Henry Kuttner

Henry Kuttner (April 7 1915 - February 4 1958) was a science fiction author born in Los Angeles, California. As a young man he worked for a literary agency before selling his first story, "The Graveyard Rats", to Weird Tales in 1936.

Kuttner and Moore

Kuttner was known for his literary prose and worked in close collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore. They met through their association with the Lovecraft Circle, a group of writers and fans who corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft. DeCamp, Warlocks and Warriors, p. 167 (NY, Berkley 1971)Their work together spanned the 1940s and 1950s and most of the work was credited to pseudonyms, mainly Lewis Padgett and Laurence O'Donnell. Both freely admitted that one reason they worked so much together was because his page rate was higher than hers. In fact, several people have written or said that she wrote three stories which were published under his name. "Clash by Night" and The Portal in the Picture, also known as Beyond Earth's Gates, have both been alleged to have been written by her.

L. Sprague de Camp, who knew Kuttner and Moore well, has stated that their collaboration was so intensive that, after a story was completed, it was often impossible for either Kuttner or Moore to recall who had written which portions. According to de Camp, it was typical for either partner to break off from a story in mid-paragraph or even mid-sentence, with the latest page of the manuscript still in the typewriter. The other spouse would routinely continue the story where the first had left off. They alternated in this manner as many times as necessary until the story was finished.

Influence

Marion Zimmer Bradley is among many authors who have cited Kuttner as an influence. Roger Zelazny has talked about the influence of The Dark World on his Amber series.

Kuttner's friend Richard Matheson dedicated his 1954 novel I Am Legend to Kuttner, with thanks for his help and encouragement. Ray Bradbury likewise dedicated Dark Carnival, his first book, to him, calling him one of his hardest-working and most patient teachers; Bradbury referred to Kuttner as a neglected master.Shawn Ramsey, "Henry Kuttner's Cthulhu Mythos Fiction: An Overview", in The Horror of It All, Robert M. Price, ed.

The Cthulhu Mythos

A friend of Lovecraft's as well as of Clark Ashton Smith, Kuttner contributed several stories to the Cthulhu Mythos genre invented by those authors (among others). Among these were "The Secret of Kralitz", "The Eater of Souls", "The Salem Horror", "The Invaders" and "The Hunt".

Kuttner added a few lesser-known deities to the Mythos, including Iod ("The Secret of Kralitz"), Vorvadoss ("The Eater of Souls"), and Nyogtha ("The Salem Horror"). Critic Shawn Ramsey suggests that Abigail Prinn, the villain of "The Salem Horror", might have been intended by Kuttner to be a descendant of Ludvig Prinn, author of De Vermis Mysteriis--a book that appears in Kuttner's "The Invaders".Ramsey, p. 122.

Later life

Henry Kuttner spent the middle 50s getting his masters degree before dying of a heart attack in 1958.

Partial Bibliography

Short Stories:
*"The Graveyard Rats" (1936)
*"The Secret of Kralitz" (1936)
*"The Eater of Souls" (1937)
*"The Salem Horror" (1937)
*"Thunder in the Dawn" (1938)
*"The Invaders" (1939)
*"The Hunt" (1939)
*"Spawn of Dagon" (1939)
*"Beyond the Phoenix" (1939)
*"Dragon Moon" (1940)
*"Mimsy were the Borogoves" (1943)
*"Clash by Night" (with C. L. Moore) (1943)
*"The Proud Robot" (1943)
*"The Time Locker" (1943)
*"Gallegher Plus" (1943)
*"Nothing but Gingerbread Left" (1943)
*"The Twonky" (1940s?) - adapted for film[1] in 1953
*"The World Is Mine" (1943)
*"The Cure" (1946)
*"Ex Machina" (1948)

Fixups
Mutant (the Baldie stories) (1953)
Robots Have No Tails (the Gallegher stories) (1952)

Novels
The Fairy Chessmen
Dr. Cyclops (1940)
* Valley of the Flame (1946)
The Dark World (1946)
The Portal in the Picture, also known as Beyond Earth's Gates (with C. L. Moore) (1946)
Fury, (1947)
The Time Axis (1948)
The Well of the Worlds (1952)

External links

*
* Two-Handed Engine: The Selected Short Fiction of Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore

Pseudonyms

* Edward J. Bellin
* Paul Edmonds
* Noel Gardner
* Will Garth
* James Hall
* Keith Hammond
* Hudson Hastings
* Peter Horn
* Kelvin Kent
* Robert O. Kenyon
* C. H. Liddell
* Hugh Maepenn
* Scott Morgan
* Lawrence O'Donnell
* Lewis Padgett
* Woodrow Wilson Smith
* Charles Stoddard

Notes