Editing Alfred Bester

{{Short description|American science fiction author (1913–1987)}}
{{About|the science fiction author|the Babylon 5 character named after him|Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name       = Alfred Bester
| image      = [[File:Bester.gif|185px]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1913|12|18}}<ref>[https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VMVJ-S6L Alfred Bester, "United States Social Security Death Index"]. "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch, Alfred Bester, September 1987. Retrieved March 12, 2013.</ref>
| birth_place= New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1987|9|30|1913|12|18}}
| death_place= [[Doylestown, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| occupation = Writer, editor 
| period     = 1939–1981
| genre      = [[Science fiction]] novels, short stories, [[American comic book|comic book scripts]], TV and [[Radio drama|radio scripts]] 
| movement   =
| spouse     = {{marriage|Rolly Bester|1936}} 
}}

'''Alfred Bester''' (December 18, 1913&nbsp;– September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio [[screenwriter]], magazine [[Editing|editor]] and scriptwriter for comics. He is best remembered for his [[science fiction]], including ''[[The Demolished Man]]'', winner of the inaugural [[Hugo Award]] in 1953.

Science fiction author [[Harry Harrison (writer)|Harry Harrison]] wrote, "Alfred Bester was one of the handful of writers who invented modern science fiction."<ref>{{cite book |last= Harrison |first= Harry |author-link= Harry Harrison (writer) |chapter= Introduction |title= The Demolished Man |location= New York |publisher= [[Vintage Books]] |date= 1996 |page= vii |isbn= 978-0-679-76781-7 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/demolishedman00best_0 }}</ref>

Shortly before his death,<!--we say below--> the [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] (SFWA) named Bester its ninth [[SFWA Grand Master|Grand Master]], presented posthumously in 1988.<ref name=SFWA/>
The [[EMP Museum#Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame|Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame]] inducted him in 2001.<ref name=sfhof-old/>

==Life and career==
Alfred Bester was born in [[Middletown, New York|Middletown]], New York City, on December 18, 1913. His father, James J. Bester, owned a shoe store and was a first-generation American whose parents were both Austrian [[Jew]]s. Alfred's mother, Belle (née Silverman), was born in [[Russia]] and spoke [[Yiddish]] as her first language before coming to America as a youth.  Alfred was James and Belle's second and final child, and only son.  (Their first child, Rita, was born in 1908.)  Though his mother was born [[Jewish]], she became a [[Christian Scientist]], and Alfred himself was not raised within any religious traditions; he wrote that "his home life was completely liberal and iconoclastic."<ref>Bester, p. 220.</ref>

Bester attended the [[University of Pennsylvania]], where he was a member of the [[Philomathean Society]]. He played on the [[Penn Quakers football]] team in 1935 and, by his own account, was "the most successful member of the [[fencing]] team."<ref>Bester, p. 221.</ref><ref>''[[The New York Times]]''. February 25, 1934. "Captain Alfred Bester of New York gained two epee victories for the Red and Blue."</ref> He went on to [[Columbia Law School]], but tired of it and dropped out.
[[File:Rollybester48.jpg|thumb|left|Rolly Bester in a 1948 ABC Radio publicity shot]]
Bester and Rolly Goulko married in 1936. Rolly Bester was a Broadway,<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/18/obituaries/rolly-bester.html |title=Rolly Bester |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 18, 1984}}</ref> radio and television actress, the first to play the role of [[Lois Lane]], which she did on the radio program ''[[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|The Adventures of Superman]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robb|first=Brian|title=A Brief History of Superheroes: From Superman to the Avengers, the Evolution of Comic Book Legends|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O7HABAAAQBAJ&pg=PT114|date=May 15, 2014|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=9781472110701|page=114}}</ref> She changed careers in the 1960s, becoming a vice president, casting director and supervisor at the [[advertising]] agency [[Ted Bates (executive)|Ted Bates & Co.]] in New York City.<ref name=NYT/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/|title=NewspaperArchive &#124; 15,513 Historic Newspaper Archives|website=newspaperarchive.com}}</ref> The Besters remained married for 48 years until her death. Bester was very nearly a lifelong New Yorker, although he lived in Europe for a little over a year in the mid-1950s and moved to [[exurban]] Pennsylvania with Rolly in the early 1980s. Once settled there, they lived on Geigel Hill Road in [[Ottsville, Pennsylvania]].

