Harry Harrison

Harrison worked between 1924 and 2012 across writer, novelist, Esperantist, science fiction writer and prose writer and 4 further recorded occupations. The registers place that work in science fiction. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Harry Harrison • Born — 12 March 1925 • Birthplace — Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. • Birth Name — Henry Maxwell Dempsey • Died — 15 August 2012 • Place of death — Brighton, England • Occupation — Writer, illustrator • Period — 1951–2010 • Genre — Science fiction, satire • Spouse — Evelyn Harrison (div. 1951) Joan Merkler Harrison (1954–2002, her death) • Children — 2 • Awards — Inkpot Award (2004) • Website — harryharrison.com

• Illustration — Harrison's novelette "Down to Earth" took the cover of the November 1963 issue of Amazing Stories. Before becoming an editor and writer, Harrison started in the science fiction field as an illustrator, notably with EC Comics' two science fiction comic book series, Weird Fantasy and Weird Science. In these and other comic book stories, he most often worked with Wally Wood. Wood usually inked over Harrison's layouts, and the two freelanced for several publishers and genres, including westerns and horror comics. He and Wood split up their partnership in 1950 and went their separate ways. Harrison used house pen names such as Wade Kaempfert and Philip St. John to edit magazines and published other fiction under the pen names Felix Boyd and Hank Dempsey (see Personal Life below). Harrison ghostwrote Vendetta for the Saint, one of the long-running series of novels featuring Leslie Charteris' character The Saint. Harrison also wrote for syndicated comic stripsincluding ghostwriting The Saint comic strip from 1955 to 1960, and wrote several stories for the character Rick Random. His first short story, "Rock Diver", was published in the February 1951 issue of Worlds Beyond, edited by Damon Knight; the magazine had previously published his illustrations. While in New York, he socialized at the Hydra Club, an organization of New York's science fiction writers, including Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, James Blish, Anthony Boucher, Avram Davidson, Judith Merril, and Theodore Sturgeon. Harrison has become much better known for his later writing, particularly for his humorous and satirical science fiction, such as the Stainless Steel Rat series and his novel Bill, the Galactic Hero —which parodied the works of Isaac Asimov. Priest wrote: Adi Robertson agreed: "His books toed the line between science fiction adventure, humor, and satire, often with a strong anti-military bent informed by his time in the U.S. Army Air Forces." During the 1950s and 1960s, he was the main writer of the Flash Gordon newspaper strip. One of his Flash Gordon scripts was serialized in Comics Revue magazine. Harrison drew sketches to help the artist be more scientifically accurate, which the artist largely ignored. Not all of Harrison's writing was comic. He wrote many stories on serious themes, of which by far the best known is the novel about overpopulation and consumption of the world's resources, Make Room! Make Room! (1966), which was used as a basis for the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green (though the film changed aspects of the plot). For a time Harrison was closely associated with Brian Aldiss. They collaborated on a series of anthology projects and did much in the 1970s to raise the standards of criticism in the field, including institution of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Priest wrote, "In 1965 Harrison and Aldiss published the first issue (of two) of the world's first serious journal of SF criticism, SF Horizons. Together they edited many anthologies of short stories, each one illustrating the major themes of SF, and although not intended as critical apparatus the books were a way of delineating the unique material of the fantastic. As committed internationalists, the two men created World SF, an organisation of professionals intended to encourage and enhance the writing of non-anglophone SF." In particular, the two edited nine volumes of The Year's Best Science Fiction anthology series as well as three volumes of the Decade series, collecting science fiction of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s respectively. In 1971, he and Brian Aldiss became honorary co-presidents of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group, the UK's longest-established regional sf society. In 1990, Harrison was the professional Guest of Honor at ConFiction, the 48th World SF Convention, in The Hague, Netherlands, together with Joe Haldeman and Wolfgang Jeschke. Harrison did not win a major genre award for any specific work of fiction. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Harrison in 2004 and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named him its 26th SFWA Grand Master in 2008 (presentation of the Damon Knight Award following in 2009). He became a cult hero in Russia, where he won the 2008 Golden Roscon award for lifetime achievement in science fiction.

