Dirk Wylie

Joseph Harold Dockweiler (1920 – August 1948), professionally known by his pen name Dirk Wylie, was an American science fiction author and literary agent. Wylie was a member of The Futurians, a 1940s-era science fiction fan community.[1]

Biography

Wylie attended Brooklyn Technical High School in the 1930s, where he became friends with fellow student Frederik Pohl.[2]

In 1934, a teenage Wylie had a letter published in periodical Wonder Stories inquiring about "Science Fiction Week."[3] Both Wylie and Pohl dropped out of high school after their junior year.[4]

In 1937, Wylie published a fanzine titled Fantasy Mirror.[4] As an adult, he wrote stories in collaboration with Pohl, Arnold Kummer Jr., and Cyril M. Kornbluth.[5] Wylie also used the pen names "Dennis Lavond" and "Elliott Whitney".

In 1937, Wylie joined the Committee for the Political Advancement of Science Fiction (CPASF), a left-wing group of Futurians who supported the views of fellow member John B. Michel.[6]

When the Futurians group fractured, Wylie and Pohl followed Michel and Donald Wollheim to form the East New York Science Fiction League.[2] In 1940, Wylie married fellow Futurian Rosalind "Roz" Cohen.[2][4]

Wylie was drafted and served as a sergeant in a military police company in World War II. He was stationed in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.[2] Wylie suffered a spine injury after jumping from a transport truck; he was evacuated and spent two years in a Veterans Administration hospital.[4] While hospitalized, Wylie penned a letter to Amazing Stories in which he reported two instances of having witnessed an unidentified objects, in some cases rising from the ocean and returning to it.[7]

In 1947, Wylie and Pohl set up the Dirk Wylie Literary Agency.[8][9] In August 1948, Wylie died from tuberculosis of the spine.[2] After his death, Pohl and Rosalin continued to run the agency.[2]

Works

  • "Stepsons of Mars" (April 1940 Astonishing Stories) (with C M Kornbluth and Richard Wilson)
  • "Vacant World" (January 1941 Super Science Stories) (with C M Kornbluth)
  • Stuff (1940)
  • The Mantle of Graag (1941) with Robert A. W. Lowndes and Frederik Pohl
  • Something from Beyond (1941) with Robert A. W. Lowndes and Frederik Pohl
  • Highwayman of the Void[10][11]
  • Asteroid of the Damned (1942)[12][13]
  • Sky Test (1942)
  • Outpost of the Eons (1943)
  • Star of the Undead (1948) with Robert A. W. Lowndes and Frederik Pohl
  • When Time Went Mad (publish posthumously in 1950) with Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr.

References

  1. ^ Davin, Eric Leif (August 25, 2006). Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739112670 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Page, Michael R. (September 30, 2015). Frederik Pohl. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252097744 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Ashley, Mike; Ashley, Michael; Lowndes, Robert A. W. (January 1, 2004). The Gernsback Days: A Study of the Evolution of Modern Science Fiction from 1911 to 1936. Wildside Press LLC. ISBN 9780809510559 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c d "Joseph Harry Dockweiler (Dirk Wylie) (1920–1949)" (PDF). Chunga through the Looking Glass (25): 12.
  5. ^ Knight, Damon (August 29, 2013). The Futurians. Orion. ISBN 9780575111417 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "The Immortal Storm a History of Science Fiction Fandom (1954) Sam Moskowitz (SiPDF)".
  7. ^ "Amazing Stories v20n02 (1946 05.Ziff Davis)(cape1736)". May 1946.
  8. ^ Williamson, Jack (August 25, 2005). Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction. BenBella Books. ISBN 9781932100570 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Rich, Mark (January 13, 2010). C.M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary. McFarland. ISBN 9780786457113 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Wylie, Dirk (September 23, 2020). Highwayman Of The Void. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 9798689630854 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Wylie, Dirk; Doolin, Joseph (September 12, 2020). Highwayman of the Void – via Project Gutenberg.
  12. ^ Wylie, Dirk (November 17, 2020). Asteroid of the Damned. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781649740854 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Pohl, Frederik; Wylie, Dirk (May 18, 2020). Asteroid of the Damned – via Project Gutenberg.
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