Frederik Pohl: The 'Science Fiction Man'

There are names in science fiction that any self-proclaimed fan has to know. One of them is Frederik Pohl. If his name doesn't ring a bell, this article tells you why you should start reading his work.

The infinite has the nature of the Universe, but the shape of human virtue; the imagination of science fiction writers has highlighted dreams and fantasies that, in their intangibility, helped inspire the future we walk today and that we dream of and fear at the same time. From the yellowed pages of the Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, Frederik Pohl adorned science fiction with impossible stories, which he then amplified through his prolific list of books and other activities always related to the genre that sheltered him since he was young.

The Works of Frederik Pohl

Frederik Pohl's biography tells us about a convinced science fiction fanatic who, for over 60 years, dedicated himself to contributing in countless ways to help the genre grow and spread. To that end, he wrote classic books such as Heechee, Marte, Mercaderes Espaciales, and the trilogía Eschaton, series that marked a before and after in his impact as a science fiction author. Then there are his novels, such as Barco de Esclavos, Stardchild, El camino de Drunkard’s, Pórtico (or Gateway), Una plaga de pitones, La era de la Pussyfoot, La venida de los gatos cuánticos, and La guerra fresca, among many others that were published in installments in his Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, which we will talk about later.

Among his dozens of collaborations, which include the 10 novels with Jack Williamson or Man Plus and its sequel with Thomas T. Thomas, we must point out El Último Teorema, which he wrote together with the (I throw myself on the floor in reverence) unsurpassable genius of Arthur C. Clarke. This novel the latter could not see published since he died some time before. He also collaborated with Isaac Asimov on a book called Our Angry Earth, dealing with environmental issues.

His participation in magazines such as Astonishing Stories and Super Science Stories laid the foundations so that in 1959 he founded Galaxy Science Fiction and IF, with which he won the Hugo Award for three consecutive years. From there, the dissemination of science fiction gained considerable momentum, with which he also offered his point of view on life and society. With a critical and satirical (and that's redundant) look at the consumerism and propaganda of the 50s and 60s, or later with environmental problems, some of his novels raised certain complicit silences and he always showed himself as a writer committed to his time and his country. That is why he also wrote some political science and gave classes at universities on the use of science in literature. At one time, Pohl's laws became known, which stated that "No one is ever fully prepared for anything" and "Nothing is so good that someone, somewhere, won't hate it", which would be a kind of intellectual antecedent of "haters gonna hate".

Frederik Pohl died on September 2, 2013, at the age of 93. In his departure, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame paid tribute to him as a distinguished member and, along with them, we and hundreds of thousands of fans around the world.

More information: Wikipedia