William Olaf Stapledon is best remembered for the extraordinary works of speculative fiction he published between 1930 and 1950. As a novelist, he was known as the spokesman for the Age of Einstein and has influenced writers as diverse as Virginia Woolf, Arthur C. Clarke, and Doris Lessing. This biography is the first to draw on a vast body of unpublished and private documents―interviews, correspondence, archival material, and papers in private hands―to reveal fully the internal struggles that shaped Stapledon's life and reclaim for public attention a distinctive voice of the modern era. Late in his life in an unpublished "letter to the future" Stapledon unwittingly provided the rationale for his biography: "It is just possible that my very obscurity may fit me to speak more faithfully for my period than any of its great unique personalities. A pacifist in World War I, an advocate of European unity and world government, one of the first teachers in the Workers' Educational Association, and an early protestor against apartheid, Stapledon turned utopian beliefs into practical politics. With roots in the shipping worlds of Devon, Liverpool, and the Suez Canal, he was transformed from a self-described provincial on the margins of English literary and political life into a visionary idealist who attracted the attention of scientists, journalists, and novelists, and, given his left-wing political affiliations, even the F.B.I. Stapledon's novels―Last and First Men, Star Maker, Odd John, and Sirius―have gathered a passionate following, and they have seldom been out of print in the last twenty-five years. But the personal experiences and political commitments that shaped this creative work have, until now, barely been known. Robert Crossley's work reveals how, in public and in private, in his social activism as in his fiction, Olaf Stapledon embodied many of the modern era's anxieties and hopes that allow his works to continue to speak to and for the future.

Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future (Utopianism and Communitarianism)

Biographies & Memoirs

CROSSLEY, Robert

Arts & Literature

Syracuse University Press

For centuries, the planet Mars has captivated astronomers and inspired writers of all genres. Whether imagined as the symbol of the bloody god of war, the cradle of an alien species, or a possible new home for human civilization, our closest planetary neighbor has played a central role in how we think about ourselves in the universe. From Galileo to Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert Crossley traces the history of our fascination with the red planet as it has evolved in literature both fictional and scientific. Crossley focuses specifically on the interplay between scientific discovery and literary invention, exploring how writers throughout the ages have tried to assimilate or resist new planetary knowledge. Covering texts from the 1600s to the present, from the obscure to the classic, Crossley shows how writing about Mars has reflected the desires and social controversies of each era. This astute and elegant study is perfect for science fiction fans and readers of popular science.

Imagining Mars: A Literary History (Early Classics Of Science Fiction)

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Wesleyan University Press

We want to live

Religion & Spirituality

Inter-Varsity Fellowship

This is the first critical biography of William Olaf Stapledon, who is best remembered for the extraordinary works of speculative fiction he published between 1930 and 1950. As a novelist, he was known as the spokesman for the Age of Einstein and has influenced writers as diverse as Virginia Woolf, Arthur C. Clarke and Doris Lessing. This book draws on a vast body of unpublished and private documents, interviews, correspondence papers and archival documents, to reveal the internal struggles that shaped Stapledon's life, and reclaim for public attention a distinctive voice of the modem era. A pacifist in World War 1, an advocate of European unity and world government, one of the first teachers in the Workers' Educational Association, and an early protestor against apartheid, Stapledon turned utopian beliefs into practical politics. With roots in the shipping worlds of Devon, Liverpool and the Suez Canal, he was transformed from a self-described provincial on the margins of English literary and political life into a visionary idealist who attracted the attention of scientists, journalists and novelists, and given his left-wing affiliations, even the FBI. Some of Stapledon's novels - "Last and First Men", "Star Maker", "Odd John" and "Sirius" - have gathered a passionate following and they have seldom been out of print in the last 25 years. But the personal experiences and the political commitments that shaped this creative work have until now, barely been known.

Olaf Stapledon: Speaking for the Future (Liverpool Science Fiction Texts and Studies, 1)

Liverpool University Press

The Trinity

INTERVARSITY PRESS *

The Trinity: The Truth About God in an Age of Confusion

Aspire is an exciting new three level upper secondary course packed full of National Geographic content including images and video. With Aspire students will:

Aspire Pre-Intermediate: Discover, Learn, Engage (Aspire: Discover, Learn, Engage)

Reference

HUGHES, JOHN

Dummett, Paul

Naunton, John

Benne, Rebecca Robb

English as a Second Language

National Geographic/(ELT)

Aspire is an exciting new three level upper secondary course packed full of National Geographic content including images and video.  With Aspire students will:

Aspire Intermediate: Discover, Learn, Engage (Aspire: Discover, Learn, Engage)

Aspire is an exciting new three level upper secondary course packed full of National Geographic content including images and video. With Aspire students will:

Aspire Upper-Intermediate: Discover, Learn, Engage (Aspire: Discover, Learn, Engage)

Aspire Upper Intermediate: Teacher's Book with Audio CD

Heinle

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Books by CROSSLEY, Robert