Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988)
Author of Starship Troopers
About the Author
Robert Anson Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907 in Butler, Mo. The son of Rex Ivar and Bam Lyle Heinlein, Robert Heinlein had two older brothers, one younger brother, and three younger sisters. Moving to Kansas City, Mo., at a young age, Heinlein graduated from Central High School in 1924 and show more attended one year of college at Kansas City Community College. Following in his older brother's footsteps, Heinlein entered the Navel Academy in 1925. After contracting pulmonary tuberculosis, of which he was later cured, Heinlein retired from the Navy and married Leslyn MacDonald. Heinlein was said to have held jobs in real estate and photography, before he began working as a staff writer for Upton Sinclair's EPIC News in 1938. Still needing money desperately, Heinlein entered a writing contest sponsored by the science fiction magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories. Heinlein wrote and submitted the story "Life-Line," which went on to win the contest. This guaranteed Heinlein a future in writing. Using his real name and the pen names Caleb Saunders, Anson MacDonald, Lyle Monroe, John Riverside, and Simon York, Heinlein wrote numerous novels including For Us the Living, Methuselah's Children, and Starship Troopers, which was adapted into a big-budget film for Tri-Star Pictures in 1997. The Science Fiction Writers of America named Heinlein its first Grand Master in 1974, presented 1975. Officers and past presidents of the Association select a living writer for lifetime achievement. Also, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted Heinlein in 1998. Heinlein died in 1988 from emphysema and other related health problems. Heinlein's remains were scattered from the stern of a Navy warship off the coast of California. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: At SunCon, 1977.
Series
Works by Robert A. Heinlein
Infinite Possibilities (Tunnel In the Sky; Time For the Stars; Citizen of the Galaxy) (2002) 196 copies
To The Stars; (4 in 1) Between Planets, The Rolling Stones, Starman Jones, The Star Beast (2004) 168 copies
Chroniken der Zukunft II. Revolte auf Luna / Die dunklen Wüsten des Titan / Das letzte Sternenschiff. (1984) 16 copies
Histoire du futur, Tome 4 : Les enfants de Mathusalem suivi de Les orphelins du ciel (2005) 12 copies
The Future Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein: The Star Beast; Tunnel in the Sky; The Rolling Stones; Rocket Ship Galileo… (1978) 9 copies
Common Sense [short fiction] 7 copies
Robert A. Heinlein 5 Book Box Set Including: Revolt in 2100 the Man Who Sold the Moon, Menace From Earth Double Star,… (1956) 7 copies
This I Believe 6 copies
Robert Heinlein presenta Tropas del espacio ; Robert Heinlein presenta Las 100 vidas de Lazarus Long (1987) 5 copies
Himmelstorm : noveller av James Blish, Robert A. Heinlein og A. E. van Vogt ; presentert av Jon Bing og Tor ¿ge… (1974) — Author — 5 copies
Science Fiction Omnibus Bruna (1969) 5 copies
Historia del futuro (Vol. I) 5 copies
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (UNCLE) Magazine January 1967 "The Light-Kill Affair" Robert A. Heinlein Story (1966) 5 copies
Science fiction verhalen 2 4 copies
Science fiction omnibus 2 4 copies
Obras estelares de la ciencia ficcion: Tropas del espacio; Las 100 vidas de Lazarus Long (1987) 4 copies
The Good News of High Frontier 4 copies
O gato que atravessa as paredes - 2 4 copies
Infanteria stelar♯ 3 copies
Friday, part 1 of 3 3 copies
Short Stories by Robert A. Heinlein (Study Guide): -all You Zombies-, by His Bootstraps, -we Also Walk Dogs, the Roads… (2010) 3 copies
The Heinlein Letters: Vol. II 3 copies
Dance Session {poem} 3 copies
The Heinlein Letters: Vol. III 3 copies
New Worlds To Conquer 3 copies
No Bands Playing, No Flags Flying-- 3 copies
La storia futura - Volume 4 3 copies
Short Story Collections by Robert A. Heinlein: The Green Hills of Earth, the Man Who Sold the Moon, Revolt in 2100, the… (2010) 3 copies
