recklessness" (1933), according to the results of a vote among readers, Edmond was awarded the Jules Verne Prize.
Hundreds of stories Hamilton created in the popular series, where the main character was Captain Futures, aka Curt Newton. Subsequently, the author brought these works into thirteen novels. The author was not proud of this work - he did it without much inspiration, to order.
Veteran of the genre
Gradually, Hamilton was recognized as one of the most experienced science fiction writers and even considered a veteran in this field. However, after the end of the Second World War, the fame and popularity of the writer began to wane, although it was during that period that he began to draw more thoroughly the characters of the heroes and switched to a "purer" language. It is possible that just this evolution of the author did not appeal to the reading American public, accustomed to swallowing novels without further thought, without comprehending their philosophical paradigm.
In his personal life, Edmond remained faithful to his literary passion. In 1946, Hamilton got married. The writer Lee Douglas Brackett became his wife. She has also worked in science fiction. The couple chose a farm in Ohio, once owned by Edmond's relatives, as their place of residence.
Edmond Hamilton passed away on February 1, 1977. He did not have time to wait for the release of his next collection of fiction, which his wife helped him to compose.
