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{{Short description|Group of science fiction fans}}
{{Short description|Group of science fiction fans and writers (1938–1945)}}
{{for-multi|the comic book series|Futurians (comics)|the sci-fi punk band|Futurians (band)}}
{{for-multi|the comic book series|Futurians (comics)|the sci-fi punk band|Futurians (band)}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2019}}
The '''Futurians''' were an influential group of [[science fiction]] fans, writers, and editors who helped shape the genre in the United States between 1938 and 1945. Based in [[New York City]], the group included many individuals who would become major figures in science fiction, including [[Isaac Asimov]], [[Frederik Pohl]], [[Donald A. Wollheim]], [[James Blish]], [[Cyril M. Kornbluth]], [[Damon Knight]], and [[Judith Merril]].<ref name="Knight">{{cite book |last=Knight |first=Damon |title=The Futurians: The Story of the Science Fiction "Family" of the 30's that Produced Today's Top SF Writers and Editors |year=1977 |publisher=John Day |oclc=2645770}}</ref><ref name="SFE">{{cite web |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/futurians |title=Futurians |work=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Nicholls |editor2-first=Peter |editor3-last=Langford |editor3-first=David |edition=4th |access-date=2025-07-23}}</ref> Known for their [[left-wing politics|left-wing political views]] and collective approach to professional development, the Futurians were, as Knight noted, "brilliant, eccentric and poor," yet from this group of never more than twenty members came seven of the field's most prominent names.<ref name="Knight"/>
The '''Futurians''' were a group of [[science fiction]] fans, many of whom became [[science fiction editors|editors]] and [[science fiction authors|writers]] as well. The Futurians were based in [[New York City]] and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and [[science fiction fandom]] in the years 1937–1945.


==Origins of the group==
==History==
As described in [[Isaac Asimov]]'s 1979 autobiography ''[[In Memory Yet Green]]'', the Futurians spun off from the [[Greater New York Science Fiction Club]] (headed by [[Sam Moskowitz]], later an influential sci-fi editor and historian) over ideological differences, with the Futurians wishing to take a more overtly [[Marxist]] political stance. Other sources indicate that [[Donald A. Wollheim]] was pushing for a more [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] direction with a goal of leading fandom toward a political ideal, all of which Moskowitz resisted. As a result, Wollheim broke off from the Greater New York group and founded the Futurians in September, 1938.<ref name = "Kyle">{{cite journal
===Formation===
  | last =Kyle
The Futurians formed in September 1938 following ideological conflicts within New York science fiction fandom.<ref name="Kyle">{{cite journal |last=Kyle |first=David |title=SaM – Fan Forever |journal=Mimosa |issue=21 |pages=7–10 |date=December 1997 |url=http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m21/kyle.htm |access-date=2025-07-23}}</ref><ref name="Moskowitz">{{cite book |last=Moskowitz |first=Sam |title=The Immortal Storm: A History of Science Fiction Fandom |year=1954 |publisher=Atlanta Science Fiction Organization Press |oclc=6570418 |pages=140–155}}</ref> The group emerged when [[Donald A. Wollheim]] broke away from the [[Greater New York Science Fiction Club]] (GNYCSFC), which was led by [[Sam Moskowitz]].<ref name="Kyle"/><ref name="Warner98">{{cite book |last=Warner Jr. |first=Harry |title=All Our Yesterdays: An Informal History of Science Fiction Fandom in the Forties |year=1969 |publisher=Advent:Publishers |isbn=0-911682-00-7 |pages=98–110}}</ref>
  | first =David
  | title =SaM – Fan Forever
  | journal =Mimosa
  | issue =21
  | pages =7–10
  |date=December 1997
  | url =http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m21/kyle.htm
  | access-date = 24 Apr 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=October 2017}}[http://fancyclopedia.editme.com/FUTURIAN Fancylopedia, ''Futurians'']</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://efanzines.com/FWD/FWD.htm| title = efanzines.com, ''FUTURIAN WAR DIGEST''}}</ref> The fans following Moskowitz reorganized into the Queens Science Fiction Club.


