Alfred Bester

(December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987)

Alfred Bester, an American pro writer, won the first Hugo Award, the 1953 Best Novel Hugo, for The Demolished Man. He lived in New York City for most of his life.

Beginning in 1939, he followed the path of many writers publishing short fiction initially and then moving towards novels beginning in the 1950s when he published his two best-known works, The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination. He received five other Hugo nominations. He was GoH at the 1987 Worldcon, Conspiracy '87, though he was unable to attend due to poor health.

He also wrote for comic books and radio and television.

• Video of interview at MidAmeriCon, 1976.
• Reminiscences by Frederik Pohl from The Way the Future Blogs.

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1953 -- 1953 Best Novel Hugo
• 1978 -- Empiricon 1
• 1980 -- Norwescon III
• 1987 -- SFWA Grand Master Award
• 1996 -- Readercon 8 (Memorial Guest)
• 2001 -- Science Fiction Hall of Fame (posthumous)
• 2024 -- First Fandom Hall of Fame (posthumous)

The Demolished Man

A classic SF novel by Bester about a man who sets out to commit murder in a future with telepathy. First published in the January 1952 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction, it won the 1953 Best Novel Hugo, the first ever awarded. This is probably Bester's best (and best-known) work.

One amusing aspect of the book was the use of punctuation and other symbols in names, which became quite popular in fandom. See Demolishisms.

The “Tensor” jingle from the novel is a useful means of banishing earworms.

Eight, sir; seven, sir;
Six, sir; five, sir;
Four, sir; three, sir;
Two, sir; one!
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tension, apprehension,
And dissension have begun.

Awards and Honors

• 1953 -- 1953 Best Novel Hugo

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Person

1913—1987

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