The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the birth of an incredible number of gifted children, who made this century the most progressive in history. And great writers have made a significant contribution to the development of mankind. Robert Heinlein, a gifted American science fiction writer and author of cult books, is one of them.
Childhood of the writer
Robert was born in the capital of Bates County, Butler, Missouri, USA. This significant event for the Heinlein family took place on July 7, 1907. The main person in Robert's childhood, who gave him a love for chess and instilled a passion for logical problems, was his grandfather.
The family of the future science fiction writer lived according to the teachings of Christian Methodists, with a strict ban on entertainment and alcohol, raising a child in the spirit of Puritanism. At school, under the influence of the same grandfather, Robert became interested in the exact sciences: physics, mathematics, followed by an interest in biology and astronomy. Then the Heinleins, who by that time already had seven children, moved to Kansas City, where Robert became a regular visitor to a large local library.
Education and service
Heinlein dreamed of naval military service, but at that time only one child from the family could enter the Annapolis Military Academy, and Robert's older brother was already studying there. But thanks to his perseverance, the future writer was able to achieve enrollment in cadets.
There, he quickly became one of the most successful students, setting records in all disciplines, including fencing and shooting. In 1929, with the rank of ensign, junior naval officer, Robert went to the famous aircraft carrier Lexington. However, his career was cut short due to health: the young officer was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and even a miraculous recovery did not save the situation - Heinlein was dismissed, having appointed a small pension.
Writing career
10 years after graduating from the Military Academy, already as a retired officer, experiencing rather serious financial difficulties, Heinlein begins to write science fiction. The very first stories were greeted with approval by the public and publishers, and from that time on, everything else in Robert's life fades into the background.
Every lover of reading knows the name of Heinlein, who, together with Asimov and Clark, is considered one of the "Big Three" that formed this genre of literature. He created incredible, detailed and wonder-filled worlds of the future. Six novels of the writer were awarded the Hugo Prize, an asteroid and one of the craters of Mars were named after him. Many of his books have been filmed in different countries.
Special was the book Stranger in a Strange Land, which embodied a whole philosophical doctrine, changed the attitude towards human sexuality, raised many life and religious issues and became a hippie handbook. This novel shocked the world community so much that it saw the publication in full, without censorship and edits, only in 1991.
Personal life
Robert Heinlein lived a rich personal life, participated during the war in the scientific development of the naval laboratory, actively supported the development of space technology, organized blood donation and was married three times.
For the first time, a childhood friend became his wife, but due to the eternal travels of her husband, the marriage broke up. The second wife of the writer in 1932 was the woman politician Leslin MacDonald. But in 1947, Robert divorced due to his wife's problems with alcohol.
The last wife of a science fiction writer was Virginia Gerstenfeld, a woman he met during the war. It was she who became his secretary, editor, co-author and faithful assistant in the difficult work of writing. Many of Heinlein's positive female characters are written off from her, from "Ginny", as her legendary husband affectionately called her.
Heinlein died in his sleep on May 8, 1988, in the small town of Carmel, California, just starting a new book. His body was burned, and the ashes, according to the last wish of the writer, were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