[[File:With Frederik Pohl and John Michel c. 1938.jpg|thumbnail|Donald A. Wollheim, Frederik Pohl and John Michel in 1938]]  
[[Isaac Asimov]] described the split in his autobiography ''[[In Memory Yet Green]]'' (1979), attributing it to political differences. Wollheim and his followers believed science fiction fans should incorporate [[Marxist]] political perspectives and work toward a "scientific world-state," while Moskowitz preferred to keep fandom focused solely on science fiction as literature.<ref name="AsimovMemory">{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920–1954 |year=1979 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=0-385-13679-X |pages=211–212}}</ref> Following the split, Moskowitz organized the competing faction into "New Fandom," maintaining what Knight called "an atmosphere of permanent crisis" between the two groups.<ref name="Knight"/>
[[Frederik Pohl]], in his autobiography ''The Way the Future Was'', said that the origin of the Futurians lay with the [[Science Fiction League]] founded by [[Hugo Gernsback]] in 1934, the local New York City chapter of which was called the "Brooklyn Science Fiction League," headed by G. G. Clark.


Wollheim, [[John Michel (science fiction)|John Michel]], and [[Robert A. W. Lowndes]] were also members of the Brooklyn Science Fiction League.  Along with Pohl, the four started calling themselves the "Quadrumvirate".  Pohl, commenting about that time, said "we four marched from Brooklyn to the sea, leaving a wide scar of burned out clubs behind us. We changed clubs the way [[Detroit]] changes tailfins, every year had a new one, and last year's was junk".
===Origins and predecessors===
[[Frederik Pohl]], in ''The Way the Future Was'' (1978), traced the Futurians' roots to earlier fan organizations. The group's core members—Pohl, Wollheim, [[John B. Michel]], and [[Robert A. W. Lowndes]], who called themselves the "Quadrumvirate"—had previously been members of the Brooklyn Science Fiction League, founded in 1934 as a chapter of [[Hugo Gernsback]]'s [[Science Fiction League]].<ref name="Pohl62">{{cite book |last=Pohl |first=Frederik |title=The Way the Future Was: A Memoir |year=1978 |publisher=Del Rey Books |isbn=978-0345277145 |pages=62–75}}</ref>


There were several club names during that period, before finally settling on the Futurians. In 1935 there was the East New York Science Fiction League, later the Independent League for Science Fiction. In 1936 came the International Cosmos Science Club, which also involved [[Will Sykora]]. Pohl then says that "on reflection 'Cosmos' seemed to take in a bit more territory than was justified, so we changed it to the International Scientific Association (it wasn't International either, but then it also wasn't scientific)". It was then renamed the New York Branch-International Scientific Association.
According to Pohl, the group "changed clubs the way Detroit changes tailfins," moving through several organizations including the East New York Science Fiction League (1935), the Independent League for Science Fiction (1936), and the International Scientific Association (ISA) (1937) before founding the Futurians.<ref name="Pohl62"/><ref name="Warner98"/> The name "Futurian" was taken from J. Michael Rosenblum's British fanzine ''The Futurian'', though the New York group did not acknowledge this borrowing until 1945.<ref name="Hansen">{{cite web |last=Hansen |first=Rob |title=Futurian War Digest Introduction |work=Then: The Archive |url=https://fiawol.org.uk/FanStuff/THEN%20Archive/FWD/FWD.htm |access-date=2025-07-23}}</ref>


