Science Fiction Author Harry Harrison Dies At Age 87
Science fiction author Harry Harrison died in his home in Great Britain on August 15, 2012. He was 87 years old at the time of his passing.
“His passing leaves a huge gap in the universe, but thankfully he didn’t leave us empty-handed,” said Harrison’s close friend, Irish science fiction writer Michael Carroll.
“Dozens of novels and over a hundred short stories are as fine a legacy as we could hope for,” he continued. Carroll considered Harry Harrison’s work to be “a gem, a rich conglomeration of intelligence and adventure that so few other writers have been able to match.”
Harry Harrison’s first novel, Deathworld, was first published in 1960, and the author later became well-known for his 1966 dystopian novel, Make Room! Make Room!, which was adapted into the 1973 movie Soylent Green, starring Charlton Heston.
One of Harrison’s best-known works is the Stainless Steel Rat series, which introduced one of science fiction’s greatest antiheroes, Slippery Jim diGriz, aka The Stainless Steel Rat.
DiGriz was a quick-witted con man with a strong sense of morality who traveled the universe swindling humans, aliens, and robots. The last book in the Stainless Steel Rat series was published in 2010.
Harry Harrison’s work was known to contain a strong satirical element. He often critiqued societal norms, the military-industrial complex, and the misuse of science in a number of different ways. Along with the penchant for humor and satire, his stories also explored serious themes such as overpopulation, environmental degradation, and the potential pitfalls of technological advancement gone off the rails.
Through the years, Harry Harrison was a major name in the science-fiction community writ large. He helped found the Science Fiction Writers of America, a group in which he later served as president. Harrison won the coveted Nebula Award as well as the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2004, and in 2008, the Science Fiction Writers of America named him a Grand Master.
Born in Stamford, Connecticut on March 12, 1925, Harry Harrison served his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, Harrison worked as a freelance commercial artist before venturing into a long career as one of science fiction’s leading writers.
Harry Harrison was survived by his daughter, Moira, and his son, Todd. Harrison’s wife, Joan, died in 2002.
Harry Harrison was one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time, and his works still resonate today.
