Peter Nicholls (writer)
Peter Nicholls | |
---|---|
Born | Peter Douglas Nicholls 8 March 1939 Melbourne,Victoria,Australia |
Died | 6 March 2018 Melbourne, Victoria | (aged 78)
Occupation | Literary scholar, critic, writer |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Children | Sophie Cunningham[1] |
Peter Douglas Nicholls(8 March 1939 – 6 March 2018)[2]was an Australian literary scholar and critic. He was the creator and a co-editor ofThe Encyclopedia of Science FictionwithJohn Clute.[3]
Early career
[edit]Born in Australia's state of Victoria inMelbourne,he spent two decades from 1968 to 1988 as anexpatriate,first in the USA, and then the UK.[4]
Nicholls' early career was as a literary academic, originally with theUniversity of Melbourne.He first travelled to the USA in 1968 with aHarkness Fellowshipin movie making, and has scripted television documentaries.[3]His significant contributions toscience fictionscholarship and criticism began during 1971, when he became the first Administrator of theScience Fiction Foundation(UK), a title he had until 1977.[4]He was editor of its journal,Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction,from 1974 to 1978.[4]
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
[edit]During 1979, Nicholls editedThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(published in the USA asThe Science Fiction Encyclopedia), withJohn Cluteas associate editor.[5][clarification needed]
Most of its 730,000 words were written by Nicholls, Clute and two contributing editors.[citation needed]It won the 1980Hugo Awardfor the Nonfiction Book category.[6]
A completely revised, updated, and greatly expanded version of theEncyclopedia,co-edited with Clute, was published in 1993, and won the 1994 Hugo for the same category.[4]A further updating of the work, with revisions and corrections, was later issued in CD-ROM format.[4]The third edition, with Clute andDavid Langford,was released online as a beta text in October 2011.[4]
Other work
[edit]Nicholls' other major publications include:Science Fiction At Large(1976; reprinted 1978 with the titleExplorations of the Marvellous), a collection of essays edited by Nicholls from a 1975 symposium;The Science in Science Fiction(1983) edited by Nicholls and written by him withDavid LangfordandBrian Stableford;andFantastic Cinema(1984; published in the USA asThe World of Fantastic Films).[4]Genre Fiction: The Roaring Years(2022) is a posthumous collection of his reviews and essays which he had planned, titled and written an introduction forcirca2012 but was unable to complete.[7]
He won several awards for his scholarship, including theScience Fiction Research Association's Pilgrim Award (1980), anEaton Award(1995) and a Peter McNamara Award (2006).[4]He broadcast movie and book reviews on BBC Radio from 1974 and worked as a publisher's editor 1982–1983.[3]
Nicholls was diagnosed withParkinson's diseaseduring 2000, which gradually curtailed his activities.[3]A movie about his interest and work in science fiction, titledThe What-If Man,was completed in 2004.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Nicholls was the father of five children. His daughter is author and editorSophie Cunningham.[1]He lived in Melbourne with his wife, Clare Coney, where he died on 6 March 2018 at the age of 78.[4]
References
[edit]- ^abAlien Star,1 March 2003
- ^Clément Solym."Mort de Peter Nicholls, éditeur de l'Encyclopédie de la science-fiction".6 March 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^abcdClute, John; Nicholls, Peter."Nicholls, Peter".The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.Retrieved7 March2018.
- ^abcdefghi"Peter Nicholls (1939–2018)".Locus.6 March 2018.Retrieved7 March2018.
- ^The Encyclopedia of Science Fictionedited by Peter Nichols and John Clute,National Library of Australia website. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ^"1980 Hugo Awards".World Science Fiction Society. Archived fromthe originalon 7 May 2011.Retrieved19 April2010.
- ^Genre Fiction: The Roaring Years(2022).Ansible Editions (ae.ansible.uk).
- ^The What If Man(2004)Archived17 November 2016 at theWayback Machine.Ronin Films (roninfilms ).
External links
[edit]- March 2003 interviewby his daughterSophie Cunningham
- Obituary inThe Guardianby his son Jack Nicholls
- The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction,3rd ed.
- Peter Nichollsat theInternet Speculative Fiction Database
- Peter NichollsatLibrary of Congress,with 10 library catalogue records
- 1939 births
- 2018 deaths
- Australian speculative fiction critics
- Australian speculative fiction editors
- Writers from Melbourne
- Hugo Award-winning writers
- Harkness Fellows
- Australian encyclopedists
- Australian non-fiction writers
- Science fiction critics
- Australian literary critics
- Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Australian expatriates in the United States
- Speculative fiction editors