In 1937, after a falling-out with Will Sykora and others, the "Quadrumvirate" went on to found the Futurians. Sykora then founded the [[Queens Science Fiction League]] with [[Sam Moskowitz]] and [[James V. Taurasi]]. Later, the Queens Science Fiction League changed into [[New Fandom]]. Pohl said the New Fandom and the Futurians were "Addicted to Feuds", that "No [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] nor [[KGB]] ever wrestled so valiantly for the soul of an emerging nation as New Fandom and the Futurians did for science fiction".
===Activities and influence===
The Futurians met regularly in members' apartments, particularly in communal living arrangements they called "Futurian Houses."<ref name="Knight"/> These included the "Futurian Embassy" and later the "Ivory Tower," where members shared living expenses and collaborated on writing projects.<ref name="Pohl62"/> The group published numerous [[fanzine]]s and helped launch the careers of its members through mutual support and criticism.


Most of the group's members also had professional ambitions within science fiction and related fields, and collectively were very effective at achieving this goal, as the roster of members suggests.  At one point in the earliest 1940s, approximately half of all the pulp sci-fi and fantasy magazines in the U.S. were being edited by Futurians: Frederik Pohl at the [[Popular Publications]] offshoot Fictioneers, Inc. (''[[Astonishing Stories]]'' and ''[[Super-Science Stories]]''); Robert Lowndes at [[Columbia Publications]], most notably with ''[[Science Fiction (American magazine)|Science Fiction]]'' and ''[[Future Fiction]]'' (though through the decade to come, Lowndes's responsibilities would expand to other types of fiction magazine in the chain), and Donald Wollheim at the very marginal Albing Publications with the short-lived, micro-budgeted ''[[Cosmic Stories]]'' and ''[[Stirring Science Stories]]'' (Wollheim soon moved on to [[Avon Books]]; Doë "[[Leslie Perri]]" Baumgardt also worked on a romance fiction title for Albing). Most of these projects had small editorial budgets, and relied in part, or occasionally entirely, on contributions from fellow Futurians for their contents.
During the early 1940s, Futurians edited approximately half of all science fiction pulp magazines in the United States. Frederik Pohl edited ''[[Astonishing Stories]]'' and ''[[Super Science Stories]]'' for [[Popular Publications]]; Robert Lowndes edited ''[[Science Fiction Quarterly|Science Fiction]]'' and ''[[Future Science Fiction|Future Fiction]]'' for [[Columbia Publications]]; and Donald Wollheim briefly edited ''[[Cosmic Stories]]'' and ''[[Stirring Science Stories]]'' for Albing Publications.<ref name="SFE"/><ref name="Warner150">{{cite book |last=Warner Jr. |first=Harry |title=All Our Yesterdays |year=1969 |publisher=Advent:Publishers |pages=150–165}}</ref>


==Political tendencies==
===The Great Exclusion Act===
The Futurians' political activism reached a climax at the [[1st World Science Fiction Convention|First World Science Fiction Convention]] in New York in 1939. Convention chairman Sam Moskowitz barred six Futurians from entry after discovering they had prepared pamphlets criticizing the convention organizers as "dictators" serving commercial interests rather than fandom.<ref name="Moskowitz"/><ref name="GreatExclusion">{{cite journal |last=Kyle |first=David |title=Moskowitz, the Futurians and the Great Exclusion Act of 1939 |journal=Mimosa |issue=21 |date=December 1997 |url=http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m21/kyle.htm |access-date=2025-07-23}}</ref> This incident, known in fan history as the "Great Exclusion Act," deepened the rift between the Futurians and New Fandom.<ref name="Liptak">{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Andrew |title=The Futurians and the 1939 World Science Fiction Convention |work=Kirkus Reviews |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/futurians-and-1939-world-science-fiction-conventio/ |access-date=2025-07-23}}</ref>


