R. A. Lafferty

Born in Iowa in 1914 and later based in Oklahoma, R. A. Lafferty came to fiction relatively late. He worked for many years in the electrical business before turning to writing in earnest, then went on to build one of the most distinctive bodies of work in modern speculative fiction.

He wrote science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction, but simple labels never quite fit. Readers remember him for exuberant language, surprising structures, and stories that mix folklore, philosophy, comedy, and invention in ways that can feel dreamlike and sharply intelligent at the same time.

Lafferty published many short stories and novels, with much of his best-known work appearing in the 1960s and 1970s. Though never a conventional mainstream figure, he earned lasting admiration from fellow writers and devoted readers, and his reputation has continued to grow since his death in 2002.