===Writing career===
====Early SF career, comic books, radio (1939–1950)====
After his university career, 25-year-old Alfred Bester was working in public relations when he turned to writing science fiction. Bester's first published short story was "The Broken Axiom", which appeared in the April 1939 issue of ''[[Thrilling Wonder Stories]]''<ref name=isfdb/> after winning an amateur story competition. Bester recalled, "Two editors on the staff, [[Mort Weisinger]] and [[Jack Schiff]], took an interest in me, I suspect mostly because I'd just finished reading and annotating [[James Joyce|Joyce]]'s ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' and would preach it enthusiastically without provocation, to their great amusement. ... They thought "Diaz-X" [Bester's original title] might fill the bill if it was whipped into shape."<ref>Bester, pp. 223–24.</ref> This was the very same contest that [[Robert A. Heinlein]] famously chose not to enter, as the prize was only $50 and Heinlein realized he could do better selling ''his'' 7,000-word unpublished story to ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science Fiction]]''  for a penny a word, or $70. Years later, Bester interviewed Heinlein for ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' and the latter told of changing his mind for ''Astounding''. Bester says that he replied (in jest), "You sonofabitch. I won that ''Thrilling Wonder'' contest, and you beat me by twenty dollars."<ref>Bester, p. 224.</ref>

However, as Bester was the winner of the contest, Mort Weisinger also "introduced me to the informal luncheon gatherings of the working science fiction authors of the late thirties." He met [[Henry Kuttner]], [[Edmond Hamilton]], [[Otto Binder]], [[Malcolm Jameson]] and [[Manly Wade Wellman]] there.<ref>Bester, p. 225.</ref> During 1939 and 1940 Weisinger published three more of Bester's stories in ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' and ''[[Startling Stories]]''.<ref name=isfdb/> For the next few years, Bester continued to publish short fiction, most notably in [[John W. Campbell]]'s ''Astounding Science Fiction''.

In 1942, two of his science fiction editors got work at [[DC Comics]], and invited Bester to contribute to various DC titles. Consequently, Bester left the field of short story writing and began working for DC Comics as a writer, including, and, under the editorship of [[Julius Schwartz]],<ref>{{cite book |title= Green Lantern #223 |date= April 1988 |pages=letters page}}</ref> ''[[Green Lantern]]'', among other titles. He created super-villain [[Solomon Grundy (comics)|Solomon Grundy]] and the version of the [[Green Lantern#Green Lantern Oath|Green Lantern Oath]] that begins "In brightest day, In blackest night".<ref>{{cite book |last= Schwartz |first= Julius |author-link= Julius Schwartz |title= Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics |location= New York |publisher= [[HarperCollins]] |date= 2000 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/manoftwoworldsmy00schw/page/67 67–68] |isbn= 978-0-380-810512 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/manoftwoworldsmy00schw/page/67 }}</ref> Bester was also the writer for [[Lee Falk]]'s comic strips ''[[The Phantom]]'' and ''[[Mandrake the Magician]]'' while their creator served in [[World War II]]. It is widely speculated how much influence Bester had on these comics. One theory claims that Bester was responsible for giving the Phantom his surname, "Walker".

After four years in the comics industry, in 1946 Bester turned his attention to radio scripts, after wife Rolly (a busy radio actress) told him that the show ''[[Nick Carter, Master Detective]]'' was looking for story submissions. Over the next few years, Bester wrote for ''Nick Carter'', as well as ''[[The Shadow]]'', ''[[Charlie Chan]]'', ''[[The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe]]'' and other shows. He later wrote for ''The [[CBS Radio Mystery Theater]]''.<ref name="hardsf1">{{cite web|url=http://www.hardsf.org/HSF0CBSM.htm |title=Free Audio SF - CBS Radio Mystery Theater |publisher=Hard SF |access-date=February 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629055815/http://www.hardsf.org/HSF0CBSM.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2011 }}</ref>

With the advent of American network television in 1948, Bester also began writing for television, although most of these projects were lesser-known.

In early 1950, after eight years away from the field, Bester resumed writing science fiction short stories. However, after an initial return to ''Astounding'' with the story "The Devil's Invention" ({{aka}} "Oddy and Id"), he stopped writing for the magazine in mid-1950 when editor [[John W. Campbell|John Campbell]] became preoccupied with [[L. Ron Hubbard]] and [[Dianetics]], the forerunner to [[Scientology]]. Bester then turned to ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'', where he found in [[H. L. Gold]] another exceptional editor as well as a good friend.

