About
William Olaf Stapledon, born 10 May 1886 in Seacombe (Wirral, Cheshire) and died 6 September 1950 in Caldy, was a British writer and philosopher. After a PhD in philosophy from the University of Liverpool (1925), he taught in adult education. His first novel, Last and First Men (1930), a future history of humanity spanning two billion years, made him famous. It was followed by Star Maker (1937), which described Dyson spheres avant la lettre, and Odd John (1935). A pacifist, he drove an ambulance during World War I and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. His work influenced Arthur C. Clarke, Stanisław Lem, and C.S. Lewis.
* 1886-05-10 — † 1950-09-06
Major works
- Last and First Men (1930)novel
- Last Men in London (1932)novel
- Odd John (1935)novel
- Star Maker (1937)novel
- Sirius (1944)novel
Key milestones
- 1925Earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Liverpool.
- 1915-1919Served as a pacifist ambulance driver in the Friends' Ambulance Unit during World War I.
- 2014Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Themes
future of humanityevolutioncosmologyphilosophyscience fiction
Sources: britannica.com · liverpool.ac.uk · id.loc.gov