Ellison, Harlan (1934-2018), was an American author best known for his science-fiction stories. He was also an important editor, essayist, and screenwriter. Ellison gained recognition with his experiments in the form and techniques of science-fiction writing. He refused to call himself a science-fiction writer, preferring to identify his work as “magic realism,” a type of fiction that blends everyday reality with the supernatural.
Harlan Jay Ellison was born on May 27, 1934, in Cleveland, Ohio. He became a full-time writer in the mid-1950’s and wrote more than 1,100 short stories as well as many novels and essays. Ellison wrote several of the most acclaimed short stories in modern science fiction, including “‘Repent Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktock Man” (1965), “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1967), and “A Boy and His Dog“ (1969). A collection of stories spanning his 50-year career was published in 2014 as The Top of the Volcano. His essays were published in such collections as An Edge in My Voice (1985) and The Harlan Ellison Hornbook (1990).
Ellison edited two influential collections of science-fiction stories, Dangerous Visions (1967) and Again, Dangerous Visions (1972). He also wrote screenplays for many television series, including “Star Trek” and “The Twilight Zone.” He wrote under many pen names, including Paul Merchant and Jay Solo. Ellison authorized the film critic and author Nat Segaloff to write his biography, A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, an Exploration (2017). Ellison died on June 27, 2018.