At the time the Futurians were formed, Donald Wollheim was strongly attracted by [[communism]] and believed that followers of science fiction "should actively work for the realization of the scientific world-state as the only genuine justification for their activities and existence".<ref name = "Carr">{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Terry |title=Classic Science Fiction: The First Golden Age |year=1979 |publisher= [[Robson Books]] |isbn=0-86051-070-0}} p. 430</ref> It was to this end that Wollheim formed the Futurians, and many of its members were in some degree interested in the political applications of science fiction. Members of the Futurians, including Wollheim, Michel, Lowndes, and Cohen briefly became interested in [[Technocracy movement|Technocracy]], a utopian movement led by [[Howard Scott (engineer)|Howard Scott]], and attended a study course, although they later dismissed Scott as a "crackpot".<ref name = "Knight">{{cite book |last=Knight |first=Damon |title=The Futurians |year=1977 |publisher=John Day}} pp. 47–8</ref>
===Dissolution===
The group began to dissolve in 1945 as members were drafted for [[World War II]] service or moved away from New York to pursue professional opportunities. According to Damon Knight, the formal end came when Wollheim sued other members for libel after they voted to expel him from the group over a personal dispute involving John Michel and Judith Merril.<ref name="Knight"/>


Hence the group included supporters of [[Trotskyism]], like [[Judith Merril]] and others who would have been deemed [[far left]] for the era ([[Frederik Pohl]] became a member of the [[Communist Party USA|Communist Party]] in 1936, but quit in 1939).
==Political views==
The Futurians were known for their left-wing political stance, though individual members held diverse views. Donald Wollheim, the group's founder, believed that science fiction fans "should actively work for the realization of the scientific world-state as the only genuine justification for their activities and existence."<ref name="Carr">{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Terry |title=Classic Science Fiction: The First Golden Age |year=1979 |publisher=Robson Books |location=London |isbn=0-86051-070-0 |page=430}}</ref> This led to the group being labeled "Michelists" after John B. Michel's controversial "Mutation or Death" speech at the 1937 Third Eastern Science Fiction Convention.<ref name="Fanlore">{{cite web |url=https://fanlore.org/wiki/Futurians |title=Futurians |work=Fanlore |access-date=2025-07-23}}</ref>


Pohl, in his autobiography, ''[[The Way the Future Was]]'', said Wollheim voted for [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Presidential Candidate [[Alfred Landon]] in 1936.
Several members briefly investigated [[Technocracy Incorporated|Technocracy]], attending study sessions before dismissing movement leader [[Howard Scott (engineer)|Howard Scott]] as a "crackpot."<ref name="Knight47">{{cite book |last=Knight |first=Damon |title=The Futurians |year=1977 |publisher=John Day |pages=47–48}}</ref> Individual political affiliations varied: Frederik Pohl joined the [[Communist Party USA]] in 1936 but left in 1939;<ref name="Pohl62"/> Judith Merril supported [[Trotskyism]];<ref name="Knight47"/> and despite the group's leftist reputation, Wollheim voted for [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate [[Alfred Landon]] in the 1936 presidential election.<ref name="Pohl62"/>


==Members included==
==Members==
Core members of the Futurians included:
 
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Isaac Asimov]] – science fiction writer<ref name="AsimovMemory"/><ref name="Knight"/>
* [[James Blish]] – science fiction writer<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Chester Cohen]] – fan and organizer<ref name="Knight47"/><ref name="Warner98"/>
* [[Damon Knight]] – writer, editor, critic<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Cyril M. Kornbluth]] – science fiction writer<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Walter Kubilius]] – writer and fan<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="Warner98"/>
* [[David Kyle]] – fan artist and writer<ref name="Kyle"/><ref name="Knight"/>
* [[Robert A. W. Lowndes]] – editor and writer<ref name="Pohl62"/><ref name="Knight"/>
* [[Judith Merril]] – writer and editor<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[John B. Michel]] – writer and political activist<ref name="Pohl62"/><ref name="Moskowitz"/>
* [[Frederik Pohl]] – writer, editor, agent<ref name="Pohl62"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Richard Wilson (author)|Richard Wilson]] – writer<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Donald A. Wollheim]] – editor, publisher, writer<ref name="AsimovMemory"/><ref name="Knight"/>
{{div col end}}
 
