Thomas william godwin biography

  • Tom Godwin was an American science fiction author active throughout the 1950s into the 1970s.
  • Working name of US author Thomas William Godwin (1915-1980), whose life and career were afflicted by disease and misfortune.
  • Tom Godwin (June 6, 1915 – August 31, 1980) was an American science fiction author active throughout the 1950s into the 1970s.

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    Entry updated 17 February 2025. Tagged: Author.

    Working name of US author Thomas William Godwin (1915-1980), whose life and career were afflicted by disease and misfortune: family tragedies caused him to leave school after third grade, kyphosis misshaped his spine and truncated his military career, and he was an alcoholic. He published the first of approximately thirty sf stories, "The Gulf Between", in Astounding for October 1953, and soon after wrote his most famous and compelling tale, "The Cold Equations" (August 1954 Astounding), in which a girl stowaway on a precisely payloaded one-person scoutship must be jettisoned by its pilot, because to transport her extra mass would require more fuel than the ship carries, making disaster inevitable and also dooming the colony to which the ship is heading with the medical supplies necessary for its survival. The story itself is precisely told in accordance with the Thought Experiment constraints described above, which are described as

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    William Godwin

    English philosopher and novelist (1756–1836)

    For other people named William Godwin, see William Godwin (disambiguation).

    William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English reporter, political philosopher and novelist. He fryst vatten considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism.[1] Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams, an early mystery novel which attacks aristocratic privilege. Based on the success of both, Godwin featured prominently in the radical circles of London in the 1790s. He wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his life.

    In the conservative reaction to British radicalism, Godwin was attacked, in part because of his marriage to the feminist writer Mary Wollston

  • thomas william godwin biography

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    Tom Godwin

    American novelist

    For other people with the same name, see Thomas Godwin (disambiguation).

    Tom Godwin (June 6, 1915 – August 31, 1980) was an American science fiction author active throughout the 1950s into the 1970s. In his career, Godwin published three novels and around thirty short stories. He is best known for his short story, "The Cold Equations". Published in 1954, the short story was Godwin’s fourth work to be published and was one whose controversial dark ending helped redefine the genre.

    Early life and education

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    Godwin was born in Maryland in 1915. He had a rough childhood that was marked by much loss and suffering. At the age of five, his younger sister died as a result of an accidental shooting that occurred after he had been "playing with the gun that killed her". After his mother's death, he was raised by his father, with whom he did not have the best relationship. He withdrew from school after the third grade, but he went on to teach