David Brin

David Brin

Brin at an Association of Computing Machinery conference in 2005
Born (1950-10-06) October 6, 1950
Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupation Novelist, NASA consultant
Nationality American
Genre Science fiction
Notable works Startide Rising, The Postman, Earth, "Existence", "The Transparent Society"
Website
davidbrin.com

Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo,[1][2] Locus,[3][4][5] Campbell[6] and Nebula Awards.[7] His Campbell Award winning 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. His Jewish ancestors came from Poland, from the area around Konin. His grandfather was drafted into the Russian army and fought in the Russian-Japanese War of 1905.[8]

In 1973, Brin graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in astrophysics.[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.

Career

Brin is a 2010 fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.[10] 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.[11]

Bibliography

Fiction

Brin's body of science fiction, 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. Earth and Existence were notable near future extrapolations that explore 30 year trends.

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:

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 well-known works by Brin include his addition to Asimov's Foundation Universe:

Brin designed the game Tribes, published in 1998 by Steve Jackson Games.[23] Brin wrote the storyline for the video game Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future.

Concerns and themes of his work

Many of Brin's "original" works (works not set into pre-existing series or "universes") focus on the impact on human society of technology humankind develops for itself, 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 may be 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 caretakers 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".[24]

Nonfiction

Personal life

Brin currently lives in southern California with his wife and children.

References

  1. 1984 Hugo Awards, Best Novel:Startide Rising by David Brin (Bantam, 1983), The Hugo Awards
  2. Who's Getting Your Vote?, October 29, 2008, Reason
  3. Startide Rising, Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, WWEnd
  4. The Postman, Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, WWEnd
  5. The Uplift War, Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, WWEnd
  6. 1986: 1st - The Postman, David Brin, 2003: 2nd - Kiln People, David Brin, The John W. Campbell Memorial Award
  7. http://www.sfwa.org/awards/archive/pastwin.htm Archived August 1, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. DAVID BRIN REVEALED: A two-year-long interview with Slawek Wojtowicz
  9. "Caltech Commencement Program" (PDF). Caltech Campus Publications. 1973-06-08. Retrieved 2013-03-29.
  10. David Brin at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
  11. "Funds sought for science fiction museum lift-off". USAToday.com. 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  12. "1984 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  13. "1983 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  14. "1988 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  15. 1 2 "1987 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  16. "1996 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  17. "1986 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  18. "1985 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  19. "1991 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  20. "1994 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  21. "2003 Award Winners & Nominees | Science Fiction & Fantasy Books by Award | WWEnd". Worldswithoutend.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  22. "Forward | Graphic Novel". Forward.msci.org. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  23. Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
  24. http://www.reformthelp.org/rights/moderation/goal.php Archived February 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

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