Associated members and frequent attendees included:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Isaac Asimov]]
* [[Elsie Balter]] (later Elsie Wollheim)<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="Wollheim">{{cite book |last=Wollheim |first=Donald A. |title=The Universe Makers |year=1971 |publisher=Harper & Row |page=41}}</ref>
* [[Elsie Wollheim|Elise Balter]] (also known as Elsie Wollheim)
* [[Leslie Perri|Doris Baumgardt]] (pseudonym: Leslie Perri)<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="Warner150"/>
* [[James Blish]]
* [[Hannes Bok]] – artist<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Hannes Bok]]
* Daniel Burford<ref name="Warner98"/>
* [[Daniel Burford]]
* [[Mary Byers]] (later Mary Kornbluth)<ref name="Knight"/>
* [[Chester Cohen]]
* [[Rosalind Cohen]] (later Mrs. Dirk Wylie)<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="Warner98"/>
* [[Rosalind Cohen]] (later Mrs. Dirk Wylie)
* [[Harry Dockweiler]] (pseudonym: [[Dirk Wylie]])<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="Moskowitz"/>
* [[Dirk Wylie|Harry Dockweiler]] (also known as Dirk Wylie)
* Jack Gillespie<ref name="Warner98"/>
* Jack Gillespie
* [[Virginia Kidd]] – writer and agent<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="SFE"/>
* [[Virginia Kidd]]
* Herman Leventman<ref name="Warner98"/>
* [[Damon Knight]]
* Jack Rubinson<ref name="Knight"/>
* [[Cyril Kornbluth]]
* [[Larry Shaw (editor)|Larry Shaw]] – editor<ref name="Knight"/><ref name="Warner98"/>
* [[Mary Kornbluth|Mary Byers]] (also known as Mary Kornbluth)
* [[Walter Kubilius]]
* [[David Kyle]]
* [[Herman Leventman]]
* [[Robert A. W. Lowndes]]
* [[Judith Merril]]
* [[John Michel (science fiction)|John Michel]]
* [[Frederik Pohl]]
* [[Leslie Perri]], a pseudonym of Doris "Doë" Baumgardt
* [[Jack Rubinson]]
* [[Larry Shaw (editor)|Larry Shaw]]
* [[Richard Wilson (author)|Richard Wilson]]
* [[Donald A. Wollheim]]
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}
Note: Membership varied over the group's seven-year existence, with some individuals attending meetings without formal membership.<ref name="Knight"/> The distinction between "members" and "attendees" was often fluid, as the group operated informally without dues or official membership rolls.<ref name="Pohl62"/>
==Legacy==
The Futurians significantly influenced the development of science fiction as both a literary genre and a community. Seven core members became major figures in the field, collectively winning numerous [[Hugo Award|Hugo]] and [[Nebula Award]]s. Their emphasis on literary quality and social relevance helped move science fiction beyond its pulp magazine origins.<ref name="SFE"/>
The group pioneered many [[science fiction fandom|fannish]] traditions, including collaborative living arrangements for fans and the practice of mutual support among aspiring professionals. Their political engagement, while controversial at the time, presaged science fiction's later engagement with social and political themes.<ref name="Warner98"/>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Science fiction fandom]]
* [[Golden Age of Science Fiction]]
* [[1st World Science Fiction Convention]]
* [[1st World Science Fiction Convention]]