Friday, part 3 of 3 3 copies
"Beyond Doubt" 3 copies
Science Fiction Omnibus 3 copies
Friday, part 2 of 3 3 copies
How to Be A Survivor 3 copies
HEIL! (short story) 3 copies
O número do monstro 3 copies
O Mundo Que Nos Espera - 1 2 copies
O número do monstro - 1 2 copies
O mundo que nos espera - II 2 copies
Obras estelares de la ciencia ficcion: Lo mejor de S. G. Weinbaum; La bestia estelar (Serie Andromeda) (1987) 2 copies
O Mundo que Nos Espera 2 2 copies
To The Stars, (4 in 1) the City of the Lost Ones; Forgotten World; the Time Gate; the Sun Maker (2004) 2 copies
A história do futuro 2 copies
Rotostrada N. 20 (e altri racconti) 2 copies
O número do monstro - 3 2 copies
2000x: By His Bootstraps 2 copies
Rocket Ship Galileo [short story] 2 copies
O Gato que Atravessa as Paredes - 1 2 copies
Non temerò alcun male 2 copies
Last Days of the United States 2 copies
The Future Revisited 2 copies
First Step Outward 2 copies
A Reader's Companion 2 copies
La Luna è una severa maestra - Parte prima — Author — 2 copies
אל המאה העשרים ואחת 1 copy
" Fantasticheskie romany". 1 copy
Кот, проходящий сквозь стены 1 copy
sf omnibus 1 copy
Kot, który przenika ściany 1 copy
Science Fiction verhalen 2 1 copy
Dubler 1 copy
Science Fiction verhalen 2 1 copy
история будущего 1 copy
Дети Мафусаила 1 copy
Historia del futuro (Vol. I) 1 copy
Stea dublă 1 copy
Science Fiction verhalen 2 1 copy
Tropas de espacio 1 copy
Starship Soldiers (Starship Troopers) in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October and November 1959. (1959) 1 copy
O Mundo Que Nos Espera/1 1 copy
Sexta Coluna 1 copy
Science fiction verhalen 1 copy
Science Fiction verhalen 2 1 copy
Great Radio Science Fiction 1 copy
A ameaça da terra 1 copy
Science Fiction verhalen 2 1 copy
Tunnel Through Earth 1 copy
Science Fiction verhalen 2 1 copy
The Green Hills of Earth 1 copy
La Luna è una severa maestra - Parte seconda — Author — 1 copy
1967 1 copy
Horizontes futuros 1 copy
Tʻan hsing shih tai 1 copy
Por sus propios medios 1 copy
Revolta na Lua - Vol 1 1 copy
The Science Fiction Novel 1 copy
O número do monstro - 2 1 copy
Revolta na lua - II 1 copy
??? travel book ?? from LC 1 copy
Lazarus Long books 1 copy
Interview mit Heinlein 1 copy
The l-5 Society 1 copy
Heinlein, 6 Volumes,Between Planets,Expanded Universe,The Star Beast,Time For The Stars,Grumbles from the Grave,Have… (1968) 1 copy
Pie From The Sky 1 copy
test 2 1 copy
Oltre l'orizzonte 1 copy
Revolta na Lua - Vol 2 1 copy
GUERRA NELL'INFINITO 1 copy
Starship Troopers 1 copy
Orphans of the Sky 1 copy
Double Star 1 copy
LA VIA DELLE STELLE. 1 copy
Todos ustedes, zombies 1 copy
Fanteria nello spazio 1 copy
Gerações do Amanhã 1 copy
Estrada da glória 1 copy
A história do futuro 1 copy
℗A ℗porta para o vera o 1 copy
Kip überlebt auf Pluto 1 copy
Science Fiction Omnibus 1967 1 copy
Revolta na Lua 1 1 copy
Revolta na Lua 2 1 copy
Entre Panetas 1 copy
O Número do Mosntro - 2 1 copy
A História do Futuro - I 1 copy
A História do Futuro - II 1 copy
A História do Futuro - III 1 copy
L'enfant de la science 1 copy
Nueva dimensión / Extra 12 1 copy
Pebble in the Sky 1 copy
Associated Works
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time (1970) — Contributor — 1,874 copies
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2006) — Contributor — 1,092 copies
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two A: The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time (1973) — Contributor — 914 copies
Adventures in Time and Space (1946) — Contributor, some editions; Contributor, some editions — 549 copies
Analog Anthology #1: Fifty Years of the Best Science Fiction From Analog (1980) — Contributor — 107 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCII, No. 2 (October 1973) (1973) — Contributor — 22 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCII, No. 5 (January 1974) (1974) — Contributor — 21 copies
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. LXXVIII, No. 4 (December 1966) (1966) — Contributor — 17 copies
