author
Ralph Robin
1914–1983
A chemist by profession and a literary teacher by trade, this little-known writer also left a distinctive mark on mid-century science fiction. His stories blend sharp wit, speculative ideas, and an eye for the absurd turns of modern life.
1 Audiobook
Business For the Lawyers
by Ralph Robin
About the author
Born in Pittsburgh on September 7, 1914, Ralph Robin was an American writer whose work ranged across science fiction, poetry, and humor. Reliable reference sources identify him as active mainly in the 1930s and early 1950s, with a modest but memorable body of speculative short fiction.
Robin also had an unusually varied career outside publishing. Sources describe him as a chemist with the National Bureau of Standards and as a professor of English at American University in Washington, D.C. That mix of scientific training and literary sensibility helps explain the character of his fiction, which often feels both playful and intellectually curious.
Although he never became a major household name, Robin earned lasting interest among genre readers for stories collected in books such as The Sunken Land and Other Stories and for appearances in classic science fiction magazines and anthologies. He died in December 1983, and his work remains a rewarding rediscovery for readers who enjoy overlooked voices from the pulp and magazine era.