Harrison was born March 12, 1925, as Henry Maxwell Dempsey in Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Henry Leo Dempsey, a printer who was three-fourths of Irish descent, changed his name to Harrison soon after Harry was born. Harry did not know this himself until he was 30 years old, at which point he changed his name to Harry Max Harrison in court. His mother, Ria, née Kirjassoff, was Russian Jewish. She had been born in Riga, Latvia, and grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her brother, Max David Kirjassoff (1888–1923), had been an American consul in Japan, but he died along with his wife Alice during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. After finishing Forest Hills High School in 1943, Harrison was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II as a gunsight technician and as a gunnery instructor. Priest adds that he became a sharpshooter, a military policeman, and a specialist in the prototypes of computer-aided bomb-sights and gun turrets. "But overall the army experience vested in him a hatred of the military that was to serve him well as a writer later on." In 1946, he enrolled in Hunter College in New York City and later ran a studio selling illustrations to comics and science fiction magazines.

Harrison married Evelyn Harrison, whom he included in a cartoon he drew of the Hydra Club in 1950. They divorced in 1951, and Evelyn married the science fiction writer Lester del Rey shortly afterwards. Harrison married Joan Merkler Harrison in 1954. Their marriage lasted until her death of cancer in 2002. They had two children, Todd (born in 1955, died in November, 2025) and Moira (born in 1959), to whom he dedicated his novel Make Room! Make Room!

In his middle years, Harrison became an advocate of Esperanto, saying he could "write and speak it with an automatic ease I have never been able to capture in any language other than my native English"; he learned it, according to Christopher Priest, out of boredom during military service. The language often appears in his novels, particularly in his Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld series. He was the honorary president of the Esperanto Association of Ireland, where he had moved in the 1970s, living with his family in a home he built in the Vale of Avoca in County Wicklow. He also held memberships in other Esperanto organizations such as Esperanto-USA (formerly the "Esperanto League for North America"), of which he was an honorary member, and the Universala Esperanto-Asocio (World Esperanto Association), of whose Honorary Patrons' Committee he was a member.

Harrison resided in many parts of the world including Mexico, England, Italy, Denmark, and Ireland. Priest writes that Harrison made many household moves abroad: After many years of moving around and raising children, he spent most of his later years residing in Ireland. Because Harrison had an Irish grandparent, he was able to assume citizenship, and by taking advantage of the Irish tax exemption for artists, he enjoyed tax-free status. Harrison also kept an apartment in London for many years, and later in Brighton, these being used for his frequent visits to England, and when Joan died in 2002, his British home became permanent. Harrison's official website, launched at the Irish national convention a few years earlier, announced his death on August 15, 2012, at his apartment in Brighton, England. On learning of his death on August 15, 2012, Harlan Ellison said, "It's a day without stars in it."

