Spider Robinson: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Previous edit
VisualWikitext
imported>Escape Orbit
why not just say his nationalities?
No edit summary
 
(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)
Line 16: Line 16:


== Early life and education ==
== Early life and education ==
Robinson was born in [[the Bronx]], [[New York City]]; his father was a salesman.<ref name=Kimber /><ref name="Ketterer1992">{{Cite book |last=Ketterer |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi |title=Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-253-33122-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi/page/79 79]–80 |url-access=registration}}</ref> He was an avid reader of science fiction, and it was his early childhood exposure to the [[Heinlein juveniles|juvenile novels]] of [[Robert A. Heinlein]] that later influenced him to become a writer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Paul |title=Spider and his long dead co-author {{!}} Maclean's {{!}} October 16, 2006 |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/2006/10/16/spider-and-his-long-dead-co-author |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=Maclean's {{!}} The Complete Archive |language=en-US}}</ref> He attended a Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a [[seminary]]; this was followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "School Will Be Ending, Next Month" p. 107.</ref> at the [[Stony Brook University|State University of New York at Stony Brook]] in the 1960s,<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "Buzzed High Zonked Stoned Wasted" p. 44.</ref> where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English.<ref name=Kimber /> While at Stony Brook, Spider entertained at campus coffeehouses and gatherings, strumming his guitar and singing in harmony with his female partner.<ref name="bio">{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Spider |title=Spider Robinson's Bio |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/bio.html |access-date=October 13, 2016 |website=SpiderRobinson.com}}</ref> It was at this time that his friends, at his request, stopped calling him his childhood nickname of "Robbie" (a simple contraction of his last name, Robinson) and gave him the nickname "Spider", which he eventually adopted as his official first name.<ref name="JM">{{Cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Linda |title=Spider Robinson talks about...callahan's, usenet & becoming spider |url=https://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/spiderrobinson4.html |magazine=[[January Magazine]]}}</ref>{{Not in source|date=November 2023|reason=Source says "So I've been Spider for so long it's as official as it gets now." and something about bank account in that name but no deed poll or other such judicial or governmental change noted.}}<ref name="Heaphy2010">{{Cite book |last=Heaphy |first=Maura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y65aAAAAYAAJ |title=100 Most Popular Science Fiction Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59158-746-0 |pages=353–354}}</ref> Robinson adopted the name partially out of admiration for blues musician [[John Koerner|"Spider" John Koerner]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Spider |date=July 13, 2006 |title=Spider's Diary: The Best Music Festival I Know |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/vimfestival.html |website=Spider Robinson: Online Diary}}</ref>
Robinson was born in [[the Bronx]], [[New York City]]; his father was a salesman.<ref name=Kimber /><ref name="Ketterer1992">{{Cite book |last=Ketterer |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi |title=Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-253-33122-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi/page/79 79]–80 |url-access=registration}}</ref> He was an avid reader of science fiction, and it was his early childhood exposure to the [[Heinlein juveniles|juvenile novels]] of [[Robert A. Heinlein]] that later influenced him to become a writer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Paul |title=Spider and his long dead co-author {{!}} Maclean's {{!}} October 16, 2006 |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/2006/10/16/spider-and-his-long-dead-co-author |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=Maclean's {{!}} The Complete Archive |language=en-US}}</ref> He attended a Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a [[seminary]]; this was followed by two years at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, and five years<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "School Will Be Ending, Next Month" p. 107.</ref> at the [[Stony Brook University|State University of New York at Stony Brook]] in the 1960s,<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "Buzzed High Zonked Stoned Wasted" p. 44.</ref> where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English.<ref name=Kimber /> While at Stony Brook, Spider entertained at campus coffeehouses and gatherings, strumming his guitar and singing in harmony with his female partner.<ref name="bio">{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Spider |title=Spider Robinson's Bio |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/bio.html |access-date=October 13, 2016 |website=SpiderRobinson.com}}</ref> It was at this time that his friends, at his request, stopped calling him his childhood nickname of "Robbie" (a simple contraction of his last name, Robinson) and gave him the nickname "Spider", which he eventually adopted as his official first name.<ref name="JM">{{Cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Linda |title=Spider Robinson talks about...callahan's, usenet & becoming spider |url=https://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/spiderrobinson4.html |magazine=[[January Magazine]]}}</ref>{{Not in source|date=November 2023|reason=Source says "So I've been Spider for so long it's as official as it gets now." and something about bank account in that name but no deed poll or other such judicial or governmental change noted.}}<ref name="Heaphy2010">{{Cite book |last=Heaphy |first=Maura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y65aAAAAYAAJ |title=100 Most Popular Science Fiction Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59158-746-0 |pages=353–354}}</ref> Robinson adopted the name partially out of admiration for blues musician [[John Koerner|"Spider" John Koerner]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Spider |date=July 13, 2006 |title=Spider's Diary: The Best Music Festival I Know |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/vimfestival.html |website=Spider Robinson: Online Diary}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
Line 37: Line 37:
== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==


