Robert Heinlein

Robert Anson Heinlein is one of the most influential authors in the science fiction genre and his works continue to be beloved among readers long after his death in 1988. His best-known works include The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land, the four-part Future History series, and Starship Troopers, among many others. Heinlein created stories that featured offbeat characters, realistic and carefully executed scientific reasoning, and encompassed complex social and philosophical issues.

Heinlein was born in Butler, Missouri in 1907 and served as an officer in the United States Navy during World War II. Soon after, his writing career began as a contributor to pulp magazines and when his first novel, Rocket Ship Galileo, was published in 1947 he achieved a level of success that set him in line for a long and successful career writing science fiction novels. Throughout his career, Heinlein was recognized for his hard work, expertise, enthusiasm for the genre, and his meticulous attention to detail. His works were often part of larger story arcs, such as the Future History series, where events in one story would set the stage for events in another.

Heinlein's most notable works merge technology and philosophy, while delving into complex social issues and man’s pursuit of higher understanding. They often feature characters with divergent spiritualities, ideologies and behaviors in an exploration of the individual's relationship with society. Often these issues are explored through characters attempting to fit into a strange and alienating world, or questioning the status quo of the society they live in. This exploration is an important theme in many of his works such as Stranger in a Strange Land, which follows the protagonist as he attempts to assimilate into a society that fears and misunderstands him, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, in which a group of citizens of a lunar colony rebel against their Earthly oppressors.

Heinlein was also one of the first authors to have his works enter the public domain through copyright expiration. This allowed for his works to be used in a variety of mediums, such as stage plays, radio plays, television shows and movies. He was a prolific writer, and although his work is now entering into the public domain, his influence on science fiction and literature as a whole continues on.

Heinlein was a man ahead of his time in more ways than one—from his groundbreaking science fiction works to his forward thinking business practices. While he may be gone, his legacy and influence continue to last, being felt in both the scientific community and the world of literature and media. Robert Anson Heinlein is sure to continue being an inspiration and a source of hope and strength to readers around the world, as his work continues to travel the ages.