In New York, he socialized at the [[Hydra Club]], an organization of New York's science fiction writers, whose notable members included [[Isaac Asimov]], [[James Blish]], [[Anthony Boucher]], [[Avram Davidson]], [[Judith Merril]], and [[Theodore Sturgeon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loa.org/sciencefiction/biographies/bester.jsp |title=Alfred Bester |publisher=[[Library of America]] |access-date=October 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922215621/http://www.loa.org/sciencefiction/biographies/bester.jsp |archive-date=September 22, 2012 }}</ref>

====''The Demolished Man'' period: 1951–1957====
In his first period of writing science fiction (1939–1942), Bester had been establishing a reputation as a short story writer in science fiction circles with stories such as "Adam and No Eve." However, Bester gained his greatest renown for the work he wrote and published in the 1950s, including ''[[The Demolished Man]]'' and ''[[The Stars My Destination]]'' (also known as ''Tiger! Tiger!'').

=====''The Demolished Man'' (1953)=====
[[File:Galaxy 195201.jpg|thumb|right|The first installment of Bester's ''The Demolished Man'' was the cover story in the January 1952 issue of ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'']]
[[File:Galaxy 195610.jpg|thumb|right|The first installment of Bester's next SF novel, ''The Stars My Destination'', took the cover of the October 1956 issue of ''Galaxy'']]

''[[The Demolished Man]]'', recipient of the first Hugo Award for best Science Fiction novel, is a [[police procedural]] that takes place in a future world in which [[telepathy]] is relatively common. Bester creates a harshly capitalistic, hierarchical and competitive social world that exists without deceit: a society in which the right person with some skill (or money) and curiosity can access your memories, secrets, fears and past misdeeds more swiftly than even you.

Originally published in three parts in ''Galaxy'', beginning in January 1952, ''The Demolished Man'' appeared in book form in 1953. It was dedicated to Gold, who made a number of suggestions during its writing. Originally, Bester wanted the title to be ''Demolition!'',  but Gold talked him out of it.

=====''Who He?'' (1953)=====
Bester's 1953 novel ''[[Who He?]]'' (also known as ''The Rat Race'') concerns a TV variety show writer who wakes up after an alcoholic blackout and discovers that someone is out to destroy his life. According to Bester, the TV show elements were based on his experiences working on ''The Paul Winchell Show''.<ref>1976 interview at MidAmericon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j1mFt5GyHg</ref> A contemporary novel with no science fiction elements, it did not receive wide attention. It did, however, earn Bester a fair amount of money from the sale of the paperback reprint rights (the book appeared in paperback as ''The Rat Race'').  He also received a substantial sum of money from a movie studio for the film option to the book. Reportedly, [[Jackie Gleason]] was interested in starring as the variety show writer and licensed movie rights to the story; however no movie was ever made of ''Who He?''  Still, the payout from the film option was large enough that Alfred and Rolly Bester decided they could afford to travel to Europe for the next few years. They lived mainly in Italy and England during this period.

=====''The Stars My Destination'' (1956)=====
{{main|The Stars My Destination}}
This novel was both widely criticized and praised when it first appeared, but over time gathered acclaim as a classic work in its own right. It has been recognized as a prescient forerunner of the [[cyberpunk]] literary genre, having first been published two decades before the genre was named.

====Magazine fiction and non-fiction: 1959–1962====
While on his European trip, Bester began selling non-fiction pieces about various European locations to the mainstream travel/lifestyle magazine ''[[Holiday (magazine)|Holiday]]''. The ''Holiday'' editors, impressed with his work, invited Bester back to their headquarters in New York and began commissioning him to write travel articles about various far-flung locales, as well as doing interviews with such stars as [[Sophia Loren]], [[Anthony Quinn]], and Sir [[Edmund Hillary]]. As a result of steady work with ''Holiday'', Bester's science fiction output dropped precipitously in the years following the publication of ''The Stars My Destination''.

Bester published three short stories each in 1958 and 1959, including 1958's "[[The Men Who Murdered Mohammed]]" and 1959's "[[The Pi Man]]", both of which were nominated for Hugo Awards.  However, for a four-year period from October 1959 to October 1963, he published no fiction at all. Instead, he concentrated on his work at ''Holiday'' (where he was made a senior editor), reviewed books for ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction]]'' (from 1960 to 1962) and returned to television scripting.

