The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein

(Hardback)

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Robert A. Heinlein began publishing in the 1940s at the dawn of the Golden Age of science fiction, and today he is considered one of the genre's 'big three' alongside Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. His short stories were instrumental in developing its structure and rhetoric, while novels such as Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers demonstrated that such writing could be a vehicle for political argument. Heinleins influence remains strong, but his legacy is fiercely contested. His vision of the future was sometimes radical, sometimes deeply conservative, and arguments have flared up recently about which faction has the most significant claim on his ideas. In this major critical study, Hugo Award-winner Farah Mendlesohn carries out a close reading of Heinleins work, including unpublished stories, essays, and speeches. It sets out not to interpret a single book, but to think through the arguments Heinlein made over a lifetime about the nature of science fiction, about American politics, and about himself.

Reviews

'The kind of book that a writer of [Heinlein's] stature deserves... Remarkable. It makes Heinlein seem like the most interesting science fiction author around, not just of his era, but of ours.' Locus magazine

'An insightful addition to the academic study and appreciation of Heinleins body of work... does a fantastic job of looking at the major themes of Heinleins career. 9*' Starburst magazine

Author Bio

Farah Mendlesohn is a historian and critic. She has chaired the Science Fiction Foundation and served as the President of the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts, and is the author of several books about science fiction and fantasy literature. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Related Work six times, winning in 2005 with The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (edited with Edward James).

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