The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced that Joe Haldeman will be the next recipient of their Grand Master Award next May at the 2010 Nebula Awards Ceremony in Hollywood, Florida. SFWA President Russell Davis announced the decision, made in consultation with the Board of Directors and participating past presidents.
“Giving the Grand Master is one of the true pleasures of serving as the President of SFWA,” Davis said. “Being able to give it to Joe Haldeman—a past SFWA president, an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend—is not just a pleasure, but a genuine honor. I can think of no one more deserving that I’d be more pleased to recognize.”
Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. His landmark novel, The Forever War, won the Nebula, Hugo, and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975, and spawned two follow-up novels, Forever Peace (winner of the Nebula and Hugo in 1998) and Forever Free. He won Nebulas for “The Hemingway Hoax (novella, 1990), “Graves” (short story, 1993), and Camouflage (novel, 2006). His other Hugo Awards were for “Tricentennial” (short story, 1977), “The Hemingway Hoax” (novella, 1991), and “None So Blind” (short story, 1995). “Graves” also won the World Fantasy Award. His latest book, Starbound, will be published by Ace in January.
Haldeman was born 9 June 1943 in Oklahoma. He was drafted into the US Army, and served in the Vietnam War from 1968-69 (where he won the Purple Heart). His experiences in the war led him to write The Forever War. He’s been a full-time writer since 1970, and currently splits his time between Florida and Massachusetts. He’s been a part-time professor of writing at MIT since 1983. He’s been much in the news lately for his medical problems (see this article), but he is finally at home in Florida.
Haldeman was SFWA’s President from 1992 to 1994, and is the 27th writer recognized by SFWA as a Grand Master. He joins Robert A. Heinlein (1974), Jack Williamson (1975), Clifford D. Simak (1976), L. Sprague de Camp (1978), Fritz Leiber (1981), Andre Norton (1983), Arthur C. Clarke (1985), Isaac Asimov (1986), Alfred Bester (1987), Ray Bradbury (1988), Lester del Rey (1990), Frederik Pohl (1992), Damon Knight (1994), A.E. van Vogt (1995), Jack Vance (1996), Poul Anderson (1997), Hal Clement (1998), Brian Aldiss (1999), Philip Jose Farmer (2000), Ursula K. Le Guin (2003), Robert Silverberg (2004), Anne McCaffrey (2005), Harlan Ellison (2006), James Gunn (2007), Michael Moorcock (2008), and Harry Harrison (2009). The award was simply called the Grand Master award until 2002, when it was renamed the Damon Knight Grand Master Award, in honor of SFWA’s founder who had died that year.