Robert Sheckley

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 16, 1928, he grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, later served in the U.S. Army, and graduated from New York University in 1951. He began publishing science fiction in the early 1950s and quickly became known for short stories that mixed comedy, surprise, and a cool eye for human folly.

Over the years, he wrote many short stories and novels, and readers especially remember books such as Immortality, Inc., The Status Civilization, Journey Beyond Tomorrow, and Mindswap. Reference sources including Wikipedia and The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction describe his style as witty, absurdist, and unpredictable, with a lasting influence on comic and satirical science fiction.

He was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001. Robert Sheckley died on December 9, 2005.