Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction writer, comic book writer, radio and television scriptwriter, and magazine editor. He is best known for The Demolished Man (1952), which won the first Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1953, and The Stars My Destination (1956), also published as Tiger! Tiger!. His fiction frequently explored telepathy, psychological conflict, technological change, and individual ambition. During his career, he wrote for DC Comics, contributed scripts to radio and television productions, and served as an editor of Holiday magazine. In 1987, he was selected as the ninth Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America, with the honor presented posthumously in 1988.

Early Life and Education

Alfred Bester was born on December 18, 1913, in New York, United States. His father, James J. Bester, operated a shoe store, while his mother, Belle Silverman, was a Russian immigrant. He had an older sister named Rita.

His father came from a Jewish family, and his mother had converted to Christian Science. Bester grew up in a household that did not strictly follow either religious tradition and later identified as an atheist.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied science and the humanities and participated in university athletics. He graduated in 1935.

He subsequently studied law at Columbia University, but left without completing a law degree.

In 1936, he married Rolly Goulko, an actress who later worked as an advertising executive. Their marriage continued until her death in 1984.

Early Writing Career and Comic Books

Alfred Bester began his professional writing career with the science fiction short story The Broken Axiom, published in the April 1939 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. The story won a competition for amateur writers organized by the magazine.

Following its publication, Bester continued writing short science fiction stories. By 1942, he had published several works in American science fiction magazines.

In 1942, he began writing comic book scripts for DC Comics, working on characters and series including Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern.

He also contributed to Captain Marvel stories and worked on the newspaper comic strips The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, created by Lee Falk.

During his comic book career, he contributed to the development of the Green Lantern character and wrote the original version of the Green Lantern oath.

Radio and Television Writing

After approximately four years working in comics, Alfred Bester moved into radio scriptwriting in 1946.

He wrote for programs including The Shadow, Charlie Chan, Nick Carter, Master Detective, and Nero Wolfe.

In 1948, he began working in television, contributing scripts to productions such as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.

Although he worked successfully in both media, he returned to science fiction literature in the early 1950s and began writing novels alongside short stories.

The Demolished Man and the First Hugo Award

In 1952, Alfred Bester published The Demolished Man as a serialized novel in Galaxy Science Fiction. It appeared in book form in 1953.

The story takes place in a future society where telepathy is widespread and serious crimes can be investigated by specially trained telepathic detectives.

Its central character, Ben Reich, is a powerful businessman who plans a murder despite living in a society where concealing criminal intentions is increasingly difficult.

The novel combines science fiction with elements of detective fiction and psychological suspense. Bester also experimented with typography to represent telepathic communication and the thoughts of his characters.

In 1953, The Demolished Man won the inaugural Hugo Award for Best Novel at the World Science Fiction Convention.

The Stars My Destination and Other 1950s Works

In 1953, Alfred Bester published Who He?, a satirical novel about the American television industry. It was subsequently reissued under the title The Rat Race.

His next science fiction novel, The Stars My Destination, was first published in Britain in 1956 under the title Tiger! Tiger! and appeared in the United States in 1957.

The novel follows Gully Foyle, a man abandoned aboard a damaged spacecraft who becomes determined to take revenge on those he believes responsible for his suffering.

Set in a future where teleportation has transformed society, the story incorporates themes of revenge, class conflict, identity, and personal transformation.

Its plot has often been compared with The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, particularly because of its protagonist's transformation through a pursuit of revenge.

The Stars My Destination did not win a Hugo Award, but it later received the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 1988.

Bester also published short stories during the decade, including Fondly Fahrenheit (1954), The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958), and The Pi Man (1959).

European Travels and Holiday Magazine

During the late 1950s, Alfred Bester traveled extensively in Europe with his wife. They spent time in Britain and Italy, and he wrote articles about European television and cultural subjects for the American travel magazine Holiday.

He also adapted his short story Fondly Fahrenheit for television in 1959 under the title Murder and the Android.

In 1963, Bester became a senior editor at Holiday, a position he held until 1971.

His editorial responsibilities reduced the time he devoted to writing science fiction. Although he occasionally published short stories, he produced no new science fiction novels during this period.

After leaving the magazine, he resumed writing fiction more regularly.

Return to Science Fiction in the 1970s

In 1974, Alfred Bester published The Four-Hour Fugue, his first major science fiction story after a lengthy period concentrating on journalism and magazine editing. The story received a Hugo Award nomination in 1975.

In 1975, he published The Computer Connection, his first science fiction novel since The Stars My Destination. The novel had previously been serialized under the title The Indian Giver and was also published as Extro.

The story concerns a group of people who have achieved forms of immortality and become involved with a powerful computer system capable of controlling much of human technology.

The Computer Connection was nominated for both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel. It did not win either award.

During this period, Bester also published collections of earlier stories, including The Light Fantastic and Star Light, Star Bright.

Final Novels and Later Years

In 1980, Alfred Bester published Golem 100, a science fiction novel incorporating psychological horror, crime, and supernatural imagery.

The following year, he released The Deceivers (1981), his final completed science fiction novel published during his lifetime.

By the early 1980s, Bester and his wife had settled in Ottsville, Pennsylvania.

Rolly Goulko died in 1984 after nearly forty-eight years of marriage. Bester subsequently experienced declining health, including problems with his eyesight.

In 1987, the Science Fiction Writers of America selected him as its ninth Grand Master in recognition of his writing career.

Death

Shortly before he was scheduled to attend the 1987 World Science Fiction Convention, Alfred Bester suffered a fall that resulted in a broken hip.

He died from complications associated with the injury on September 30, 1987, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, at the age of 73.

His Grand Master Award was presented posthumously in 1988.

In 2001, he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Books and Novels

1953 – The Demolished Man (Serialized in 1952)
1953 – Who He? (Later published as The Rat Race)
1956 – Tiger! Tiger! (Published in the United States as The Stars My Destination in 1957)
1958 – Starburst (Short story collection)
1964 – The Dark Side of the Earth (Short story collection)
1975 – The Computer Connection (Also published as Extro)
1976 – The Light Fantastic (Short story collection)
1976 – Star Light, Star Bright (Short story collection)
1980 – Golem 100
1981 – The Deceivers
1991 – Tender Loving Rage (Posthumous publication)
1998 – Psychoshop (Posthumously completed by Roger Zelazny)

Selected Short Stories

1939 – The Broken Axiom
1941 – Adam and No Eve
1953 – Star Light, Star Bright
1954 – Fondly Fahrenheit
1954 – 5,271,009
1958 – The Men Who Murdered Mohammed
1959 – The Pi Man
1972 – The Animal Fair
1974 – The Four-Hour Fugue

Awards and Honors

1953 – Hugo Award for Best Novel – The Demolished Man (Winner)
1959 – Hugo Award for Best Short Story – The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (Nominee)
1960 – Hugo Award for Best Short Fiction – The Pi Man (Nominee)
1975 – Hugo Award for Best Short Story – The Four-Hour Fugue (Nominee)
1975 – Nebula Award for Best Novel – The Computer Connection (Nominee)
1976 – Hugo Award for Best Novel – The Computer Connection (Nominee)
1987 – Selected as SFWA Grand Master (Award presented in 1988)
1988 – Prometheus Hall of Fame Award – The Stars My Destination (Winner)
2001 – Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame

Source: Biyografiler.com