Not many people left who knew Heinlein in the 1940s. The list just grew shorter by one -- Fred Pohl just . RIP

I saw this on rec.arts.sf.written, and then SFFNet. I met Pohl at Confrancisco in 1993, and then encountered him at various conventions over the following years. He was a wonderful storyteller about things SFNal, maybe not *quite* as amazing as Forrie Ackerman was but I learned a lot and enjoyed it. Pohl was a giant in the field, and fortunately a real human being in person. I'll miss him for both reasons.

Another one of the greats now belongs to the ages.

Amen. Unlike Sakeneko, I never had the opportunity to meet Fred Pohl in person, but I always enjoyed and appreciated his writing.

In an extended discussion elsewhere and a check with some knowledgeable types, the conclusion was that Pohl was the last sf/f writer of significance with a pre-war publication - basically, the last of the Golden Agers.

A few minor writers probably survive, but of the names that made the Golden Age auriferous... we've run out.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet him at the Centennial. He and Doc put on a very entertaining panel, with many RAH anecdotes.

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but there appears to be something of a break between about 1941 and 1948-9 or so. That is, we couldn't find a name-brand writer who first published in that range. Everything during the war and immediate aftermath was writers who had established themselves pre-war, with the new crop not publishing their first works until almost 1950.

In that latter group are Ellison, Silverberg, Brunner, Aldiss and (with only very minor exceptions) Bradbury. You know, those guys. A lot of whom were the ones who decided about ten years later that everyone who came before them wrote crap.

Still a substantive break over the war; even Heinlein had publications in 1942 from earlier effort. Not surprising, I suppose, in light of events.

But as most of that list is also gone, I'll repeat the basic question: are ANY prewar writers left with Pohl's passing?

it seems very doubtful that any pre-war writers are still with us- even if they were published at age 20, this would still mean they'd be in their 90's- which leaves this as possible but unlikely- lol jim i know i didn't answer your question but lacking heavy research i'll guess "no"- the actuarial tables would agree

Sorry, the topic page split made me miss that post. So it looks like two vanishingly minor authors have prewar credits and may still be alive; Kyle is not minor but he's not significant as a writer, AFAICT. More important as the founder of Gnome Press and being one of the earliest BNFs.

Bill P. couldn't think of any other candidates, either, which I'd take as pretty close to absolute.

I think Pohl has left the building and taken the event horizon with him. Damn. World just got a little smaller, didn't it?

David Kyle at the just-completed WorldCon (LoneStarCon).