Robinson has resided in Canada for nearly 40 years, primarily in the provinces of [[Nova Scotia]] and [[British Columbia]]. He and his wife Jeanne had a daughter, Terri Luanna da Silva, who once worked for [[Martha Stewart]],<ref name=JM /> and one granddaughter.
Robinson has resided in Canada for over 50 years, primarily in the provinces of [[Nova Scotia]] and [[British Columbia]]. He and his wife Jeanne had a daughter, Terri Luanna da Silva, who once worked for [[Martha Stewart]],<ref name=JM /> and one granddaughter.


After living in [[Vancouver]] for a decade,<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "I Want a Really Interactive Newspaper" p. 78.</ref> he moved to [[Bowen Island]] in about 1999.<ref>[https://www.pressreader.com/canada/vancouver-sun/20100923/284640368681443 "Words from the Heart of Spider's Web"]. ''Vancouver Sun'', September 23, 2010, by GraemeMcRanor.</ref> He became a Canadian citizen in 2002, retaining his American citizenship.<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "Citizen Keen" p. 53–55.</ref> Jeanne underwent treatment for [[Cholangiocarcinoma|biliary cancer]], and died May 30, 2010.<ref name="Spider">{{Cite web |title=Spider Robinson's official website |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/index2.html |access-date=September 2, 2009}}</ref> Their daughter Terri died of [[breast cancer]] on December 5, 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Graceful Woman Warrior |url=http://gracefulwomanwarrior.com |access-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref>
After living in [[Vancouver]] for a decade,<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "I Want a Really Interactive Newspaper" p. 78.</ref> he moved to [[Bowen Island]] in about 1999.<ref>[https://www.pressreader.com/canada/vancouver-sun/20100923/284640368681443 "Words from the Heart of Spider's Web"]. ''Vancouver Sun'', September 23, 2010, by GraemeMcRanor.</ref> He became a Canadian citizen in 2002, retaining his American citizenship.<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "Citizen Keen" p. 53–55.</ref> Jeanne underwent treatment for [[Cholangiocarcinoma|biliary cancer]], and died May 30, 2010.<ref name="Spider">{{Cite web |title=Spider Robinson's official website |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/index2.html |access-date=September 2, 2009}}</ref> Their daughter Terri died of [[breast cancer]] on December 5, 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Graceful Woman Warrior |url=http://gracefulwomanwarrior.com |access-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref>
Line 193: Line 193:


=== Omnibus volumes ===
=== Omnibus volumes ===
* ''Callahan and Company'' (1988) – (omnibus edition of ''Callahan's Crosstime Saloon'', ''Time Travelers Strictly Cash'', and ''Callahan's Secret'')
* ''Callahan and Company'' (1988)—omnibus edition of ''Callahan's Crosstime Saloon'', ''Time Travelers Strictly Cash'', and ''Callahan's Secret''
* ''Off the Wall at Callahan's'' (1994) – (a collection of quotes from books in the Callahan's/Lady Sally series)
* ''Off the Wall at Callahan's'' (1994)—a collection of quotes from books in the Callahan's/Lady Sally series
* ''The Callahan Chronicals'' (1997) – (retitled republication of ''Callahan and Company'')
* ''The Callahan Chronicals'' (1997)—retitled republication of ''Callahan and Company''
* ''The Star Dancers'' (1997) (with Jeanne Robinson) (omnibus edition of ''Stardance'' and ''Starseed'')
* ''The Star Dancers'' (1997; with Jeanne Robinson) omnibus edition of ''Stardance'' and ''Starseed''


=== Short story collections ===
=== Short story collections ===
Line 251: Line 251:
[[Category:Nebula Award winners]]
[[Category:Nebula Award winners]]
[[Category:Science fiction critics]]
[[Category:Science fiction critics]]
[[Category:Stony Brook University alumni]]

Latest revision as of 22:34, 28 August 2025

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other

Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-Canadian science fiction author. He has won a number of awards for his hard science fiction and humorous stories, including the Hugo Award 1977 and 1983, and another Hugo with his co-author and wife Jeanne Robinson in 1978.[1][2]

