Jump to content

David Brin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) at 13:38, 11 October 2018 (recategorize). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

David Brin
Brin at an Association of Computing Machinery conference in 2005
Born (1950-10-06) October 6, 1950 (age 74)
Glendale, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of California, San Diego (1981), Ph.D.
University of California, San Diego (1978), M.S.
California Institute of Technology (1973), B.S.
Occupation(s)Novelist, NASA consultant
Writing career
GenreScience fiction
Notable worksUplift series, The Postman, Earth, "The Transparent Society"
Scientific career
ThesisEvolution of cometary nuclei as influenced by a dust component (1981)
Doctoral advisorD. Asoka Mendis
Websitedavidbrin.com

Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo,[1][2] Locus,[3][4][5] Campbell[6] and Nebula Awards.[7] His novel The Postman was adapted as a feature film and starred Kevin Costner in 1997. Brin's nonfiction book The Transparent Society won the Freedom of Speech Award of the American Library Association and the McGannon Communication Award.

Early life and education

Brin was born in Glendale, California in 1950 to a Jewish family. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in astronomy, in 1973.[8][9] At the University of California, San Diego, he earned a Master of Science in applied physics in 1978 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in space science in 1981.[10][11] From 1983 to 1986 he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the California Space Institute, of the University of California, at the San Diego campus in La Jolla.[8]

Career

Brin is a 2010 fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.[12] He helped establish the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination (UCSD). He serves on the advisory board of NASA's Innovative and Advanced Concepts group and frequently does futurist consulting for corporations and government agencies.

Brin consults and speaks for a wide variety of groups interested in the future, ranging from Defense Department agencies and the CIA to Procter & Gamble, SAP, Google and other major corporations. He has also been a participant in discussions at the Philanthropy Roundtable and other groups seeking innovative problem solving approaches.

Brin has a very active side career in public speaking and consultation. He appears frequently on science or future related television shows such as The Universe, Life After People, Alien Encounters, Worlds of Tomorrow, and many others. He briefly was a regular on the challenge design show The Architechs in which "five geniuses" were challenged to solve a major problem (e.g. new ways in and out of burning buildings) in 48 hours.

He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Museum of Science Fiction.[13]

Bibliography

Fiction

Brin's works, when taken as a whole, is normally categorized as hard science fiction, in that most (not all) works apply some degree of plausible scientific or technological change as partial plot drivers. Exceptions include the graphic novel The Life Eaters, in which Norse gods assist the Nazis.

The Uplift stories

About half of Brin's works are in his Uplift Universe. These have twice won the international Science Fiction Achievement Award (Hugo Award) in the Best Novel category.

The Uplift novels are:

  • Sundiver (1980)
  • Startide Rising (1983) – Hugo and Locus SF Awards winner, 1984;[14] Nebula Award winner, 1983[15]
  • The Uplift War (1987) – Hugo and Locus SF Awards winner, 1988;[16] Nebula Award nominee, 1987[17]
  • The Uplift Trilogy (sometimes called the Uplift Storm trilogy, in a compendium called "Exiles"):
    • Brightness Reef (1995) – Hugo and Locus SF Awards nominee, 1996[18]
    • Infinity's Shore (1996)
    • Heaven's Reach (1998) ISBN 0-553-57473-6

Additionally, Brin wrote two short stories set in the Uplift universe, "Temptation" and "Aficionado". "Temptation" appeared in Robert Silverberg's anthology Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction and is set after the events in the Infinity's Shore. "Aficionado" was published in the limited-edition collection Tomorrow Happens, and is a short-story prequel to the novels. This story was originally published as "Life in the Extreme" in Popular Science Magazine Special Edition (August 1998). Both stories are also freely available on Brin's website. Brin has stated that he intends to return to the uplift universe at some point, but is not currently working on anything. A segment of his novel Existence deals with the origins of dolphin Uplift and hence might be considered linked to the Uplift Universe.

Brin co-wrote with Kevin Lenagh Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe.