====Television: 1959–1962====
During the 1950s, Bester contributed a satiric sketch, "I Remember Hiroshima", to ''The Paul Winchell Show''.<ref>{{cite book |last= Wendell |first= Carolyn |date= 2006 |title= Alfred Bester |publisher= [[Wildside Press]] |page= 46}}</ref> His later story "Hobson's Choice" was based on it.

In 1959, Bester adapted his 1954 story "[[Fondly Fahrenheit]]" to television as ''Murder and the Android''. Telecast in color on October 18, 1959, the hour-long drama took place in the year 2359 amid futuristic sets designed by Ted Cooper. This ''[[NBC Sunday Showcase]]'' production, produced by [[Robert Alan Aurthur]] with a cast of [[Kevin McCarthy (actor)|Kevin McCarthy]], [[Rip Torn]], [[Suzanne Pleshette]] and [[Telly Savalas]], was reviewed by syndicated radio-television critic [[John Crosby (media critic)|John Crosby]]:

{{Cquote|Despite the fact that the androids refer contemptuously to human beings as people who suffer from glandular disorders called emotions, Torn wants very much to suffer from these disorders himself. Eventually, he does. I have no intention of unraveling the whole plot which was not so much complicated as psychologically dense. If I understand him correctly, Mr. Bester is trying to say that having androids to free us of mundane preoccupations like work is by no means good for us. His humans are pretty close to being bums.}}

''Murder and the Android'' was nominated for a 1960 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1960-hugo-awards/ |author=The Hugo Awards |title=1960 Hugo Awards |publisher=[[Worldcon|World Science Fiction Society]] |access-date=June 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164541/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1960-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=May 7, 2011 }}</ref> and was given a repeat on September 5, 1960, the Labor Day weekend in which that Hugo Award was presented (to ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'') at the [[18th World Science Fiction Convention|World Science Fiction Convention in Pittsburgh]]. Bester returned to ''Sunday Showcase'' March 5, 1960, with an original teleplay, ''Turn the Key Deftly''. Telecast in color, that mystery, set in a traveling circus, starred [[Julie Harris (American actress)|Julie Harris]], [[Maximilian Schell]] and [[Francis Lederer]].

For ''[[Alcoa Premiere]]'', hosted by [[Fred Astaire]], he wrote ''Mr. Lucifer'', which aired November 1, 1962, with Astaire in the title role opposite [[Elizabeth Montgomery]].<ref>{{cite book |last=  Pilato |first= Herbie J. |title= Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery |location= Lanham, Maryland |publisher= Taylor Trade Publishing |date= 2012 |page= 132 |quote= Produced by Everett Freeman, "Mr. Lucifer" was written by Alfred Bester and directed by Alan Crosland, Jr... |isbn= 978-1-58979-749-9 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iiqf3_yyeMgC&q=mr+lucifer+alcoa&pg=PA132}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bobsbewitchingdaughter.com/EMmrlucifer.html |author= Lee, R. E. |title= The Series: Alcoa Premiere; The Episode: Mr. Lucifer |publisher= Bob's Bewitching Daughter: Elizabeth Montgomery |quote= Satan invades Madison Avenue: Mr. Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness himself, determines to corrupt a clean-cut young couple with the help of his beautiful secretary, Iris, a former moon goddess, now transformed into a demon. |access-date= June 17, 2014 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160820110355/http://www.bobsbewitchingdaughter.com/EMmrlucifer.html |archive-date= August 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/alcoa-premiere-season-2-episode-5-mr-lucifer-199294 |title= Watch Alcoa Premiere Season 2 Episode 5 S2E5 Mr. Lucifer |publisher= [[OVGuide]] |access-date= June 17, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130754/http://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/alcoa-premiere-season-2-episode-5-mr-lucifer-199294 |archive-date= March 4, 2016 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>  A light comedy, the story concerned the modern day Lucifer—whose offices are now on Madison Avenue—working with his beautiful secretary to try to corrupt a clean-cut American husband and wife.

====Senior editor of ''Holiday'': 1963–1971====
After a four-year layoff, Bester published a handful of science fiction short stories in 1963 and 1964. However, writing science fiction was at this stage in Bester's life clearly more of a sideline than the focus of his career.  As a result, from 1964 until the original version of ''Holiday'' folded in 1971, Bester published only one science fiction short story, a 700-word science fiction spoof in the upscale mainstream magazine ''Status''.
 
Still, as senior editor of ''Holiday'', Bester was able to introduce occasional science fiction elements into the non-fiction magazine. On one occasion, he commissioned and published an article by [[Arthur C. Clarke]] describing a tourist flight to the Moon. Bester himself, though, never published any science fiction in ''Holiday'', which was a mainstream travel/lifestyle magazine marketed to upscale readers during an era when science fiction was largely dismissed as juvenilia.

