Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Sturgeon, Theodore
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Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
1918-1985
History
Theodore Sturgeon is one of the legends of 20th-century science fiction. Born on Staten Island in New York City under the name of Edward Hamilton Waldo (his name was changed legally in 1930), Sturgeon produced over the course of some five decades an immense and important corpus of science fiction stories and novels.
Sturgeon's first professional work was the story "Ether Breather", which was published in September 1939 by Astounding Science Fiction. This was the first of several hundred stories that Sturgeon would produce over the course of his life, including such notable works as "Microcosmic God" (1941), "Baby Is Three" (1952, later expanded to become the novel More Than Human in 1953), "A Saucer of Loneliness" (1953), and "The World Well Lost" (1953). The last of these is famous as one of the first depictions of homosexuality in science fiction. Sturgeon was exceptionally well-regarded in his field, and at the height of his prolific career was the most anthologized English-language author in the world.
Sturgeon wrote only a few novels, most notably More Than Human in 1953, the tale of six people born with extraordinary abilities who eventually come together in shared consciousness. In addition, he also wrote screenplays for several episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, including "Amok Time" and "Shore Leave".
Sturgeon was nominated for a number of literary honors during his lifetime. His novel More Than Human won the 1954 International Fantasy Award. His story " Slow Sculpture" received the 1971 Hugo Award for Best Short Story and the 1971 Nebula for Best Novelette. In 1985 Sturgeon was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and he was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2000.
Theodore Sturgeon died in Eugene, Oregon, on May 8, 1985.