Clifford Simack is one of the most prominent writers of the 20th century, an author who has become the "golden mean" between the old fiction of Jules Verne and the "new wave" of Asimov. His books, deep and multifaceted, and today are read in one breath, opening the reader to new facets of humanity, kindness and endless striving for development.
Childhood and youth
Clifford Simack was born in the tiny village of Millville on August 3, 1904. In this rural commune of Wisconsin, only 147 people lived at the time. There were dozens of similar settlements in America at that time, and the name of his native Milvila was later used by Simak in books as a synonym for a small cozy backwater.
Clifford's father, John Lewis, was a descendant of a noble Czech family, but was forced to flee his native places in the United States due to family problems. Clifford grew up on the farm of his grandfather, Edward Wiseman, a Civil War hero, under the care of his hard-working mother, Margaret. The family home stood on a picturesque hill with a magnificent view of the river. From here, from small rural communities, the main ideas of the writer's books originate - universal equality, the pursuit of truth, the search for a compromise, the denial of wars and respect for natural resources.
From the age of four, the child already dreamed of becoming a journalist, but it was difficult to get out of the wilderness to get a suitable education. After high school, Clifford had a three-year period of hard work. He drove a truck, laid sleepers, and at the same time took pedagogical courses. Then the future writer taught for three years in the neighboring town of Cassville, where, by the way, he met the love of his life.
Education and career
After saving up money, Simak became a student at the University of Wisconsin in the journalism department. But the money for training quickly ran out, and in 1929, Clifford got a job at a local newspaper, hoping to continue his studies soon. But the future science fiction writer never returned to the university.
In the 1930s, Clifford traveled half of America. Each time, Simak worked for a year or two in the newspaper office of another tiny town, and only in 1939 became a staff member of the major newspaper Minneapolis Star.
All this time, Clifford writes short stories, sending them to various publications. He wrote both westerns and war stories. By 1933, the writer became disillusioned with fiction, from which publishers demanded adventure, science and superheroics, rejecting philosophical and ethical ideas.
And in 1938, everything changed, the new editor of the popular science fiction magazine Astounding, John Campbell, said that he was tired of the old principles and wanted to publish something new. He also accepted the story of Simak, inspired by the changes, "Rule 18", the story of a football match between earthlings and Martians.
A young fan of the magazine, Isaac Asimov, whom no one knew then, did not like the story, and he sent an angry letter to the editor. But he unexpectedly received an answer from Simak, in which he asked to explain in more detail the shortcomings of the story. Azimov re-read the work again … And he apologized to the author, and then they became friends.
It was thanks to John Campbell and his courage in publishing that Simak was able to write again without thinking about the ridiculous rules of stiff publishers. In total, Clifford wrote 55 years, created 28 novels and many stories and short stories. His books "All living things are grass", "The werewolf principle", "City", "Almost like people" and many others really became classics and went down in history.
Personal life
Clifford met his future wife, Agnes Kuchenberg, in Cassville, where he worked as a school teacher. The locals called this lovely girl "Kay" and loved her very much. Young people got married on April 13, 1929, and the famous husband more than once called his wife his most severe critic. The couple have two children.
By the way, the correct sounding of the surname of the writer is "Simak", but the Russian reader has stuck this pronunciation - "Saimak", due to the old mistake of the translator.
In 1970, the writer's health deteriorated sharply, and he stopped writing novels, switching to short stories. And on April 25, 1988, Clifford Donald Simak passed away. He was 83 years old.
