8th+grade+-+Golden+Age+of+SF+-+Fritz+Leiber

Alyssa Zanone 
 * __Fritz Leiber Jr.__**

Fritz Leiber. This multitalented Chicago native is most remembered for his work in horror, SciFi, and Fantasy stories. In his lifetime, he has published more than 90 stories, including more than a dozen novels. He has won 8 Hugo awards, 4 Nebula awards, and many others. Several of his stories were turned into motion pictures, and he even spent some of his life as a minister, an actor, and as editor of a science fiction magazine (Science Digest) while writing a string of successful novels.

Fritz Leiber Jr. was born to Fritz Leiber and Virginia nee’ Bronson Leiber on Chicago, Illinois on December 24, 1910. He was the couple’s only child and enjoyed a somewhat luxurious life. The Leibers’ owned a Shakespearian play house in which Fritz was enthralled with from an early age. As an infant he was featured in plays such as Hamlet and No Great Magic. At the age of 23, Leiber began professionally acting in Shakespearian plays. Although he greatly enjoyed the endeavor, the profession didn’t last long. After appearing in silent motion pictures, Leiber decided to quit the business, and pursue other interests. He spent a brief period instructing young actors, and working as a book editor and publisher in the early 1940’s. Leiber also worked in Santa Monica in an Air Craft Company, and was the Chief Editor of the Science Digest Magazine before he began his career as a full time writer.

In 1943, Leiber published his first novel called (first Unknown) later Conjure Wife, which was the horror story of a man who discovers recent, spooky town happenings can be linked to his wife. David Pringle described Leiber’s work (i.e. Conjure Wife) as “traditional backcloths of Gothic horror tales”. At times, remarked Pringle, Leibers’ writing could be both “frightening and at the same time amusing”. Also, issues that were at the time considered everyday occurances, or ordinary are now reflected on as strong predjudices. Pringle also pointed out that “one is much more aware nowadays of the sexism and racism implicit in the whole basis of the narrative”, and that although Leiber may not have been “rascist”, his writing did not support this idea. The peak of his career as an author occurred in the late 1950's and early 60's.

Leiber went on to write 11 more novels, and completely publish 97 pieces for which he won 8 Hugo, 4 Nebula and many other awards. After the death of his wife of the 30+ years, Lieber moved to San Francisco, where he was overcome by grief and alchoholism and later wrote Our Lady of Darkness, which was deemed more an autobiographical work than a piece of Science Fiction. Though he reached the peek of his career in the early 1960's, Leiber continued to write Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy stories until his death in 1992.

