Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein, a visionary sci-fi writer, combined adventure with thought-provoking social commentary, pioneering the genre with classics such as Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers.

From 1939 to 1942, Heinlein published almost 30 stories and three novels. Heinlein's pre-eminence from 1940 to 1960, and continuing influence, thereafter, was both earned and unassailable. Beginning with Rocket Ship Galileo (1947), he not only created a series of books that rank among the very best juvenile science fiction ever written, but simultaneously crafted a series of award-winners for adults, among them Starship Troopers (1959), Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966).

Heinlein was Guest of Honor at three World Science Fiction Conventions, and in 1975 received the first Grand Master Nebula award. Alongside Isaac Asimov and Sir Arthur C. Clarke, he is regarded as one of the "Big Three" science fiction authors of the 20th century. His works remain constantly in print, and he has been repeatedly voted “best all-time author” in science fiction readers' polls.