 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Naomi Mitchison |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
Publication date | 1962 |
| Publication place | Great Britain |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 176 pp |
Memoirs of a Spacewoman is a science fiction novel by Scottish novelist and poet Naomi Mitchison published in 1962 by Victor Gollancz Ltd.
The novel presents as the memoir of Mary, a communication specialist who travels through space and time as part of an exploration team. It delves into themes such as communication with alien beings and the complexities of interstellar travel, along with concepts of sexuality, reproduction, parenthood and child-rearing, diverse perceptions of time, and the psychological impacts of space exploration.
In this narrative, Mary, the protagonist, is a scientist and explorer at a time when humans have reached many worlds across various galaxies. Her society is one in which leadership is not defined by gender and one which does not engage in the norms of sexuality and motherhood of contemporary 1960s human society. The overarching mission of her team is the pursuit of knowledge and providing assistance to beings they encounter, adhering to strict guidelines against certain forms of interference. Mary's expertise lies in telepathic communication with non-human forms of life.
The novel features a number of different, expansive worlds with different forms of life, which allows for discussion of various ethical issues, such as the ethical treatment of non-human animals, forward-thinking approaches to social and ethical issues, and sexual liberation, and it presents situations such as non-human animals being treated as “intellectual equals, or, in certain subjects, superiors”. [1] The sympathetic and empathetic views expressed in the novel on the treatment non-human animals may stem from Mitchison’s views on the rights of non-human animals and the treatment of colonised people of the time. [2] During her life, Mitchinson had seen the birth of the independence of a number of different colonies, including India (1947) and South Africa (1961) which both featured very popular independence movements.[ citation needed ]
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians, and explores his interaction with and eventual transformation of Terran culture.
Have Space Suit—Will Travel is a science fiction novel for young readers by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published by Scribner's in hardcover in 1958. The last Heinlein novel to be published by Scribner's, it was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1959 and won the Sequoyah Children's Book Award for 1961. Heinlein's engineering expertise enabled him to add realistic detail; during World War II, he had been a civilian aeronautics engineer at a laboratory which developed pressure suits for use at high altitudes.
A paperback book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, leather, paper, or plastic.
Victor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century and continues to publish science fiction and fantasy titles as an imprint of Orion Publishing Group.
Naomi Mary Margaret Mitchison, Baroness Mitchison was a Scottish novelist and poet. Often called a doyenne of Scottish literature, she wrote more than 90 books of historical and science fiction, travel writing and autobiography. Her husband Dick Mitchison's life peerage in 1964 entitled her to call herself Lady Mitchison, but she never did. Her 1931 work, The Corn King and the Spring Queen, is seen by some as the prime 20th-century historical novel.
Robert Cedric Sherriff, FSA, FRSL was an English writer best known for his play Journey's End, which was based on his experiences as an army officer in the First World War. He wrote several plays, many novels, and multiple screenplays, and was nominated for an Academy Award and two BAFTA awards.
The Discworld Companion is an encyclopaedia of the Discworld fictional universe, created by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. Four editions have been published, under varying titles.
Henry FitzGerald Heard, commonly called Gerald Heard, was a British-born American historian, science writer and broadcaster, public lecturer, educator, and philosopher. He wrote many articles and over 35 books.
Stephanie Jane Swainston is a British literary fantasy/science fiction author, known for the Castle series. Her debut novel, The Year of Our War (2004), won the 2005 Crawford Award and a nomination for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
This is a bibliography of works by Damon Knight.
Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke is a fictional biography by American author Philip José Farmer, that alleges the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan, is a story of a real person. The book was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1972, with a paperback edition following from Popular Library in 1973 and a trade paperback edition from Bison Books in 2006. The first British edition was published by Panther in 1974.
The Eye of the Heron is a 1978 science fiction novel by American author Ursula K. Le Guin which was first published in the science fiction anthology Millennial Women.
Molly Lefebure FRSL was a British writer with an interest in the English Lake District and the Lake Poets.
Rosalind Mary Mitchison FRSE was a 20th-century English historian and academic who specialised in Scottish social history. She was affectionately known as "Rowy" Mitchison.
Charles Thomas Osborne was an Australian journalist, theatre and opera critic, poet and novelist. He was the assistant editor of The London Magazine from 1958 until 1966, literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1971 until 1986, and chief theatre critic of Daily Telegraph (London) from 1986 to 1991.
Geoffrey Beattie is a British psychologist, author and broadcaster. He is Professor of Psychology at Edge Hill University and in 2023 was appointed Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing (OCLW) and Wolfson College, University of Oxford. He has also been visiting professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara. He graduated with a First Class Honours degree from the University of Birmingham and a PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Zendegi is a science fiction novel by Australian author Greg Egan, first published in the United Kingdom by Gollancz in June 2010. It is set in Iran in the near future and deals with mapping the human brain, virtual reality and the democratization of Iran. The title of the book means "life" in Persian; the name of the virtual reality system featured in the story is Zendegi-ye Behtar, Persian for "better life".
A Mirror for Observers is a science fiction novel by American writer Edgar Pangborn, winner of the International Fantasy Award in 1955. The plot concerns a philosophical conflict between settlers from Mars who attempt to influence human development.
The Opium General and other stories by Michael Moorcock was a hardcover collection of novellas, short stories, and articles. It was published in 1984 by Harrap. It was a collection of new work and rare items.
Dreaming in Smoke is a science fiction novel by American writer Tricia Sullivan. The book is Sullivan's third science fiction novel and was first published as a hardcover by Millennium in January 1998. The novel won the 1999 Arthur C. Clarke award for best novel.
