Mark Clifton

Born in 1906, Mark Clifton was an American science fiction writer who published most of his work in the 1950s. Before turning seriously to fiction, he worked in personnel and psychology-related roles, and that background shows in stories that are often more interested in how people think than in gadgets alone.

He began publishing fiction in 1952, and his story "What Have I Done?" became one of his better-known early pieces. Clifton is especially remembered for the novel They'd Rather Be Right, written with Frank Riley, which was a co-winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Reference works on science fiction describe his writing as sometimes rough-edged but notably clear and optimistic, especially in its sense that technology and human development might grow together. That combination of practical psychology, big speculative ideas, and mid-century energy gives his fiction its lasting charm.