KNIGHT, Damon (Francis) 1922-2002

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born September 19, 1922, in Baker, OR; died April 15, 2002, in Eugene, OR. Author. Knight was one of the giant figures of twentieth-century science-fiction literature, writing numerous award-winning novels and short stories as well as being a founder of the Science Fiction Writers of America and editor of the "Orbit" anthology series. He was also a highly respected critic and promoter of the genre. After briefly attending Salem Art Center from 1940 to 1941, Knight was an assistant editor for Popular Publications from 1943 to 1944 and again from 1949 to 1950. However, his passion was writing; he published his first short story in 1941 and his first novel, Hell's Pavement, in 1955. He went on to publish many more novels, including Mind Switch (1965), The World and Thorinn (1981), a trilogy composed of CV, The Observers, and A Reasonable World (1985-91), and Humpty Dumpty: An Oval (1996). One of his most famous short stories is "To Serve Man" (1950), which was turned into a Twilight Zone television episode, and many of his stories were collected in such books as The Best of Damon Knight (1974) and God's Nose (1991). Although Knight's writing was well regarded, he was most highly esteemed for his literary criticism, winning a Hugo Award in 1956 for his In Search of Wonder: Essays on Modern Science Fiction. He was also the author of a respected guide for writers titled Creating Short Fiction (1981). One of the original members of the writers group the Futurians, which included such luminaries Isaac Asimov and Frederic Pohl, Knight wrote about his colleagues in his memoir The Futurians: The Story of the Science Fiction "Family" of the '30s That Produced Today's Top SF Writers and Editors (1977). Knight worked hard throughout his life to support the work of his fellow sci-fi writers, cofounding the Milford Science Fiction Writers' Conference in Pennsylvania and teaching at the Clarion Workshop now held at Michigan State University, where he received an honorary doctorate in 1996.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2002, p. B13.

New York Times, April 17, 2002, p. A21.

Times (London, England), June 4, 2002.

Washington Post, April 20, 2002, p. B7.