Poul William Anderson (/ˈpoʊəl/POH-əl;[3] November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001)[4] was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He won theHugo Award seven times and theNebula Award three times, and was nominated many more times for awards.[5][6]
Poul Anderson was born on November 25, 1926, inBristol, Pennsylvania toDanish parents.[7] Soon after his birth, his father, Anton Anderson, relocated the family to Texas, where they lived for more than ten years. After Anton Anderson's death, his widow took the children toDenmark. The family returned to the United States after the beginning ofWorld War II, settling eventually on a Minnesota farm.
While he was an undergraduate student at theUniversity of Minnesota, Anderson's first stories were published by editorJohn W. Campbell in the magazineAstounding Science Fiction: "Tomorrow's Children" by Anderson and F. N. Waldrop in March 1947 and a sequel, "Chain of Logic" by Anderson alone, in July.[a] He earned his BA in physics with honors but became a freelance writer after he graduated in 1948. His third story was printed in the DecemberAstounding.[8]
Anderson's novellaWitch of the Demon Seas (published under his "A. A. Craig" byline) was the cover story in the January 1951 issue ofPlanet Stories.Anderson's novelette "Inside Earth" was the cover story in the April 1951 issue ofGalaxy Science Fiction.
^Anderson continued his first two stories more than a decade later. He added a novella and an epilogue, constituting the collection of four pieces (termed a novel),Twilight World: A Science Fiction Novel of Tomorrow's Children (Dodd, Mead). Waldrop was not credited.[8]
^Martin, Douglas (August 3, 2001)."Poul Anderson, Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 74".New York Times. RetrievedJune 11, 2025.He told his wife she could name their first child, and she chose Poul (pronounced PO-ull).
^"Anderson, Poul".The Locus Index to SF Awards: Locus Award Nominees List. Locus Publications. Archived fromthe original on May 14, 2012. RetrievedAugust 24, 2009.
