John Christopher
(April 16, 1922 – February 3, 2012)
Pseudonym of British fan and pro Christopher Samuel 'Sam' Youd, best known for the SF novel The Death of Grass and the young-adult series The Tripods. Youd also wrote under variations of his own name and under the pseudonyms Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, William Vine, Peter Graaf, and Anthony Rye.
He explained in Fantast #8 that his surname name is pronounced YOWD.
As Sam Youd, he was one of the earliest fans in Britain and much of his earliest fiction and poetry was published in fanzines, including Fantast, Novae Terrae (where Rubaiyat of a Science Fiction Fan was published), and The Satellite. In a self description in Futurian War Digest #3 he said:
lazy, unable to concentrate – vague about what I like and even dislikes. Want to write but no technique. Poetaster of the worst type. Agnostic. Introvert (unfortunately) Socially a misfit only sports – swimming and tennis, good at neither.
Editor J. Michael Rosenblum added:
Actually quite a promising writer, but searching frantically for an adequate philosophy of life, which he hasn't found yet.
During World War II, he helped organize the Chain Letters essential to keeping fandom alive. He was a pioneer in the use of brackets.
- Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
- John Christopher in Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
- The Fantast [1939–42]
- Fantast's Folly [1944–46]
- Fantasy War Bulletin [1939–41]
- Fan Dance [1941]
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1971 – Guardian Prize
- 1976 – Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
| Person | 1922—2012 |
| This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc. See Standards for People and The Naming of Names. |