==References==
==References==
<references/>
{{reflist|30em}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* ''In Memory Yet Green'' by Isaac Asimov (1979)
===Primary sources===
* ''The Futurians'' by Damon Knight (1977)
* {{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920–1954 |year=1979 |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, NY |isbn=0-385-13679-X}}
* ''The Way The Future Was'' by Frederik Pohl (1978)
* {{cite book |last=Knight |first=Damon |title=The Futurians: The Story of the Science Fiction "Family" of the 30's that Produced Today's Top SF Writers and Editors |year=1977 |publisher=John Day |location=New York |oclc=2645770}} <!-- ISBN often cited as 0-381-98288-1 but this fails checksum -->
* ''All Our Yesterdays'' by [[Harry Warner, Jr.]] (1969)
* {{cite book |last=Pohl |first=Frederik |title=The Way the Future Was: A Memoir |year=1978 |publisher=Del Rey Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0345277145}}
 
===Secondary sources===
* {{cite book |last=Moskowitz |first=Sam |title=The Immortal Storm: A History of Science Fiction Fandom |year=1954 |publisher=Atlanta Science Fiction Organization Press |location=Atlanta |oclc=6570418}}
* {{cite book |last=Warner Jr. |first=Harry |title=All Our Yesterdays: An Informal History of Science Fiction Fandom in the Forties |year=1969 |publisher=Advent:Publishers |location=Chicago |isbn=0-911682-00-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Hansen |first=Rob |title=Then: Science Fiction Fandom in the UK: 1930-1980 |year=2016 |publisher=Ansible Editions |location=Reading, UK}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020611072342/http://media-in-transition.mit.edu/science_fiction/profiles/pohl.html Frederik Pohl profile with several paragraphs on the Futurians]
* {{cite web |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/futurians |title=Futurians |work=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction |access-date=2025-07-23}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100709180743/http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/tag/futurians/ Frederik Pohl blogging on the Futurians]
* {{cite web |url=https://fanlore.org/wiki/Futurians |title=Futurians |work=Fanlore |access-date=2025-07-23}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011126190852/http://www.sff.net/people/Diccon/FOXTROT.HTM Fancyclopedia II: F] (see the entries under FUTURIANS, and FUTURIAN HOUSES)
* [https://fiawol.org.uk/FanStuff/THEN%20Archive/FWD/FWD.htm Futurian War Digest archives] – Complete run of the British fanzine that originated the name "Futurian"
* [http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/author_list.html#kyle List of articles about the Futurians and old Fandom by David Kyle]
* [http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m21/kyle.htm "SaM – Fan Forever"] – David Kyle's firsthand account
* [http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m21/kyle.htm "Moskowitz, the Futurians and the Great Exclusion Act of 1939" by David Kyle]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100709180743/http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/tag/futurians/ Frederik Pohl's blog posts about the Futurians] (archived)
* [http://jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm "Caravan to the Stars" by David Kyle]


[[Category:Futurians| ]]
[[Category:Futurians| ]]
[[Category:Science fiction organizations]]
[[Category:Science fiction organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1938]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1938]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 1945]]
[[Category:Science fiction fandom]]
[[Category:History of science fiction]]

Latest revision as of 00:24, 27 October 2025

Template:Short description Template:For-multi The Futurians were an influential group of science fiction fans, writers, and editors who helped shape the genre in the United States between 1938 and 1945. Based in New York City, the group included many individuals who would become major figures in science fiction, including Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim, James Blish, Cyril M. Kornbluth, Damon Knight, and Judith Merril.[1][2] Known for their left-wing political views and collective approach to professional development, the Futurians were, as Knight noted, "brilliant, eccentric and poor," yet from this group of never more than twenty members came seven of the field's most prominent names.[1]

History

Formation

The Futurians formed in September 1938 following ideological conflicts within New York science fiction fandom.[3][4] The group emerged when Donald A. Wollheim broke away from the Greater New York Science Fiction Club (GNYCSFC), which was led by Sam Moskowitz.[3][5]

Isaac Asimov described the split in his autobiography In Memory Yet Green (1979), attributing it to political differences. Wollheim and his followers believed science fiction fans should incorporate Marxist political perspectives and work toward a "scientific world-state," while Moskowitz preferred to keep fandom focused solely on science fiction as literature.[6] Following the split, Moskowitz organized the competing faction into "New Fandom," maintaining what Knight called "an atmosphere of permanent crisis" between the two groups.[1]