Fremde aus dem All. Lübbes Auswahlband. Science Fiction-Geschichten. (1982) — Contributor, some editions — 14 copies
Science fiction verhalen [1969] — Contributor, some editions — 13 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction August 1958, Vol. 15, No. 2 (1958) — Contributor — 8 copies
Science fiction omnibus 5 copies
Amazing Stories Vol. 27, No. 4 [April-May 1953] — Author — 4 copies
Den ¤elektriske myre og andre science fiction-fortællinger (1984) — Author, some editions — 2 copies
Historier fra andre verdener — Contributor — 2 copies
Avontuur in ruimte & tijd nummer 1 — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Heinlein, Robert Anson
- Other names
- Heinlein, R. A.
MacDonald, Anson
Monroe, Lyle
Riverside, John
Saunders, Caleb
York, Simon - Birthdate
- 1907-07-07
- Date of death
- 1988-05-08
- Burial location
- Cremated (Ashes spread in the Pacific)
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Butler, Missouri, USA
- Place of death
- Carmel, California, USA
- Cause of death
- Emphysema
- Places of residence
- Butler, Missouri, USA
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Bonny Doon, California, USA
Carmel, California, USA
Colorado, USA - Education
- United States Naval Academy (B.Eng.|1929)
- Occupations
- novelist
short story writer
essayist
screenwriter
naval officer
aeronautical engineer - Relationships
- Heinlein, Virginia (wife)
- Organizations
- United States Navy
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - Awards and honors
- SFWA Grand Master (1974)
SF Hall Of Fame (Posthumous Inductee ∙ 1998)
Hugo Award 1956, 1960, 1962 - Short biography
- Robert Anson Heinlein was born in July 1907, in Missouri. A military career was ended by tuberculosis in 1934. After a brief attempt at politics, he became a hugely prolific science fiction author, writing novels and short stories until his death in 1988.Robert Anson Heinlein July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science-fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and retired Naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters that were strong and independent, yet often stereotypically feminine – such as Friday.
A writer also of numerous science-fiction short stories, Heinlein was one of a group of writers who came to prominence under the editorship (1937–1971) of John W. Campbell at Astounding Science Fiction magazine, though Heinlein denied that Campbell influenced his writing to any great degree.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas, and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon. In the first chapter of the novel Space Cadet he anticipated the cell phone, 35 years before Motorola invented the technology. Several of Heinlein's works have been adapted for film and television.
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Discussions
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Statistics
- Works
- 404
- Also by
- 171
- Members
- 160,035
- Popularity
- #36
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 2,246
- ISBNs
- 1,941
- Languages
- 30
- Favorited
- 719
1. Actual story of the war, which is a bit in the background.
2. First-person experience of the hardships of army training and the following army life.
3. Critiquing the weaknesses of our current democratic systems and showing how military-based democracy would fix them.
The story is just a background, but it works. The alien enemies add a bit more spice to the war story and the way humans have to strategize to defeat them.
The personal story we follow was very interesting. The harsh conditions make the MC think a lot about his life, both present and past. Despite dealing with some more heavy themes, this book has quite a bit of humor. The MC also happens to be in a position to see the training from the POV of the sergeants.
While the author has some very different views, he still made me think about some problems even if I didn't agree with the solutions. This part of the book wasn't so prevalent that it would hamper my enjoyment.… (more)