• Year — Title — Author Credit — Series — Notes • 1960 — Deathworld — Harry Harrison — Deathworld No.1 — First published as an illustrated serial in the British children's comic "The Eagle" • 1961 — The Stainless Steel Rat — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.4 — Later adapted as a comic strip for 2000 AD. • 1962 — Planet of the Damned — Harry Harrison — Brion Brandd — Variant title: Sense of Obligation (1967); serialized under this variant title in 1961. • 1964 — Vendetta for the Saint — Leslie Charteris — Ghostwritten by Harrison, credited to Leslie Charteris, and based upon Charteris's mystery series The Saint. • 1964 — Deathworld 2 — Harry Harrison — Deathworld No.2 — Originally serialised as The Ethical Engineer • 1965 — Plague from Space — Harry Harrison — Expanded and reissued as The Jupiter Plague (1982) • 1965 — Bill, the Galactic Hero — Harry Harrison — Bill, the Galactic Hero • 1966 — Make Room! Make Room! — Harry Harrison — Basis for the 1973 science fiction movie Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston • 1967 — The Technicolor Time Machine — Harry Harrison • 1968 — Deathworld 3 — Harry Harrison — Deathworld No.3 — Originally serialised in 1968 as The Horse Barbarians • 1969 — Captive Universe — Harry Harrison • 1970 — The Daleth Effect — Harry Harrison — Variant title: In Our Hands, the Stars, 1970. Serialised 1969-70 under this variant title. • 1970 — The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.5 • 1970 — Spaceship Medic — Harry Harrison • 1972 — Tunnel Through the Deeps — Harry Harrison — Variant title: A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! • 1972 — Montezuma's Revenge — Harry Harrison — Tony Hawkin • 1972 — The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.6 — Later adapted as a comic strip for 2000 AD. • 1972 — Stonehenge — Harry Harrison and Leon Stover — This version was heavily cut from the manuscript; 1983 edition, titled Stonehenge: Where Atlantis Died, restores the full original text. • 1973 — Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers — Harry Harrison • 1974 — Queen Victoria's Revenge — Harry Harrison — Tony Hawkin • 1975 — The California Iceberg — Harry Harrison • 1976 — Skyfall — Harry Harrison • 1977 — The Lifeship — Harry Harrison and Gordon R. Dickson — Variant title: Lifeboat • 1978 — The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.7 • 1980 — The QE2 Is Missing (aka The QEII Is Missing) — Harry Harrison — Non-science fiction. A political thriller about South American politics, Nazis and arms dealers set on a cruise ship. • 1980 — Homeworld — Harry Harrison — To the Stars No.1 • 1981 — Wheelworld — Harry Harrison — To the Stars No.2 • 1981 — Starworld — Harry Harrison — To the Stars No.3 • 1981 — Planet of No Return — Harry Harrison — Brion Brandd • 1982 — Invasion: Earth — Harry Harrison • 1982 — The Stainless Steel Rat for President — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.8 — Later adapted as a comic strip for 2000 AD. • 1983 — A Rebel In Time — Harry Harrison • 1984 — West of Eden — Harry Harrison — Eden No.1 • 1985 — A Stainless Steel Rat is Born — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.1 • 1986 — Winter in Eden — Harry Harrison — Eden No.2 • 1987 — The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.2 • 1988 — Return to Eden — Harry Harrison — Eden No.3 • 1989 — Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Robot Slaves — Harry Harrison — Bill, the Galactic Hero • 1990 — Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Bottled Brains — Harry Harrison and Robert Sheckley — Bill, the Galactic Hero • 1991 — Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure — Harry Harrison and David Bischoff — Bill, the Galactic Hero • 1991 — Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Zombie Vampires — Harry Harrison and Jack C. Haldeman II — Bill, the Galactic Hero • 1991 — Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Ten Thousand Bars — Harry Harrison and David Bischoff — Bill, the Galactic Hero — Variant title: Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of Hippies from Hell • 1991 — Bill, the Galactic Hero: The Final Incoherent Adventure — Harry Harrison and David Harris — Bill, the Galactic Hero • 1992 — The Turing Option — Harry Harrison and Marvin Minsky • 1993 — The Hammer and the Cross — Harry Harrison and John Holm — The Hammer and the Cross — "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey. • 1994 — The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.3 • 1994 — One King's Way — Harry Harrison and John Holm — The Hammer and the Cross — "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey. • 1995 — Warriors of the Way — Harry Harrison and John Holm — The Hammer and the Cross — Omnibus edition the first two novels. "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey. • 1996 — The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.9 • 1997 — King and Emperor — Harry Harrison and John Holm — The Hammer and the Cross — "John Holm" is a pseudonym of Tom Shippey. • 1998 — Stars and Stripes Forever — Harry Harrison — Stars and Stripes No.1 • 1998 — Return to Deathworld — Harry Harrison and Ant Skalandis — Deathworld — Only published in Russian, Lithuanian, Polish and Czech. • 1998 — Deathworld vs. Filibusters — Harry Harrison and Ant Skalandis — Deathworld — Only published in Russian, Lithuanian, Polish and Czech. • 1999 — The Creatures from Hell — Harry Harrison and Ant Skalandis — Deathworld — Only published in Russian, Lithuanian and Polish. • 1999 — The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.10 • 2000 — Stars and Stripes in Peril — Harry Harrison — Stars and Stripes No.2 • 2001 — Deathworld 7 — Harry Harrison and Mikhail Ahmanov — Deathworld — Only published in Russian and Lithuanian. • 2002 — Stars and Stripes Triumphant — Harry Harrison — Stars and Stripes No.3 • 2010 — The Stainless Steel Rat Returns — Harry Harrison — The Stainless Steel Rat No.11

• The Man from P.I.G. and The Man from R.O.B.O.T. (1974): These two linked novellas, featuring interstellar intelligence agents, were comedy-drama take-offs on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The first tells of an agent of the Porcine Interstellar Guard, who performs his missions with the help of several pigs. The second tells of Henry Venn, an agent for "Robot Obtrusion Battalion—Omega Three", who poses as an interplanetary robot salesman while searching for a missing Galactic Census official on a planet populated by paranoid colonists. They were originally published as novelettes in Analog in July 1967 and July 1969. • Planet Story (1978), novella, published as a large format book with colour illustrations by Jim Burns

