A E Van Vogt

Alfred Elton van Vogt, born in Canada in 1912 and later becoming an American citizen, was a significant figure in the Golden Age of science fiction. He developed a distinctive, fragmented narrative style that influenced many subsequent writers, including Philip K. Dick. Despite a challenging childhood marked by frequent moves, van Vogt found his calling in writing, initially penning "true confession" stories before shifting to science fiction in 1938 after being inspired by Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

His career took off with stories like "Black Destroyer" and "Discord in Scarlet." He married fellow writer Edna Mayne Hull, who assisted with his work. Van Vogt's early career was interrupted by a job with the Canadian Department of National Defence during World War II, but he returned to writing full-time in 1941. He moved to California in 1944, formally changing his name to Alfred Elton van Vogt. In the 1950s, he became involved with L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics, heading its California operation and later running his own center until 1961, a period during which he focused on "fix-ups" – novels compiled from his earlier short stories. Despite this break from new fiction, he remained associated with Dianetics. He received the Science Fiction Writers of America's Grand Master award in 1995.

Born Alfred Vogt in Manitoba, Canada, in 1912, he spent his early years speaking Plautdietsch and experienced frequent family relocations across the Canadian Prairies. This instability profoundly affected him, leading him to describe his childhood as a "terrible period." Financial difficulties following the 1929 stock market crash prevented him from attending college. During the early 1930s, he took a correspondence course in writing and began selling stories, initially in the "true confession" style for magazines like True Story. These early works, often published anonymously, depicted people in dramatic life circumstances. He adopted the middle name "Elton" and later added "van" to his surname, becoming known professionally as A. E. van Vogt.

In 1938, van Vogt shifted his focus to science fiction, a genre he admired. An issue of Astounding Science Fiction magazine proved particularly inspirational. While his first submission, "Vault of the Beast," was rejected with encouragement to continue, his second story, "Black Destroyer," was accepted and published. This story, featuring an alien predator on a spaceship, later influenced films like "Alien." Van Vogt's early science fiction work, including "Discord in Scarlet" and "Far Centaurus," appeared during what is considered the Golden Age of Science Fiction. His first novel, "Slan" (1946), serialized in Astounding, explored themes of superhumans persecuted by ordinary humans, a recurring motif in his writing.

After moving to California in 1944 and formally changing his name, van Vogt became involved with L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics theories in 1950. He briefly led the California Dianetics operation and later ran his own center until 1961. During this decade, he produced no new fiction but instead focused on compiling his previously published short stories into "fix-up" novels. These books, such as "The Voyage of the Space Beagle" (1950) and "The Weapon Shops of Isher" (1951), often involved adding new material to connect existing narratives. While some fix-ups were cohesive, others blended disparate stories, resulting in less coherent plots. Despite closing his Dianetics center, he maintained an association with the organization for many years.

“Childhood was a terrible period for me. I was like a ship without anchor being swept along through darkness in a storm. Again and again I sought shelter, only to be forced out of it by something new.”