author
Dirk Wylie
1920–1949
A fast-burning figure from science fiction’s pulp era, he wrote under the name Dirk Wylie and moved in the same New York fan circles that helped launch several major genre careers. He was also active as a literary agent, linking writers to the booming magazine market of the 1940s.
1 Audiobook
Asteroid of the Damned
by Dirk Wylie, Frederik Pohl
About the author
Born Joseph Harold Dockweiler, he used Dirk Wylie as his professional name and became part of the Futurians, the influential New York science-fiction fan and writer group of the 1940s. Reference sources on the genre describe him as both a writer and a literary agent, and note his close connection with fellow Futurian Frederik Pohl.
His fiction is remembered mainly from the pulp-magazine years, including stories associated with the lively, idea-driven style of mid-century magazine science fiction. Genre reference works also note that he and Pohl operated the Dirk Wylie Literary Agency after World War II, giving him a role behind the scenes as well as on the page.
The basic biographical details are a little inconsistent across sources: some list his life as 1920–1948, while others give 1920–1949. What is clear is that his career was brief, and that he remains one of the lesser-known but interesting names connected with the Futurians and the early history of modern science fiction.