Joseph Harold ("Harry") Dockweiler (1920- August 1948) was a science-fiction author and literary agent. Dockweiler was best known by his pen name Dirk Wylie. Dockweiler was a member of The Futurians, a 1940s-era science-fiction fan community.[1]

Biography

Dockweiler attended Brooklyn Technical High School in the 1930s, where he became friends with fellow student Frederik Pohl.[2]

In 1934, a teen Dockweiler had a letter published in periodical Wonder Stories inquiring about "Science Fiction Week".[3] Both Dockweiler and Pohl dropped out of Brooklyn tech after their junior year.[4]

In 1937, Dockweiler published a fanzine titled Fantasy Mirror.[4] As an adult, Dockweiler wrote stories in collaboration with Frederik Pohl, Arnold Kummer Jr. and Cyril M. Kornbluth.[5] Dockweiler also used the pen names "Dennis Lavond" and "Elliott Whitney".

In 1937, Dockweiler joined the Committee for the Political Advancement of Science Fiction (CPASF), a left-wing group of Futurians who supported the views of fellow member John B. Michel.[6]

When the Futurians group fractured, Dockweiler and Pohl followed Michel and Donald Wollheim to form the East New York Science Fiction League.[2] In 1940, Dockweiler married fellow Futurian Rosalind "Roz" Cohen.[2][4]

Dockweiler was drafted and served as a sergeant in a military police company in World War 2. He was stationed in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.[2] Dockweiler suffered a spine injury after jumping from a transport truck; he was evacuated from theater and spent two years in a Veterans Administration hospital.[4] While hospitalized, Dockweiler penned a letter to Amazing Stories in which he reported two instances of having witnessed an unidentified objects, in some cases rise from the ocean and returning to it.[7]

In 1947, Dockweiler and Pohl set up the "Dirk Wylie Literary Agency".[8][9] In August 1948, Dockweiler died from tuberculosis of the spine.[2] After his death, Pohl and Rosalin continued to run the agency.[2]

Works

  • "Stepsons of Mars" (April 1940 Astonishing Stories) (with C M Kornbluth and Richard Wilson)
  • "Vacant World" (January 1941 Super Science Stories) (with C M Kornbluth)
  • Stuff (1940)
  • The Mantle of Graag (1941) with Robert A. W. Lowndes and Frederik Pohl
  • Something from Beyond (1941) with Robert A. W. Lowndes and Frederik Pohl
  • Highwayman Of The Void [10][11]
  • Asteroid of the Damned (1942) [12][13]
  • Sky Test (1942)
  • Outpost of the Eons (1943)
  • Star of the Undead(1948) with Robert A. W. Lowndes and Frederik Pohl
  • When Time Went Mad (publish posthumously in 1950) with Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr.

References

  1. Davin, Eric Leif (August 25, 2006). Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739112670 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Page, Michael R. (September 30, 2015). Frederik Pohl. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252097744 via Google Books.
  3. Ashley, Mike; Ashley, Michael; Lowndes, Robert A. W. (January 1, 2004). The Gernsback Days: A Study of the Evolution of Modern Science Fiction from 1911 to 1936. Wildside Press LLC. ISBN 9780809510559 via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 3 4 https://efanzines.com/Chunga/pdfs/chunga-25-lores.pdf
  5. Knight, Damon (August 29, 2013). The Futurians. Orion. ISBN 9780575111417 via Google Books.
  6. "The Immortal Storm a History of Science Fiction Fandom (1954) Sam Moskowitz (SiPDF)".
  7. "Amazing Stories v20n02 (1946 05.Ziff Davis)(cape1736)". May 1946.
  8. Williamson, Jack (August 25, 2005). Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction. BenBella Books. ISBN 9781932100570 via Google Books.
  9. Rich, Mark (January 13, 2010). C.M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary. McFarland. ISBN 9780786457113 via Google Books.
  10. Wylie, Dirk (September 23, 2020). Highwayman Of The Void. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 9798689630854 via Google Books.
  11. Wylie, Dirk; Doolin, Joseph (September 12, 2020). Highwayman of the Void via Project Gutenberg.
  12. Wylie, Dirk (November 17, 2020). Asteroid of the Damned. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781649740854 via Google Books.
  13. Pohl, Frederik; Wylie, Dirk (May 18, 2020). Asteroid of the Damned via Project Gutenberg.
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