Author

Richard Wilson

Richard Wilson (1920-1987)

Richard Wilson was an American science fiction author and director of the News Bureau of Syracuse University until his retirement in 1982; he was instrumental in persuading many sf writers to donate their personal archives to the university's George Arents Research Library, which has been called one of the "most important collection of science fiction manuscripts and papers in the world" (Science/fiction Collections: Fantasy, Supernatural & Weird Tales, 1983). Involved in sf fandom from an early age, he was a founder of the Futurians in the 1930s and published his first sf story, "Murder from Mars", with Astounding Stories in 1940. A number of his short stories were award-winning or award-nominated: "The Eight Billion" was nominated for the Nebula as Best Short Storiy in 1965; "Mother to the World" was nominated for the Hugo for Best Novelette in 1969 and winner of the Nebula in 1968; and "The Story Writer" was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1979. In his later years, Wilson reportedly made it clear to colleagues that he remained too content in his professional life to continue seriously in a writing career.