Early life and education

Robinson was born in the Bronx, New York City; his father was a salesman.[3][4] He was an avid reader of science fiction, and it was his early childhood exposure to the juvenile novels of Robert A. Heinlein that later influenced him to become a writer.[5] He attended a Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary; this was followed by two years at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, and five years[6] at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in the 1960s,[7] where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English.[3] While at Stony Brook, Spider entertained at campus coffeehouses and gatherings, strumming his guitar and singing in harmony with his female partner.[8] It was at this time that his friends, at his request, stopped calling him his childhood nickname of "Robbie" (a simple contraction of his last name, Robinson) and gave him the nickname "Spider", which he eventually adopted as his official first name.[9]Template:Not in source[10] Robinson adopted the name partially out of admiration for blues musician "Spider" John Koerner.[11]

Career

In 1971, just out of college, Robinson took a night job guarding sewers in New York City, and wanting a career change, began writing science fiction. He made his first short-story sale in 1972 to Analog Science Fiction magazine.[12] The story, "The Guy with the Eyes" (Analog, February 1973), was set in a bar called Callahan's Place; Robinson would, off-and-on, continue to write stories about the denizens of Callahan's into the 21st century. The stories have been collected into a number of published books.[13][14]

In 1973, Robinson moved to Nova Scotia and began writing full-time.[4] He made several short-story sales to Analog, Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, and others, earning the John Campbell Award for best new writer in 1974.[4]

In 1975, he married Jeanne Robinson, a choreographer, dancer, and Sōtō Zen monk, with whom he later co-wrote the Stardance Trilogy.[15][3]

He worked as a book reviewer for Galaxy magazine during the mid-to-late 1970s. In 1978–79, he contributed book reviews to Jim Baen's original anthology series Destinies. For several years after he reviewed books for Analog, including reviews of Heinlein's later work.

Robinson's first published novel, Telempath (1976), was an expansion of his Hugo Award–winning novella By Any Other Name.[4] Over the following three decades, Robinson on average released a book a year, including short story anthologies.

In 1977, Robinson released Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, a collection of short stories in his long-running Callahan's series. These stories, and later novels, make frequent reference to the works of mystery writer John D. MacDonald; his character Lady Sally McGee reflects Travis McGee, the central character in MacDonald's mystery novels. The lead character in Lady Slings the Booze frequently refers to Travis McGee as a role model. In Callahan's Key the patrons make a visit to the marina near Fort Lauderdale where the Busted Flush was usually moored in the McGee series. Similarly important to Robinson is writer Donald E. Westlake[16] and Westlake's most famous character, John Dortmunder.

In 1992, Robinson was master-of-ceremonies for the Hugo Awards at MagiCon, the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Orlando, Florida.[17] From 1996 to 2005, he served as a columnist in the op-ed section (and briefly in the technology section) of The Globe and Mail.[18]

In 2004, Robinson began working on a seven-page 1955 novel outline by the late Robert A. Heinlein to expand it into a novel. The book, titled Variable Star, was released on September 19, 2006.[19][20] Robinson had previously written of his admiration for Heinlein in his 1980 essay "Rah, Rah, R.A.H.!", in the 1998 "Mentors", and in his book The Free Lunch.[21] In an afterword to Variable Star, he recounts the story of how reading Rocket Ship Galileo, and soon after, Heinlein's other Heinlein juvenile novels, helped set the direction for his life, and how he came to write the novel.[22] The novel reflects the very different writing styles of both Heinlein and Robinson; reviews of the books were mixed, praising Robinson's handling of a difficult task and the lively story, but criticizing the unlikely plot twists and trite romantic scenes.[23]

Personal life

Robinson has resided in Canada for over 50 years, primarily in the provinces of Nova Scotia and British Columbia. He and his wife Jeanne had a daughter, Terri Luanna da Silva, who once worked for Martha Stewart,[9] and one granddaughter.

