Philip José Farmer
(January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009)
Philip José Farmer, a United States pro writer, was born and lived much of his life in Peoria, Illinois, and is best known for his World of Tiers and Riverworld novels. He is noted for the pioneering use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for, and reworking of, the lore of celebrated pulp heroes.
Leslie Fiedler compared Farmer to Ray Bradbury as both being "provincial American eccentrics" ... who... "strain at the classic limits of the science fiction form", but found Farmer distinctive in that he "manages to be at once naive and sophisticated in his odd blending of theology, pornography, and adventure".
He was GoH at the 1968 Worldcon, Baycon. His GoH speech is one of the most memorable ever ... but not in a very good way. There was a heat wave, the hotel was not air-conditioned and his speech was very long -- some listeners swear that the seasons changed before it ended -- and as Fred Pohl remembers, he spent a chunk of the speech denouncing John W. Campbell -- who was present at the banquet.
Though he did not begin as a fan, he was a fannish pro. He was a regular attendee at Worldcon and at Midwestcon starting in the early ’50s with Midwestcon 2 and continuing almost until his death. There was a local gathering in his honor in Peoria, Farmercon; a club, the Philip Jose Farmer Society; and fanzines such as Farmerphile
He wrote one book, Venus on the Half Shell (1974), under the penname Kilgore Trout, a character in several Kurt Vonnegut novels. The writer behind the pseudonym was a matter of huge speculation in fandom at the time. Vonnegut had given Farmer permission, but was reportedly unhappy afterward.
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1953 -- 1953 Best New SF Author or Artist Hugo
- 1960 -- 1960 Best Short Fiction Hugo nomination
- 1961 -- 1961 Best Short Fiction Hugo nomination
- 1966 -- 1966 Best Short Fiction Hugo nomination
- 1968 -- Baycon, 1968 Best Novella Hugo for "Riders of the Purple Wage"
- 1970 -- Dum-Dum Banquet in Detroit
- 1972 -- 1972 Best Novel Hugo for To Your Scattered Bodies Go
- 1975 -- Rivercon I, Solarcon I
- 1976 -- Classicon II
- 1977 -- Summercon 77, Balticon 11, Fabula
- 1978 -- Norwescon 2
- 1981 -- Aquacon I, InConJunction I
- 1989 -- Philcon 89
- 1990 -- ICON 15
- 1992 -- ICFA 13, Farmertacon
- 1994 -- Marcon 29
- 2000 -- SFWA Grand Master Award
- 2001 -- World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement
- 2003 -- First Fandom Hall of Fame, Forry Award
- 2007 -- Maker of Universes Lifetime Achievement Award
| Person | Website | 1918—2009 |
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