Kim Stanley Robinson is an outstanding contemporary science fiction writer. Many of his works are recognized as classics of the science fiction genre. A striking example of such creativity is the Red Mars trilogy.
In his writings, the writer raises the topics of terraforming, colonization, alternative philosophy and history, and ecology. The main feature of the author's work is the social component of the future, alternative political and socio-economic systems. Created by the author in the genre of eco-social science fiction.
Choosing a path
The biography of the future writer began in 1952. The boy was born in the town of Waukegan on March 23. From childhood, Robinson was surrounded by orange and lemon groves. The real shock for the teenager was the construction of a megapolis in their place after the cutting down of orchards. In the seventies, the young man was educated at the University of San Diego.
He became interested in fantastic literature, began reading the works of Isaac Asimov, Clifford Simak and other authors. The guy understood that the collision of different worlds is described in their work. The student began to look at the world through the prism of science fiction. During this period, the authors of the new wave appeared.
Robinson enthusiastically read Zelazny, Le Guin, Ross, Wallace, the Strugatskys' books translated into English. The student himself began to write stories. His first literary work was Returning to Dixieland and In Pearson's Orchestra.
After graduating from Boston University in 1975 with a degree in English language and literature, the writer got acquainted with the works of Frederick Jameson. In 1982, the young man defended his Ph. D. thesis published in 1984 on the topic "The Novels of Philip Dick".
Literary future
Until 1984, the writer wrote exclusively stories. "Black Air" has won special fame. This composition won the World Fantasy Prize. The Orange County trilogy began with the first author's novel, The Wild Coast. This book made a tremendous impression on the readers.
A special place in the work is given to the Martian trilogy. Red Mars is written. "Green Mars", "Blue Mars" in the period 1993-1996. Colors describe the changes taking place with the planet as it is mastered by humans. The work was created by order of NASA for public positive opinion about manned flights to the red planet.
The most thorough study of all socio-cultural and scientific processes faced by the colonists became a successful move. "Red Mars" was jokingly called "the main aid of the colonists." The work received the most commendable reviews from the master of science fiction Arthur Clarke.
The newest work of the author in Russian is the collection "The Martians". It was a great addition to the trilogy. The book contains almost 30 stories about the red planet, including Martian poetry and the Constitution. However, almost all the works are about Martians, people who were born on an inhospitable planet, people who fell in love with their homeland.
A decade ago, "Green Mars" went to the red planet in a capsule with a kind of cultural fund of the Earth, samples of science and art in the company of works by Ray Bradbury, the Strugatsky brothers, Alexei Tolstoy, Asimov and other outstanding authors, as well as paintings and music.
Successes and plans
The California Trilogy explores future options for the county. Wild Coast shows the struggle to return to civilization after a nuclear war. The Gold Coast examines industrialized California, divided between weapons manufacturers and terrorists.
The future is described in the novel The Pacific Rim. Concern for the environment and environmentally friendly production have become the norm, the tragedy of the past is gradually forgotten. The first book shows the lack of technology, the next part shows their overabundance and cataclysms because of this.
A kind of compromise - the third part. Despite the solution found, the final part is no less of the conflict and tragic.
The writer has completed work on the novel New York 2140. The essay describes the flooding of the city in the future by the rising ocean. Streets turned into canals and skyscrapers became islands. The main characters of the work live in one of these houses. The essay raises questions of interaction between man and nature.
Family and creativity
A new book on the colonization of the Moon has been started. The writer focused on the role of China in the future space expansion. This country is described in more detail in the work "The Years of Rice and Salt". An alternative history tells about the death of almost the entire population of Europe and the establishment of the Celestial Empire as the main power of the planet.
Significant changes in the author's personal life took place in 1982. Kim Stanley Robinson and environmental chemist Lisa Howland Novell officially became husband and wife.
The family has two children. The father spends most of the time with his sons, since the mother is engaged in scientific activities. The fantastic is fond of mountaineering. The hobby is reflected in the writings of the author "Antarctica", "Escape from Kathmandu", "Forty signs of rain".
One of the few novels in the fantasy genre is "A Short and Sharp Shock." The essay shows the story of a person who has lost his memory. He travels through mysterious lands in search of the woman he saw in the scraps of memory. At the end of 2015, work began on a ten-part project based on the Martian Chronicle. So far, the creative process has been suspended.