After living in Vancouver for a decade,[24] he moved to Bowen Island in about 1999.[25] He became a Canadian citizen in 2002, retaining his American citizenship.[26] Jeanne underwent treatment for biliary cancer, and died May 30, 2010.[27] Their daughter Terri died of breast cancer on December 5, 2014.[28]

Robinson suffered a heart attack on August 31, 2013, but recovered. Due to the health issues faced by both himself and his family, he has not published a novel since 2008. In 2013, Robinson reported on his website that work on his next book Orphan Stars was progressing, albeit slowly.[29] Concurrently, he has begun work on his autobiography.[30]

He was named a Guest of Honor at the 76th World Science Fiction Convention in 2018.[31]

Awards and honors

Published works

Novels and collections of linked stories

The following table can be sorted by any column.
Year Title Co-author Series Notes
1976 Telempath
1977 Callahan's Crosstime Saloon Callahan's/Jake Stonebender Collection of linked stories
1979 Stardance Jeanne Robinson Stardance Trilogy
1981 Time Travelers Strictly Cash Callahan's/Jake Stonebender Collection of linked stories; also contains several non-Callahan's stories
1982 Mindkiller Deathkiller Trilogy
1985 Night of Power[37]
1986 Callahan's Secret Callahan's/Jake Stonebender Collection of linked stories
1987 Time Pressure[38][39] Deathkiller Trilogy
1989 Callahan's Lady Lady Sally's
1991 Starseed Jeanne Robinson Stardance Trilogy
1992 Lady Slings the Booze Lady Sally's An excerpt from Lady Slings the Booze was published in a special edition novella called Kill the Editor in 1991.
1993 The Callahan Touch Callahan's/Jake Stonebender
1995 Starmind Jeanne Robinson Stardance Trilogy
1996 Callahan's Legacy Callahan's/Jake Stonebender
1997 Lifehouse Deathkiller Trilogy
2000 Callahan's Key Callahan's/Jake Stonebender
2001 The Free Lunch
2003 Callahan's Con Callahan's/Jake Stonebender
2004 Very Bad Deaths Russell Walker
2006 Variable Star Robert A. Heinlein Based on an outline Heinlein prepared in 1955.
2008 Very Hard Choices Russell Walker

Omnibus volumes

  • Callahan and Company (1988)—omnibus edition of Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, Time Travelers Strictly Cash, and Callahan's Secret
  • Off the Wall at Callahan's (1994)—a collection of quotes from books in the Callahan's/Lady Sally series
  • The Callahan Chronicals (1997)—retitled republication of Callahan and Company
  • The Star Dancers (1997; with Jeanne Robinson) omnibus edition of Stardance and Starseed

Short story collections

  • Antinomy (1980)
  • Melancholy Elephants Penguin (1984 – Canada; 1985 – United States)[40]
  • True Minds (1990)
  • User Friendly (1998)
  • By Any Other Name (2001)
  • God Is an Iron and Other Stories (2002)
  • My Favorite Shorts (2016; e-book only)

Anthologies

  • The Best of All Possible Worlds (1980) – collection of works by other authors edited and introduced by Robinson
  • "Compostela" Tesseracts 20 – with James Alan Gardner[41]

Discography

  • Belabouring the Obvious (2000)

Collected essays

  • The Crazy Years: Reflections of a Science Fiction Original (2004), a collection of his articles for The Globe and Mail

References

  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Hugo Award Best Novella Template:Hugo Award Best Short Story 1981–2000 Template:Inkpot Award 2000s Template:Portal bar Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Robinson, Spider. The Crazy Years, "School Will Be Ending, Next Month" p. 107.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Spider. The Crazy Years, "Buzzed High Zonked Stoned Wasted" p. 44.
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b Template:Cite magazine
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ "The Crazy Years: Reflections of a Science Fiction Original". SF Site, 2005, review by Kit O'Connell
  19. ↑ "Sci-fi collaboration made in heaven". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. February 3, 2008 – Page 36
  20. ↑ "Variable Star". Publishers Weekly, review
  21. ↑ "The Free Lunch". Publishers Weekly review.
  22. ↑ "VARIABLE STAR ". review in Audiophile magazine, February–March 2008.
  23. ↑ "VARIABLE STAR". SF Reviews, 2006 by Thomas M. Wagner.
  24. ↑ Robinson, Spider. The Crazy Years, "I Want a Really Interactive Newspaper" p. 78.
  25. ↑ "Words from the Heart of Spider's Web". Vancouver Sun, September 23, 2010, by GraemeMcRanor.
  26. ↑ Robinson, Spider. The Crazy Years, "Citizen Keen" p. 53–55.
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ "Joy and Pun-ishment: Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson". Bowen Island Undercurrent, Alan Brown, September 28, 2017
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ "Tempo". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. September 6, 1983 – Page 26
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Inkpot Award
  37. ↑ "Sci-Fi Goes Hi-Fi: 10 Artists' Foray into Hip-Hop Futurism". Pop Matters, Imran Khan, October 23, 2018
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ "2018 Aurora Awards Winners". Locus Mag, October 8, 2018
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Spider_Robinson&oldid=3449645"