====Later career: 1972–1987====
''Holiday'' magazine ceased publication in 1971, although it was later revived and reformatted by other hands, without Bester's involvement.  For the first time in nearly 15 years, Bester did not have full-time employment.

After a long layoff from writing science fiction, Bester returned to the field in 1972. His 1974 short story "[[The Four-Hour Fugue]]" was nominated for a [[Hugo Award]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1975-hugo-awards/ |author=The Hugo Awards |title=1975 Hugo Awards |publisher=[[Worldcon|World Science Fiction Society]] |access-date=June 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211162720/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1975-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=February 11, 2012 }}</ref> and Bester received Hugo<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1976-hugo-awards/ |author=The Hugo Awards |title=1976 Hugo Awards |publisher=[[Worldcon|World Science Fiction Society]] |access-date=June 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164632/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1976-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=May 7, 2011 }}</ref> and [[Nebula Award]] nominations for his 1975 novel ''[[The Computer Connection]]'' (titled ''The Indian Giver'' as a magazine serial and later reprinted as ''Extro''). Despite these nominations, Bester's work of this era generally failed to receive the critical or commercial success of his earlier period.

Bester's eyesight began failing in the mid-1970s, making writing increasingly difficult, and another layoff from published writing took place between early 1975 and early 1979. It is alleged during this period that the producer of the 1978 ''[[Superman]]'' movie sent his son off to search for a writer. The name Alfred Bester came up, but Bester wanted to focus the story on [[Clark Kent]] as the real hero, while [[Superman]] was only "his gun." The producers instead hired [[Mario Puzo]], author of ''[[The Godfather (novel)|The Godfather]]'', to write the film.

Carolyn Wendell wrote, "I shall always remember the time I saw Alfie Bester in larger-than-life action, at an academic conference in New York City ten years before he died":

{{Cquote|Bester had been invited to share a panel with [[Charles L. Grant]], Isaac Asimov, and [[Ben Bova]]. He arrived attired in well-worn high-top sneakers, jeans whose major characteristic was that they looked comfortable, and a sports coat whose better days had been years before. He carried what must have been the world's largest jock bag, crammed with newly-purchased bottles of wine that did not quite fit into the zippered closing. He sat down behind a long table with the other writers and managed to behave conventionally for about half the discussion. Then, apparently able to stay put no longer, he leapt up, walked around to the front of the table to be closer to the audience, and paced back and forth, gesturing and talking. The other three writers (none exactly shrinking violets) tried to interrupt but finally lapsed into what might have been either respectful or overwhelmed silence. It was one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen.<ref>{{cite journal |url= http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/notes/notes44/notes44.html |last= Wendell |first= Carolyn |date=  March 1988 |title= The Late, Great Alfie B., 1913-87 |journal= [[Science Fiction Studies]] |volume= 15 pt. 1 |issue= 44 |issn= 0091-7729 |access-date= 2012-10-05}}</ref>}}

Bester published two short stories in 1979 and rang in the 1980s with the publication of two new novels: ''[[Golem100|Golem<sup>100</sup>]]'' (1980), and ''[[The Deceivers (Bester novel)|The Deceivers]]'' (1981). In addition to his failing eyesight, other health issues began to affect him, and Bester produced no new published work after 1981.  His wife Rolly died in 1984. In the following years, Bester dated Judith H. McQuown (pronounced "McQueen").<ref>{{cite journal |author= McQuown, Judith H. |title= Remembering Alfred Bester |journal= [[Locus (magazine)|Locus: The Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field]] |location= Oakland, California |publisher= Locus Science Fiction Foundation |volume=20 |issue=11 (whole number 322) |date= November 1987 |page= 63}}</ref>

In 1985, it was announced that Bester would be a Guest of Honor at the [[45th World Science Fiction Convention|1987 Worldcon]], to be held in [[Brighton]], England. As the event neared, however, Bester fell and broke his hip. With his worsening overall health, he was plainly too ill to attend.

Bester died less than a month after the convention from complications related to his broken hip. However, shortly before his death he learned that the [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] would honor him with their [[Grand Master Nebula]] award<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-award-winners-1965-2000/ |author= Science Fiction Writers of America |author-link= Science Fiction Writers of America |title= Nebula Award Winners: 1965 – 2011 |publisher= [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] |access-date= June 17, 2014}}</ref> at their 1988 convention.

