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(1933-2013) US author most of whose work concentrated on Jewish themes, usually centring on New York. He began to publish work of genre interest with "The Mission" (December 1964 Playboy), but his interest in sf was never direct, and only with his sixth work of fiction, The Song of the Earth (2001), did he return fully to the field; the tale is set in the Near Future, around 2050, when well-off Americans lead their lives enclosed in armoured Keeps. Nissenson makes it clear, by naming streets after them, that his use of the term derives from Henry Kuttner and C L Moore, in whose Fury (May-July 1947 Astounding as by Lawrence O'Donnell; 1950; vt Destination Infinity 1956) Keeps are fortified undersea domes. The teenaged protagonist of The Song of the Earth, who has been transformed by Genetic Engineering into an artistic prodigy (see Arts), is gay (see Gender): his love for the head of a Gaian subculture leads to his death and ironical transfiguration. [JC]
born New York: 10 March 1933
died New York: 13 December 2013
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Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2011-current) edited by John Clute and David Langford.
Accessed 11:47 am on 23 October 2026.
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