The science fiction and fantasy community has lost a beloved icon. We are extremely sad to report that author and SFWA Grand Master Gene Wolfe passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2019 after his long battle with heart disease. He was 87.
Gene Wolfe was born in New York on May 7, 1931. He studied at Texas A&M for a few years before dropping out and fighting in the Korean War. After his return to the US he finished his degree at the University of Houston. He was an engineer, and worked as the editor of the professional journal Plant Engineering. He was also instrumental in inventing the machine that cooks Pringles potato chips. He pursued his own writing during his editorial tenure at Plant Engineering, but it took a few years before one of his books gained wider notice in the sci-fi community: the novella that eventually became The Fifth Head of Cerberus. The whole tale was finally released as three linked novellas in 1972, and this is the beautiful opening passage:
When I was a boy my brother and I had to go bed early whether we were sleepy or not. In summer particularly, bedtime often came before sunset; and because our dormitory was in the east wing of the house, with a broad window facing the central courtyard and thus looking west, the hard, pinkish light sometimes streamed in for hours while we lay staring out at my father’s crippled monkey perched on a flaking parapet, or telling stories, one bed to another, with soundless gestures.
Wolfe went on to write over 30 novels, with his best best-known work, The Book of The New Sun, spanning 1980-1983. The series is a tetralogy set in the Vancian Dying Earth subgenre, and follows the journey of Severian, a member of the Guild of Torturers, after he is exiled for the sin of mercy. Over the course of the series the books won British Science Fiction, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Locus, Nebula, and Campbell Memorial Awards. In 1998 poll, the readers of Locus magazine considered the series as a single entry and ranked it third in a poll of fantasy novels published before 1990, following only The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Wolfe’s fans include Michael Swanwick, Neil Gaiman, Patrick O’Leary, Ursula K. Le Guin, and many, many more, and he was praised for his exciting prose and depth of character. Asked by editor Damon Knight to name his biggest influences, he replied: “G. K. Chesterton and Marks’ [Standard] Handbook for [Mechanical] Engineers.” In 2015 The New Yorker published this profile of Wolfe by Peter Bebergal, in which the two discussed his decades-long career—it’s well worth a read.
Wolfe won the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award in 1989, the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1996, and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2012, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named him its 29th SFWA Grand Master.
Wolfe is survived by his daughters Madeleine (Dan) Fellers, Mountain Home, Arkansas, Teri (Alan) Goulding, Woodridge, Illinois, son, Matthew Wolfe, Atlanta, Georgia and 3 granddaughters, Rebecca (Spizzirri), Elizabeth (Goulding) and Alison (Goulding).
He leaves behind an impressive body of work, but nonetheless, he will be dearly missed.
Damn. Requiscat in Pace.
Gene Wolfe was the sixth and final instructor at Clarion West 1990, and one of the most crucial reasons I signed on for those six weeks. Gene was a delightful teacher, supportive and incisive in his criticism and in his suggestions for improvement. Losing him lies heavy on our hearts, even as we celebrate the gifts this wonderful man gave us.
Oh, man, this makes me sad. I remember reading the New Sun books back in college and having the back of my head blown right off at just how good he was.
RIP. One of the greats.
I am deeply sorry to hear this. Peace to the Wolfe family and his many friends.
Knowing this day would come doesn’t make it easier. His was a monumental talent. He shall be missed.
A wonderful, kind man who will someday be recognized by the mainstream as the literary genius that he was, and my favorite author since discovering BotNS as a teenager. His humility and generosity shone through in everything I’ve seen about him. I had the privilege to meet him a few years ago; despite age and difficulty reading for more than 15 minutes at a time due to eye strain, he wrote me a personalized, several page letter afterward – I was blown away. RIP.
One of my inspirations. I am sad to see him go.
When I read The Book of the New Sun back in the early 80s, Wolfe was a revelation. It was so new, innovative, and breathtakingly beautiful it made quite an impression on this writer. At last, I could see what could be done and, perhaps more to the point how it should be done.
How Wolfe achieved such universal critical acclaim while the market tended to ignore him in favor of relentless Ender stories of trashy Tolkien rip-offs is beyond me
Gene, at least you are with Rosemary now. RIP.
The greatest of all time.