Acclaimed science fiction writer Poul Anderson was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania in 1926. After earning a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota, he moved to San Francisco where he lived for the rest of his life with his wife and writing partner Karen.

Anderson was a prolific writer with over 100 novels to his credit. His unique perspective was one informed by a deep understanding of science as well as an interest in Norse mythology. While he wrote fantasy novels, including The Broken Sword (1954), Three Hearts and Three Lions (1961), and A Midsummer Tempest (1974), his reputation rests primarily on the strength of his science fiction. His first sci-fi novel was 1954’s Brainwave, and it is considered by many to be a classic of the genre. He often wrote series of novels, including the popular “Time Patrol” works, beginning with 1981’s Guardians of Time. He also wrote novellas and many short stories over the course of his career.

His works won numerous science fiction prizes including three Hugo and seven Nebula awards, but it is perhaps for his 1970 novel Tau Zero that he will be best remembered. A member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame and winner of the Science Fiction Writers’ Association’s prestigious Grandmaster Award, Anderson continued to write engaging and masterful science fiction novels right up to his death in 2001. His last novel, Genesis, won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel of the year 2000.