Theodore Sturgeon, one of the leading lights in the early years of Science Fiction and Fantasy writing who came to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s. A time when Science Fiction was undergoing a transformation and the form was taking on a legitimacy that had long relegated it to the magazine stand and pulp novel.
Sturgeon’s most notable contributions were early on; with the novels The Dreaming Jewels and More Than Human. At the time of this broadcast in February of 1954, the NBC Radio series Anthology hosted by Fleetwood, Sturgeon was busily promoting More Than Human. During his career he would write well over 200 stories – many which became serialized or part of anthologies later published in book form. At height of his popularity in the 1950s, Sturgeon was credited as being the most anthologized living author in history. Sturgeon also wrote a number of episodes of the original Star Trek in the 1960s and was responsible for the phrase “Live long and prosper“. Although his output was considerably curtailed from the 1970s onward, his early works were considered highly influential on the careers of Harlan Ellison and Samuel R. Delaney, and he was also a major influence on the early work of Ray Bradbury.
Although not all that well known outside the Science Fiction/Fantasy genres, Theodore Sturgeon was considered a liberating influence to the growing ranks of Science Fiction writers and has been considered one of the seminal figures in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre of the Post World-War 2 period.
Even if you are familiar with the work of Theodore Sturgeon, you may not be that familiar with his voice, particularly during this early phase in his career.
A slice of literary history.