Two works by Bester were published posthumously. The first, ''[[Tender Loving Rage]]'' (1991), was a mainstream (i.e., non–science fiction) novel that was probably written in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The second, ''[[Psychoshop]]'' (1998), was based on an incomplete 92-page story fragment. It was completed by [[Roger Zelazny]] and remained unpublished until three years after Zelazny's death.  When published, it was credited as a collaborative work.

Upon his death, Bester left his literary estate to his friend and bartender Joe Suder.<ref name=JadSmith>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=gGKUDQAAQBAJ&q=%22joe+suder%22 Alfred Bester]'' by Jad Smith, published December 1, 2016, by [[University of Illinois Press]]</ref>

====Legacy and tributes====
* ''[[StarShipSofa]]'' described Bester as "the godfather of modern science fiction", and made a two-part show about him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.starshipsofa.com/blog/2015/04/22/alfred-bester-godfather-of-modern-science-fiction-pt1-of-2/|title=Alfred Bester – Godfather of modern Science Fiction Pt1 of 2 &#124; StarShipSofa|website=www.starshipsofa.com}}</ref>
* In ''[[Babylon 5]]'', Psi-Cop [[Alfred Bester (Babylon 5)|Alfred Bester]] is named after him (and the treatment of [[telepathy]] in ''Babylon 5'' is similar to that in Bester's works).
* The time-traveling pest named "Al Phee" in [[Spider Robinson]]'s ''[[Callahan's Crosstime Saloon]]'' series is based on Bester.
* [[F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre]] wrote a series of stories—beginning with "Time Lines" (published in ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Analog]]'', 1999)—about a time-traveling criminal named Smedley Faversham, who constantly runs afoul of a scientific principle called "Bester's Law" (explicitly named after the phenomena in Bester's 1958 story "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed").
<!-- This doesn't matter. Martin could have named anyone, and it would have made no effect on anything. He's just named ONCE. It's not even the name of a character. * Bester is mentioned by [[Martin Prince]] in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Lisa's Substitute]]".-->
* ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'': Many of the names of off-camera and minor characters are drawn from the ranks of science fiction writers; under the character name "Bester," actor [[Dax Griffin]] played the original mechanic of the ship ''Serenity''.<ref>{{cite book |last= Sturgis |first= Amy H. |chapter= "Just Get Us a Little Further" |title= The Philosophy of Joss Whedon |editor1= Dean A. Kowalski |editor2=S. Evan Kreider |location= Lexington, Kentucky |publisher= University Press of Kentucky |year= 2011 |page= 24}}</ref> 
<!-- This doesn't matter. Landon could have named anyone, and it would have made no difference to anything. He's just named ONCE. It's not even the name of a character. * ''Lisey's Story''&nbsp;– Stephen King's character Scott Landon makes reference to Bester when making a dedication to a new library, saying:  "This one's for Alfie Bester, and if you haven't read him, you ought to be ashamed!"-->

===Notable short stories===
* "Adam and No Eve"
* "[[5,271,009]]"
* "[[Fondly Fahrenheit]]"
* "[[The Men Who Murdered Mohammed]]"
* "The Roller Coaster"
* "[[Time Is the Traitor]]"
* "Disappearing Act"
* "Hell Is Forever"

==Awards==
The [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] made Bester its ninth [[SFWA Grand Master]] in 1988<ref name=SFWA/> (announced before his 1987 death) and the [[EMP Museum#Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame|Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame]] inducted him in 2001, its sixth class of two deceased and two living writers.<ref name=sfhof-old/>

Beside winning the inaugural Hugo Award, he was one of the runners-up for several annual literary awards.<ref name=SFAwards/><!-- This does not cover minor awards or short fiction works or collections. -->

Hugo Award:

* ''[[The Demolished Man]]''&nbsp;– 1953 novel

Hugo nominations:

* "[[Star Light, Star Bright (short story)|Star Light, Star Bright]]"&nbsp;– 1954 short story (retro Hugo)
* "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed"&nbsp;– 1959 short story
* "The Pi Man"&nbsp;– 1960 short story
* "[[The Four-Hour Fugue]]"&nbsp;– 1975 short story
* ''[[The Computer Connection]]''&nbsp;– 1975 novel

In the Best Novel categories, ''The Computer Connection'' was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and third place for the Locus Award.<ref name=SFAwards/>

