Hollerbochen's Dilemma

Last updated

"Hollerbochen's Dilemma" is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury's first published work, it appeared in Forrest Ackerman's fanzine Imagination! in January 1938. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

Hollerbochen is precognitive, and has the ability to stop time to get out of danger, but when he is faced with too many threats at once, he explodes.

Reception

"Hollerbochen's Dilemma" was poorly received, with Bradbury subsequently writing "no one enjoyed my story" and "I think it was terrible myself". [2] Bradbury later wrote a sequel, "Hollerbochen Comes Back", in which a resurrected Hollerbochen rescues an imprisoned Bradbury and takes him to wreak wordplay-based vengeance on those who criticized the first story. [3] Bradbury biographer Jonathan Eller has suggested that, together, the two Hollerbochen stories provide a "first glimpse of Bradbury's lifelong defense mechanism against developing an overweening ego." [3]

In 2014, it was nominated for the 1939 Retro-Hugo Award for Best Short Story. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fahrenheit 451</i> 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 presents an American society where books have been personified and outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found. The novel follows Guy Montag, a fireman who becomes disillusioned with his role of censoring literature and destroying knowledge, eventually quitting his job and committing himself to the preservation of literary and cultural writings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest J Ackerman</span> American writer and collector (1916–2008)

Forrest James Ackerman was an American magazine editor; science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films; a prominent advocate of the Esperanto language; and one of the world's most avid collectors of genre books and film memorabilia. He was based in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannes Bok</span> American artist

Hannes Bok, pseudonym for Wayne Francis Woodard, was an American artist and illustrator, as well as an amateur astrologer and writer of fantasy fiction and poetry. He painted nearly 150 covers for various science fiction, fantasy, and detective fiction magazines, as well as contributing hundreds of black and white interior illustrations. Bok's work graced the pages of calendars and early fanzines, as well as dust jackets from specialty book publishers like Arkham House, Llewellyn, Shasta Publishers, and Fantasy Press. His paintings achieved a luminous quality through the use of an arduous glazing process, which was learned from his mentor, Maxfield Parrish. Bok shared one of the inaugural 1953 Hugo Awards for science fiction achievement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Bradbury</span> American author and screenwriter (1920–2012)

Ray Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank R. Paul</span> American science fiction illustrator (1884–1963)

Frank Rudolph Paul was an American illustrator of pulp magazines in the science fiction field.

<i>R Is for Rocket</i>

R Is for Rocket (1962) is a short story collection by American writer Ray Bradbury, compiled for Young Adult library sections. It contains fifteen stories from earlier Bradbury collections, and two previously uncollected stories.

The 1st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) was held on 2–4 July 1939 in the Caravan Hall in New York City, United States, in conjunction with the New York World's Fair, which was themed as "The World of Tomorrow". It was later retroactively named "NyCon I" by Forrest J Ackerman.

First Fandom Hall of Fame is an annual award for contributions to the field of science fiction dating back more than 30 years. Contributions can be as a fan, writer, editor, artist, agent, or any combination of the five. It is awarded by First Fandom and is usually presented at the beginning of the World Science Fiction Convention's Hugo Award ceremony.

The Meadow is a radio drama by Ray Bradbury, written for a 1947 episode of the radio series World Security Workshop. It was included in the anthology Best One-Act Plays of 1947-1948. Bradbury later revised it into a short story (1953) and a stage play (1960).

"The Long Rain" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in 1950 - under a different title indicative of its ending - in the magazine Planet Stories, and then in the collection The Illustrated Man. The story tells of four men who have crashed on Venus, where it is always raining.

<i>Farewell Summer</i> 2006 novel by Ray Bradbury

Farewell Summer is a novel by American writer Ray Bradbury, published on October 17, 2006. It was his last novel released in his lifetime. It is a sequel to his 1957 novel Dandelion Wine, and is set during an Indian summer in October 1929. The story concerns a mock war between the young and the old in Green Town, Illinois, and the sexual awakening of Doug Spaulding as he turns 14. With Something Wicked This Way Comes, they form a trilogy of novels inspired by Bradbury's childhood in Waukegan, Illinois.

"The Pedestrian" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in the August 7, 1951 issue of The Reporter by The Fortnightly Publishing Company. It is included in the collection The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953), but was dropped from later editions of this collection.

The 4th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Pacificon I, was held on 4–7 July 1946 at the Park View Manor in Los Angeles, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Bradbury bibliography</span>

The following is a list of works by Ray Bradbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">72nd World Science Fiction Convention</span> 72nd Worldcon (2014)

The 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Loncon 3, was held on 14–18 August 2014 at the ExCeL London in London, United Kingdom.

<i>The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury</i>

The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury is a projected eight-volume scholarly publication by Kent State University Press aiming to collect every short story published by Ray Bradbury, presented in chronological order with textual apparatuses, edited by professors William F. Touponce and Jonathan R. Eller. The publication is approved by the Modern Language Association. The first volume, The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition – Volume 1, 1938–1943 (ISBN 978-1606350713), was published on February 21, 2011. The second volume, The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition – Volume 2, 1943–1944 (ISBN 978-1606351956), was published in September, 2014. The third volume, The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition - Volume 3, 1944-1945 (ISBN 978-1-60635-071-3), was published in May, 2017.

<i>Futuria Fantasia</i>

Futuria Fantasia was an American science fiction fanzine created by Ray Bradbury in 1938, when he was 18 years old. Though only four issues of the fanzine were published, its list of contributors included Hannes Bok, Forrest J. Ackerman, Henry Kuttner, Damon Knight, and Robert A. Heinlein.

Myrtle Rebecca Smith Gray Nolan, known to science fiction history as Morojo or sometimes Myrtle R Douglas, was a science fiction fan, fanzine publisher, and cosplay pioneer from Los Angeles.

T. (Theodore) Bruce Yerke (1923–1998) was an American science fiction author and editor. A member of "an extensive network of active enthusiasts,", he was an early and active member of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, serving as its secretary for many years, and recruited Ray Bradbury as a member. With Forrest J Ackerman he edited the Hugo Award-winning fanzine Imagination!. His unfinished biography, Memoirs of a Superfluous Fan provides great insight into the early days of science fiction fandom in Los Angeles.

<i>The Best of Henry Kuttner</i>

The Best of Henry Kuttner is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories by American author Henry Kuttner. It was first published in hardback by Nelson Doubleday in February 1975 and in paperback by Ballantine Books in April of the same year as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. The book was reissued in trade paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in March 2007 under the alternate title The Last Mimzy: Stories. and in ebook by Gateway/Orion in May 2014 and Diversion Books in August 2014. It was later gathered together with Fury and Mutant into the omnibus collection Fury / Mutant / The Best of Henry Kuttner, issued in trade paperback and ebook by Gollancz in December 2013. It has also been translated into Spanish.

References