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Michel, John B

Entry updated 16 January 2023. Tagged: Author, Fan.

(1917-1968) US author and editor of several Fanzines who was a founding member of the New York Futurians, most of whom were influenced by his revolutionary left-wing politics, known as "Michelism". This advocated the harnessing of science and Fandom to work towards a unified world Utopia, a controversial platform widely identified with Communism (Michel was indeed a member of the Young Communist League). He was involved in the early years of FAPA (which see).

Michel notionally began to publish work of genre interest at the age of 14 with "The Menace from Mercury" for Wonder Stories in Summer 1932, in collaboration with Raymond Z Gallun – the actuality being that Michel submitted the plot to a magazine contest and Gallun wrote the story. His true debut was "Path of Empire" (Summer 1941 Science Fiction Quarterly) as by Hugh Raymond, a pseudonym he used for seventeen stories 1941-1943. Michel also published short work under his own name and as Alan Barrister, Bowen Conway, Arthur Cooke (a collaborative pseudonym), J B Mitchel, John Tara and Lawrence Woods (which see); only three sf stories appeared after 1943, in 1950, 1957 and 1967. From the mid-1950s he focused on non-genre work including journalism, children's books and four erotic novels. Michel died by drowning and may have committed Suicide. [DRL]

John Blythe Michel

born New York: 7 February 1917

died Amchir, Orange County, New York: 1 December 1968

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