==Works==
<!-- EDITORIAL NOTE: Please add ISBNs, when available -->
{{lacking ISBN|date=April 2023}}

===Science fiction novels===
* ''[[The Demolished Man]]'' (1953)
* ''[[The Stars My Destination]]'' (also published as ''Tiger, Tiger'') (1956)
* ''[[The Computer Connection]]'' (also published as ''Extro'') (1975)
* ''[[Golem100|Golem<sup>100</sup>]]'' (1980)
* ''[[The Deceivers (Bester novel)|The Deceivers]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Psychoshop]]'' (with [[Roger Zelazny]]) (1998)
===Novels===
* ''[[Who He?]]'' (also published as ''The Rat Race'') (1953)
* ''[[Tender Loving Rage]]'' (1991)

=== Collections ===
* ''[[Starburst (Alfred Bester)|Starburst]]'' (1958)
* ''The Dark Side of the Earth'' (1964)
* ''An Alfred Bester Omnibus'' (1968)
* ''The Light Fantastic: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Volume 1'' (1976)
* ''[[Star Light, Star Bright (book)|Star Light, Star Bright: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Volume 2]]'' (1976)
* ''Starlight: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester'' (1976)
* ''[[Virtual Unrealities]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Redemolished]]'' (2000)

===Non-fiction===
* "Writing the Radio Mystery," ''[[The Writer]]'', December 1951
* ''The Life and Death of a Satellite'' (1966)

===Short fiction===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|+
|-
! Title !! Publication !! Collected in
|-
| "The Broken Axiom" || ''[[Wonder Stories|Thrilling Wonder Stories]]'' (April 1939) || -
|-
| "No Help Wanted" || ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' (December 1939) || -
|-
| "Guinea Pig, Ph.D." || ''[[Startling Stories]]'' (March 1940) || -
|-
| "Voyage to Nowhere" || ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' (July 1940) || -
|-
| "Treachery on Camoia" || ''South Sea Stories'' (October 1940) || -
|-
| "The White Man Who Was Tabu" || ''South Sea Stories'' (October 1940) || -
|-
| "The Mad Molecule" || ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' (January 1941) || -
|-
| "The Pet Nebula" || ''[[Astonishing Stories]]'' (February 1941) || -
|-
| "Slaves of the Life Ray" || ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' (February 1941) || -
|-
| "The Probable Man" || ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science Fiction]]'' (July 1941) || ''[[Redemolished]]''
|-
| "[[Adam and No Eve]]" || ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (September 1941) || ''[[Starburst (Alfred Bester)|Starburst]]''
|-
| "The McGrabb Bag" || ''Detective Fiction'' (October 1, 1941) || -
|-
| "The Biped, Reegan" || ''[[Super Science Stories]]'' (November 1941) || -
|-
| "Life for Sale" || ''[[Amazing Stories]]'' (January 1942) || -
|-
| "The Push of a Finger" || ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (May 1942) || ''Redemolished''
|-
| "The Unseen Blushers" || ''Astonishing Stories'' (June 1942) || -
|-
| "Hell Is Forever" || ''[[Unknown (magazine)|Unknown Worlds]]'' (August 1942) || ''The Light Fantastic''
|-
| "The House That Gaul Built" || ''[[The Shadow (magazine)|The Shadow]]'' (July 1944) || -
|-
| "Oddy and Id"<br>aka "The Devil's Invention" || ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (August 1950) || rowspan=5| ''Starburst''
|-
| "Of Time and Third Avenue" || ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction]]'' (October 1951)
|-
| "Hobson's Choice" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (August 1952)
|-
| "The Roller Coaster" || ''[[Fantastic (magazine)|Fantastic]]'' (May-June 1953)
|-
| "[[Star Light, Star Bright (short story)|Star Light, Star Bright]]" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (July 1953)
|-
| "[[Time Is the Traitor]]" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (September 1953) || ''The Dark Side of the Earth''
|-
| "Disappearing Act" || ''Star Science Fiction Stories 2'', ed. [[Frederik Pohl]] (1953) || rowspan=5| ''Starburst''
|-
| "[[5,271,009]]"<br>aka "The Starcomber" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (March 1954)
|-
| "[[Fondly Fahrenheit]]" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (August 1954)
|-
| "Travel Diary" || rowspan=2| ''Starburst'' (May 1958)
|-
| "The Die-Hard"
|-
| "[[The Men Who Murdered Mohammed]]" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (October 1958) || rowspan=2| ''The Dark Side of the Earth''
|-
| "Will You Wait?" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (March 1959)
|-
| "The Black Nebulea" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (September 1959) || -
|-
| "The Pi Man" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (October 1959) || ''The Dark Side of the Earth''
|-
| "Death of a Bandit" || ''[[Rogue (magazine)|Rogue]]'' (June 1962) || -
|-
| "I Will Never Celebrate New Year's Again" || ''Rogue'' (February 1963) || ''Redemolished''
|-
| "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (October 1963) || ''The Dark Side of the Earth''
|-
| "The Lost Child" || ''Rogue'' (March 1964) || ''Redemolished''
|-
| "Out of This World" || rowspan=2| ''The Dark Side of the Earth'' (May 1964) || rowspan=2| ''The Dark Side of the Earth''
|-
| "The Flowered Thundermug"
|-
| "The Compleat Hobbyist" || ''[[Holiday (magazine)|Holiday]]'' (December 1965) || -
|-
| "The Julias" || ''Escapade'' (June 1968) || -
|-
| "MS. Found in a Champagne Bottle" || ''Status'' (1968) || ''The Light Fantastic''
|-
| "The Animal Fair" || ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (October 1972) || ''Redemolished''
|-
| "[[Something Up There Likes Me]]" || ''[[Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology]]'' (1973) || ''[[Star Light, Star Bright (book)|Star Light, Star Bright]]''
|-
| "[[The Four-Hour Fugue]]" || ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact]]'' (June 1974) || ''The Light Fantastic''
|-
| "The Indian Giver" || ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' (November 1974) || -
|-
| "Here Come the Clones" || ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' (Jue 14, 1976) || -
|-
| "MS. Found in a Coconut" || ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' (June 1979) || -
|-
| "Galatea Galante"<br>aka "Galatea Galante, the Perfect Popsy" || ''[[Omni (magazine)|Omni]]'' (April 1979) || ''[[Virtual Unrealities]]''
|-
| "Never Love a Hellhag" || ''The Seventh Omni Book of Science Fiction'' (1989) || -
|-
| "The Devil Without Glasses" || ''Virtual Unrealities'' (1997) || ''Virtual Unrealities''
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal bar |Comics |Radio |Science fiction }} <!-- delete "bar" if/when there are enough ordinary See also -->
*[[Golden Age of Science Fiction]]

