September 15, 2020

Norman Spinrad in 2006

Norman Richard Spinrad was born on September 15, 1940 in New York, USA. Norman Spinrad earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the City College of New York in 1961. Subsequently, he did various jobs living in various cities, also in Europe. He accumulated experience in the media field working for radio programs and, after starting writing, occasionally as a screenwriter writing for example an episode of the original “Star Trek” series.

In the literary field, Norman Spinrad made his debut in 1963, but until 1966 he was only a part-time writer. Even when he went full-time, he wasn’t particularly prolific. Since his first novel, “The Solarians” (1966), one can see his tendency not to go for half measures in the development of themes that can be difficult such as sexuality.
In the course of his career, Norman Spinrad has never won the greatest awards in the field of science fiction, probably also due to the controversies that accompanied his works. He’s undoubtedly an author who develops difficult themes in an extreme way. It’s the reason why he’s at the center of controversy but it’s also his main merit.