John Christopher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Christopher Samuel Youd (1922-04-16)16 April 1922 Huyton,Lancashire, England |
| Died | 3 February 2012(2012-02-03) (aged 89) Bath, Somerset, England |
| Pen name | John Christopher (science fiction), several others |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Peter Symonds College |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | |
| Notable awards | Guardian Prize 1971 |
Sam Youd (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012) was a British writer best known forscience fiction written under the name ofJohn Christopher, including the novelsThe Death of Grass,The Possessors, and theyoung-adult novel seriesThe Tripods. He won theGuardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1971[1] and theDeutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1976.
Youd also wrote under variations of his own name and under the pseudonyms Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, William Vine, Peter Graaf, Peter Nichols, and Anthony Rye.[2][3]
Sam Youd was born inHuyton, Lancashire (thoughYoud is an oldCheshire surname). Youd was educated atPeter Symonds' School inWinchester, Hampshire, then served in theRoyal Corps of Signals from 1941 to 1946. A scholarship from theRockefeller Foundation made it possible for him to pursue a writing career, beginning withThe Winter Swan (Dennis Dobson, 1949), published under the name Christopher Youd. He wrote science fiction short stories as John Christopher from 1951,[2] and his first book under that name wasThe Twenty-Second Century, a collection of science fiction stories; a few of the stories included had first appeared in magazines under the name Sam Youd. His first science fiction novel,Year of the Comet, was published byMichael Joseph in 1955, also under the name John Christopher.[2] His second novel under the Christopher pseudonym,The Death of Grass (Michael Joseph, 1956) was Youd's first major success as a writer. It was published in the United States the following year asNo Blade of Grass (Simon & Schuster, 1957). An American magazine publishedYear of the Comet later that year and it was issued in 1959 as an Avon paperback entitledPlanet in Peril.[2] Youd continued to use the pen name John Christopher for the majority of his writing and all of his science fiction.[2]The Death of Grass has been reissued many times, most recently in thePenguin Modern Classics (2009).[2]
In 1966 Youd started writing science fiction foradolescents, using the name John Christopher in every case.The Tripods trilogy (1967–68),The Lotus Caves (1969),The Guardians (1970) and theSword of the Spirits trilogy (1971–72) were all well received. He won the annualGuardian Children's Fiction Prize forThe Guardians.[1] In 1976 he won theDeutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, youth fiction category, for the same novel in its German translation,Die Wächter.
In 1946 he married Joyce Fairbairn, with whom he had five children (one son and four daughters). He divorced in 1978, marrying Jessica Ball.[4]
Youd lived for many years inRye, East Sussex and died inBath, Somerset, on 3 February 2012, of complications from bladder cancer.[5][6]
The Death of Grass wasadapted as a film byCornel Wilde under its American title,No Blade of Grass (1970).The Tripods was partially developed into aBritish TV series.Empty World was developed into a 1987 TV movie in Germany,Leere Welt.The Guardians was made into a 1986 TV series in Germany,Die Wächter.The Lotus Caves was in development in 2007 as a film fromWalden Media, to have been directed by Rpin Suwannath.[7][8] Later, in 2013, a TV pilot based loosely onThe Lotus Caves was developed by Bryan Fuller and titledHigh Moon. The pilot did not get picked up as a series, but was released onSyFy andNetflix in 2014.
Except where stated otherwise, all items listed are novels or novellas published as books.
Youd's first published story was "Dreamer" in the March 1941Weird Tales, as C.S. Youd. He had stories published in the magazinesAstounding Science Fiction,Science Fantasy,Worlds Beyond Science-Fantasy Fiction,New Worlds,Galaxy Science Fiction,SF Digest,Future Science Fiction,Space SF Digest,Thrilling Wonder Stories,Authentic Science Fiction,Space Science Fiction,Nebula Science Fiction,Fantastic Universe,Saturn Science Fiction,Orbit Science Fiction,Fantastic Story Magazine,If: Worlds of Science Fiction,Worlds of Science Fiction (UK),Argosy (UK),The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction,Beyond Infinity
No Blade of Grass wasserialized inThe Saturday Evening Post in 1957.Caves of Night was serialized inJohn Bull Magazine in 1958.The Little People was serialized inThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1967.