Other fiction

Brin has written a number of stand-alone novels:

Graphic novels:

His short fiction has been collected in:

Other works by Brin include his addition to Asimov's Foundation Universe:

and his addition to Eric Flint's 1632-verse:

Brin designed the game Tribes, published in 1998 by Steve Jackson Games.[25] Brin wrote the storyline for the 2000 Dreamcast/PlayStation 2 video game Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future.

Concerns and themes of his work

Many of Brin's works not set into preexisting series or universes focus on the impact on human society of technology humankind develops for itself,[26] a theme which commonly appears in contemporary North American science-fiction. This is most noticeable in The Practice Effect, Glory Season and Kiln People.

Brin's Jewish heritage is the source of two other strong themes in his works. Tikkun Olam ("repairing the world", i.e. people have a duty to make the world a better place) is originally a religious concept, but Brin, like many non-orthodox Jews, has adapted this into a secular notion of working to improve the human condition, to increase knowledge, and to prevent long-term evils. Brin has confirmed that this notion in part underscores the notion of humans as "caretakers" of sentient-species-yet-to-be, as he explains in a concluding note at the end of Startide Rising; and it plays a key role in The Uplift War, where the Thennanin are converted from enemies to allies of the Terragens (humans and other sapients that originated on Earth) when they realize that making the world a better place and being good care-takers are core values of both civilizations. Many of Brin's novels emphasize another element of Jewish tradition, the importance of laws and legality, whether intergalactic law in the Uplift series or that of near-future California in Kiln People but, on the other hand, Brin has stated that "Truly mature citizens ought not to need an intricate wrapping of laws and regulations, in order to do what common sense dictates as good for all".[27]

Nonfiction

Personal life

Brin currently lives in San Diego, California with his wife and children.[citation needed] He has Polish Jewish ancestry, from the area around Konin. His grandfather was drafted into the Russian army and fought in the Russian-Japanese War of 1905.[28]

References

  1. ^ 1984 Hugo Awards Archived 2007-12-25 at the Wayback Machine, Best Novel:Startide Rising by David Brin (Bantam, 1983), The Hugo Awards
  2. ^ Who's Getting Your Vote? Archived 2011-07-16 at WebCite, October 29, 2008, Reason
  3. ^ Startide Rising Archived 2009-03-30 at the Wayback Machine, Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, WWEnd
  4. ^ The Postman Archived 2009-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, WWEnd
  5. ^ The Uplift War Archived 2009-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, WWEnd
  6. ^ 1986: 1st - The Postman, David Brin Archived 2011-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, 2003: 2nd - Kiln People, David Brin, The John W. Campbell Memorial Award
  7. ^ "Nebula Award Winners: 1965 – 2011 Archived 2015-01-31 at the Wayback Machine". Section: 1983. Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. sfwa.org. "Best Novel: Startide Rising by David Brin". Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  8. ^ a b c "David Brin". Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, 2018-02-01. Available online via Encyclopedia.com Archived 2018-02-03 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ "Caltech Commencement Program" (PDF). Caltech Campus Publications. June 8, 1973. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2015. Retrieved 2013-03-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "David Brin." St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers. New York: St. James Press, 1996. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, 2018-02-01.
  11. ^ Brin, Glen David (1981). Evolution of cometary nuclei as influenced by a dust component (Ph.D.). University of California, San Diego. OCLC 8067212 – via ProQuest. {{cite thesis}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "David Brin". ieet.org. Archived from the original on 2010-01-23. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Funds sought for science fiction museum lift-off". USAToday.com. 2013-11-03. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-09-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "1984 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "1983 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "1988 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b "1987 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "1996 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "1986 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "1985 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "1991 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "1994 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "2003 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Forward | Graphic Novel". Forward.msci.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
  26. ^ "David Brin on future societies of transparency and freedom". Future Thinkers. March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ http://www.reformthelp.org/rights/moderation/goal.php Archived February 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ "DAVID BRIN REVEALED: A two-year-long interview with Slawek Wojtowicz". www.slawcio.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
Wikiquote has quotations related to David Brin.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Brin.
Interviews
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Brin&oldid=863547443"