Origins and predecessors

Frederik Pohl, in The Way the Future Was (1978), traced the Futurians' roots to earlier fan organizations. The group's core members—Pohl, Wollheim, John B. Michel, and Robert A. W. Lowndes, who called themselves the "Quadrumvirate"—had previously been members of the Brooklyn Science Fiction League, founded in 1934 as a chapter of Hugo Gernsback's Science Fiction League.[7]

According to Pohl, the group "changed clubs the way Detroit changes tailfins," moving through several organizations including the East New York Science Fiction League (1935), the Independent League for Science Fiction (1936), and the International Scientific Association (ISA) (1937) before founding the Futurians.[7][5] The name "Futurian" was taken from J. Michael Rosenblum's British fanzine The Futurian, though the New York group did not acknowledge this borrowing until 1945.[8]

Activities and influence

The Futurians met regularly in members' apartments, particularly in communal living arrangements they called "Futurian Houses."[1] These included the "Futurian Embassy" and later the "Ivory Tower," where members shared living expenses and collaborated on writing projects.[7] The group published numerous fanzines and helped launch the careers of its members through mutual support and criticism.

During the early 1940s, Futurians edited approximately half of all science fiction pulp magazines in the United States. Frederik Pohl edited Astonishing Stories and Super Science Stories for Popular Publications; Robert Lowndes edited Science Fiction and Future Fiction for Columbia Publications; and Donald Wollheim briefly edited Cosmic Stories and Stirring Science Stories for Albing Publications.[2][9]

The Great Exclusion Act

The Futurians' political activism reached a climax at the First World Science Fiction Convention in New York in 1939. Convention chairman Sam Moskowitz barred six Futurians from entry after discovering they had prepared pamphlets criticizing the convention organizers as "dictators" serving commercial interests rather than fandom.[4][10] This incident, known in fan history as the "Great Exclusion Act," deepened the rift between the Futurians and New Fandom.[11]

Dissolution

The group began to dissolve in 1945 as members were drafted for World War II service or moved away from New York to pursue professional opportunities. According to Damon Knight, the formal end came when Wollheim sued other members for libel after they voted to expel him from the group over a personal dispute involving John Michel and Judith Merril.[1]

Political views

The Futurians were known for their left-wing political stance, though individual members held diverse views. Donald Wollheim, the group's founder, believed that science fiction fans "should actively work for the realization of the scientific world-state as the only genuine justification for their activities and existence."[12] This led to the group being labeled "Michelists" after John B. Michel's controversial "Mutation or Death" speech at the 1937 Third Eastern Science Fiction Convention.[13]

Several members briefly investigated Technocracy, attending study sessions before dismissing movement leader Howard Scott as a "crackpot."[14] Individual political affiliations varied: Frederik Pohl joined the Communist Party USA in 1936 but left in 1939;[7] Judith Merril supported Trotskyism;[14] and despite the group's leftist reputation, Wollheim voted for Republican candidate Alfred Landon in the 1936 presidential election.[7]

Members

Core members of the Futurians included:

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Associated members and frequent attendees included: Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Note: Membership varied over the group's seven-year existence, with some individuals attending meetings without formal membership.[1] The distinction between "members" and "attendees" was often fluid, as the group operated informally without dues or official membership rolls.[7]

Legacy

The Futurians significantly influenced the development of science fiction as both a literary genre and a community. Seven core members became major figures in the field, collectively winning numerous Hugo and Nebula Awards. Their emphasis on literary quality and social relevance helped move science fiction beyond its pulp magazine origins.[2]

The group pioneered many fannish traditions, including collaborative living arrangements for fans and the practice of mutual support among aspiring professionals. Their political engagement, while controversial at the time, presaged science fiction's later engagement with social and political themes.[5]

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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

External links

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  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. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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