Journey Planet 21
~1953: THE GREATEST YEAR IN SCIENCE FICTION by Brad Lyau~
Before I begin to argue for 1953, permit me to define what I mean by greatest year. I do not mean the most historic or most important year. Anyone familiar with the English-language part of the field would recognize quickly the significance of the years 1516, 1817, 1895, 1926, and 1938. One familiar with the French branch of SF would identify readily the importance of 1752, 1770, 1864, and 1968. I do not think this meaning of “greatest” is what Dr. Garcia intended when suggesting this article. If he did, then all that is needed is a brief historical overview of the history of SF. I speculate that he meant what is the best year, that is, when the greatest amount of excellent works appeared. This is parallel to many film critics selecting 1939 as the greatest year for movies (Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, etc.). So, here is my pitch for the year 1953. First, let’s begin with four classic novels: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon There is no doubt as to the excellence and historical significance of these novels; they are definitely the class of the year, and would be for any year. Then there are other novels which are pretty doggone good and deserve notice. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (which many would place in the first group) Starman Jones by Robert A. Heinlein One by David Karp The Green Millennium by Fritz Leiber Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore (a landmark book for alternate history buffs) 18
