Damon Francis Knight Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Damon Knight was a force of nature in the field of science fiction. He moved to New York City when he was 17 to live with science-fiction fans, writers and editors. He started the Science Fiction Writers of America. With his wife Kate Wilhelm, he influenced generations of writers at writers workshops. He also wrote many works of fiction, including...
It occurs to me, now and then, that maybe a critic ought not to write about any author until the latter is dead; but I'm afraid some of you bastards will outlive me.
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Fact
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Family members say Knight was especially proud of "To Serve Man". For Christmas 2001 he had the original story printed on linen paper, encased it in a plastic spine and gave signed and numbered copies to 17 family members.
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In 1976, Owlswick Press, Philadelphia, published a book titled "To Serve Man: A Cookbook for People" by "Karl Würf" (ISBN 0 913896 05 5, LCCN 76-004348). It contains 71 recipes, all using people, including Mannerschnitzel, Chile con Hombre, Arabian Tomato & Infidel Soup and Hungarian Ghoulash [sic]. The recipe for Blood Sausage is hilarious. It is dedicated to Knight, "for the name, the title and the kind permission to use both". Adding to the joke is the fact that the Library of Congress classifies it, not as a satire, parody or literary work, but as a cookbook (call number TX652.W83), in the company of 5,306 other culinary works. This means that the cataloging librarian either didn't have a clue or else had a sense of humor.
3
His best-known short story, "To Serve Man", was written during his disastrous first marriage, on a day when his wife was out with another man.
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Guest of Honor at the Noreascon II World Science Fiction Convention (Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 1980) in Boston.
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Even though he won the 1956 Hugo Award for "Best Book Reviewer," and even though he is one of the most highly regarded of science fiction writers, his fiction never won a Hugo or Nebula Award. The closest he came was receiving the award of Grand Master as presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America, and a Retro Hugo Award (presented in 2001) for Best Short Story of 1951, for "To Serve Man" - the Hugo Award was not created until 1953.
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His best-known short story is "To Serve Man", which was published in 1950 and turned into The Twilight Zone: To Serve Man (1962). The story deals with the arrival on Earth of giant aliens who promise to end hunger and war. Their true intentions are made known, however, when their guidebook, "To Serve Man," is finally decoded: It's a cookbook.
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Spouse Kate Wilhelm is also a science fiction writer
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He edited many science fiction anthologies and publications, including Orbit, the original anthology series that ran from 1966 to 1980.
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He wrote 11 novels, often with elaborate concepts. Also wrote short stories, including "To Serve Man" and "Not With A Bang".