• The Deathworld Trilogy (1974): Omnibus of Deathworld, Deathworld 2 & Deathworld 3) (vt. The Deathworld Omnibus, 1999) (the BenBella [2005] edition adds the short story `The Mothballed Spaceship' from Astounding: The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973)) • The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat (1978) - omnibus collection of The Stainless Steel Rat, The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge and The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World • To the Stars (1991) - omnibus collection of the three "To The Stars" novels • Warriors of the Way (1995), with "John Holm", a pseudonym of Tom Shippey: Omnibus of The Hammer and the Cross and One King's Way • A Stainless Steel Trio (2002) - omnibus collection of A Stainless Steel Rat is Born, The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted and The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues

• Rick Random with artist Ron Turner (trade paperback: October 2008) • The Saint (1955-1960) • Flash Gordon (1958–1964), reprinted in Comics Revue. • The Stainless Steel Rat (1979–1985) was adapted into a comic strip in the magazine 2000 AD by Kelvin Gosnell, with artist Carlos Ezquerra (trade paperback: July 2010) • Harry Harrison's Bill, The Galactic Hero Comics; 3 issues

• You Can Be the Stainless Steel Rat: An Interactive Game Book 1988 - choose your own adventure-style interactive novel • Short story: The Return of the Stainless Steel Rat 1981 - published in Ares Magazine #10 by Simulations Publications Incorporated. The magazine issue included a solitaire paragraph game designed by Greg Costikyan

• John W. Campbell: Collected Editorials from Analog (1966) • Nebula Award Stories Two (1967) (with Brian Aldiss) (vt, Nebula Award Stories 1967) • Apeman, Spaceman (1968) (with Leon Stover) • Best SF: 1967 (1968) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction) (with Brian Aldiss) • Farewell, Fantastic Venus (1968) (abr as vt, All About Venus, 1968) • SF: Author's Choice (1968) (vt, A Backdrop of Stars) • Best SF: 1968 (1969) (rev vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 2) (with Brian Aldiss) • Blast Off: SF for Boys (1969) • Four for the Future (1969) • Worlds of Wonder (1969) • Best SF: 1969 (1970) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 3) (with Brian Aldiss) • Nova 1 (1970) (rev edition 1976, UK hc) • SF: Author's Choice 2 (1970) • The Year 2000 (1970) • Best SF: 1970 (1971) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 4) (with Brian Aldiss) • The Light Fantastic (1971) • SF: Author's Choice 3 (1971) • The Astounding-Analog Reader, Volume One (1972) (with Brian Aldiss) (later split into two paperbacks: The Astounding-Analog Reader, Book 1 & The Astounding-Analog Reader, Book 2) • Ahead of Time (1972) • Best SF: 1971 (1972) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 5) (with Brian Aldiss) • Nova 2 (1972) • The Astounding-Analog Reader, Volume Two (1973) (with Brian Aldiss) (only one edition; NOT the same book as The Astounding-Analog Reader, Book 2 above) • Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973) (vt, The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology) • Best SF: 1972 (1973) (vt, The Year's Best S.F. 1972) (with Brian Aldiss) • Nova 3 (1973) (vt, The Outdated Man) • A Science Fiction Reader (1973) (with Carol Pugner) • Best SF: 1973 (1974) (abr vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 7) (with Brian Aldiss) • Nova 4 (1974) • SF: Author's Choice 4 (1974) • Best SF: 1974 (1975) (abr vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 8) (with Brian Aldiss) • Decade: The 1940s (1975) (with Brian Aldiss) • Hell's Cartographers: Some Personal Histories of Science Fiction Writers (1975) (with Brian Aldiss) (memoirs by SF writers) • Science Fiction Novellas (1975) (with Willis E. McNelly) • Best SF: 1975, The Ninth Annual (1976) (vt, The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 9) (with Brian Aldiss) • Decade: The 1950s (1976) (with Brian Aldiss) • Decade: The 1960s (1977) (with Brian Aldiss) • There Won't Be War (1991) (with Bruce McAllister)

Harry Harrison was recorded at birth as Henry Maxwell Dempsey. The authorities additionally record the headings Harry Max Harrison, Harry Maxwell Harrison, Felix Boyd, Hank Dempsey and Wade Kaempfert. His recorded languages were Esperanto and English. His recorded confession was atheism. He married Evelyn Harrison and Joan Merkler Harrison.

Harry Harrison is recorded with the occupation writer. Recorded as writer, novelist, Esperantist and science fiction writer. Established in Library of Congress under n79070047. Established in Discogs under 2003938. Established in FAST under 1798391. Recognition and collections. Harrison received Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award, Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, Inkpot Award and Locus Award for Best Original Anthology.