Robert Heinlein American writer, one of the greatest science fiction writers Date of Birth: 21.10.1907 Country: USA

1. Biography of Robert Heinlein
2. Education and Military Career
3. Marriages and Political Career
4. Writing Career and Personal Life

Biography of Robert Heinlein

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American writer and one of the greatest science fiction authors. He was known as the "dean of science fiction writers" and was the only recipient of the Hugo Award for five novels. The famous film "Starship Troopers" was based on his novel of the same name. Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907, in Butler, Missouri. He had three brothers and three sisters. He spent his childhood in Kansas City, where his father, Rex Ivar Heinlein, worked for the Midland Agricultural Machinery Company. His love for reading and the exact sciences was instilled in him by his grandfather, Dr. Alva Lyle, whom he visited every summer in Butler. Kansas City, as known, belongs to the region called the "Bible Belt," where evangelical Protestantism is widespread. This influenced Heinlein's upbringing, and his high moral principles remained with him throughout his life.

Education and Military Career

In 1920, Robert began studying at Central High School in Kansas City. He developed a serious interest in astronomy and read all available literature on the subject. He was also impressed by Darwin's theory, which influenced his creativity. After completing his secondary education, Heinlein wanted to follow in his brother Rex's footsteps and enroll in the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. However, this turned out to be a difficult task, so while Heinlein collected documents and recommendation letters, he studied at the University of Missouri. In 1925, he was accepted as a cadet at the Naval Academy. In 1929, after completing his studies, Robert was assigned to the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, where he was responsible for radio communication with aircraft. By the end of 1933, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. During his treatment, Heinlein invented a waterbed but did not patent the invention. In August 1934, due to his poor health, he had to say goodbye to the service and was given a small pension.

Marriages and Political Career

On June 21, 1929, Robert married Elinor Curry, whom he had known since school. However, their married life was not successful from the very beginning. Due to his military duties, Heinlein had to spend a lot of time away from home, which angered Elinor, who did not want to follow him. Eventually, she filed for divorce in October 1930. Two years later, on March 28, 1932, Heinlein married Leslyn MacDonald, a passionate liberal. This marriage lasted for 15 years. When his career as a naval officer came to an end, Heinlein, with his broad political views, tried to enter the circles of the powerful, including running for the California State Legislature. Failures in the political arena and a mortgage forced Robert to seek additional sources of income.

Writing Career and Personal Life

In April 1939, Heinlein wrote a decent short story called "Life-Line," which was published in the magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" in just four days. From that moment on, Heinlein earned almost all of his money through writing. By 1941, he was already a distinguished guest at Worldcon-41, the World Science Fiction Convention. He collaborated with Isaac Asimov during their time working at a Naval Research Laboratory, where he met and fell in love with biochemist and engineer Virginia Gerstenfeld. After divorcing MacDonald, who had a serious alcohol problem, Heinlein married Gerstenfeld in 1947, and she remained his faithful companion until his death. With his third wife, Robert embarked on his first round-the-world trip in 1953-1954. Heinlein wrote short stories, but he never forgot about the major literary form. In his writing career, his novels for young adults stood out. However, over time, he grew tired of being called the "leading author of children's books" and began publishing books that significantly expanded the understanding of science fiction genre starting from 1961. The peak of his career is considered to be the novel "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress." In 1983, Robert visited Antarctica and thus traveled to all six continents. He passed away on May 8, 1988, while working on the beginning of a novel from the "World as Myth" series.