== Citations ==
{{reflist |25em |refs=
<ref name=isfdb>
{{isfdb name |6}} (ISFDB). Retrieved April 11, 2013.</ref>

<!-- some awards refs -->
<ref name=SFAwards>
[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit11.html#434 "Bester, Alfred"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016201808/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit11.html |date=October 16, 2012 }}. ''The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees''. [[Locus Publications]]. Retrieved March 22, 2013.</ref>
<ref name=SFWA>
[http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701114233/http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ |date=July 1, 2011 }}. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Retrieved March 22, 2013.</ref>
<ref name=sfhof-old>
[http://www.midamericon.org/halloffame/ "Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521070009/http://www.midamericon.org/halloffame/ |date=May 21, 2013 }}. Mid American Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Inc. Retrieved March 22, 2013. This was the official website of the hall of fame to 2004.</ref>
}}

== General and cited sources==
* {{Cite book |last=Bester |first=Alfred |date=1976 |chapter=My Affair with Science Fiction |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/starlightgreatsh0000alfr/page/386/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=registration |title=Star Light, Star Bright: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester |url=https://archive.org/details/starlightgreatsh0000alfr/page/n3/mode/2up |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Berkley |pages=387–409}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Sfhof |922 |Alfred Bester}}
* {{Isfdb name|6}}
* {{IMDb name|1424376}}
* [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10992.Alfred_Bester Alfred Bester] at [[Goodreads]]
* {{Gutenberg author | id=51483 | name=Alfred Bester}}
* [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/authors/Alfred_Bester.htm Alfred Bester Bibliography]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080106074806/http://contento.best.vwh.net/d13.htm#A362 Contento bibliography]
* {{Librivox author |id=14806}}
* [http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/64/kelleghan.htm ''Science Fiction Studies'' on Bester] by [[Fiona Kelleghan]]
* [http://www.sfwa.org/hidden-pages/estates-contact-information/ SFWA directory of literary estates]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j1mFt5GyHg Alfred Bester interviewed] at the [[34th World Science Fiction Convention]] (1976), on [[YouTube]]

{{Alfred Bester novels}}
{{Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Awards}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bester, Alfred}}
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