Thomas M. Disch
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
Thomas Michael Disch (February 2 1940 – July 4 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet best-known for his novels Camp Concentration, The Brave Little Toaster and 334.
Contents |
Biography
Disch was born in Des Moines, Iowa. In the 1960s, his work began appearing in science-fiction magazines. His first novel, The Genocides, appeared in 1965. He soon became known as part of the New Wave, writing for New Worlds and other avant-garde publications. His critically acclaimed novels of that time included Camp Concentration and 334. In the 1980s, he moved from science fiction to horror, with a series of books set in Minneapolis: The Businessman, The M.D., The Priest, and The Sub. His latest novel The Word of God will be published posthumously by Tachyon Publications in the Summer of 2008.
In 1999, he won the Nonfiction Hugo for The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, a sardonic look at the field, as well as the Michael Braude Award for Light Verse. Among his other nonfiction work, he wrote theatre and opera criticism for The New York Times, The Nation, and other periodicals. He also published several volumes of poetry.
He committed suicide on July 4 2008.
Selected works
Novels
- The Genocides, 1965
- Mankind under the Leash, 1966
- The House That Fear Built (with John Sladek), 1966
- Echo Round His Bones, 1967
- Camp Concentration, 1968, ISBN 0-246-97352-8
- Black Alice (with John Sladek, collaborating as Thom Demijohn), 1968
- The Prisoner, 1969
- Alfred the Great (as Victor Hastings), 1969
- 334, 1972, ISBN 0-261-63283-3
- Clara Reeve (as Leonie Hargrave), 1975, ISBN 0-394-48490-8
- On Wings of Song 1979, ISBN 0-312-58466-0
- Neighboring Lives (with Charles Naylor), 1981, ISBN 0-684-16644-5
- The Businessman: A Tale of Terror, 1984, ISBN 0-06-015292-3
- The M.D.: A Horror Story, 1991, ISBN 0-394-58662-X
- The Priest: A Gothic Romance, 1994, ISBN 1-85798-090-5
Novellas
- The Brave Little Toaster, 1980, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, later as a separate book; Hugo Award nomination, Nebula Award Nomination. Adapted for a series of animated films by Disney subsidiary.
- The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars
- The Silver Pillow: A Tale of Witchcraft, 1988
See also