Delany, Samuel R(ay)

born April 1, 1942, New York, N.Y., U.S.

U.S. science-fiction novelist and critic.

Born into a distinguished African American family, he attended the City College of New York and published his first novel in 1962. His highly imaginative works, which garnered wide critical admiration, address racial and social issues, sexuality, heroic quests, and the nature of language. Dhalgren (1975), his most controversial novel, tells of a young bisexual man searching for identity in a large, decaying city. Other works include the novels Babel-17 (1966, Nebula Award), The Einstein Intersection (1967, Nebula Award), and Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand (1984), and scripts for film, radio, and Wonder Woman comic books. Among his nonfiction works are Longer Views: Extended Essays (1996) and Shorter Views: Queer Thoughts and the Politics of the Paraliterary (1999).

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