Mari Wolf

This is the 22nd post in my series of vintage generation ship short fiction reviews. While I have dabbled in the more esoteric as of late due the rapidly decreasing number of available choices, thanks go out to all who have joined some part of my read-through already. I’ve also compiled an extensive index of generation ship SF–expanded from a monograph by Simone Caroti–if you wish to track down my earlier reviews on the topic and any that you might want to read on your own.¹

Previously: George Hay’s Flight of the “Hesper” (1952)

Next Up: TBD

Kenn Fagg’s cover for If, ed. James L. Quinn (June 1954)

2.75/5 (Below Average)

Mari Wolf’s “The First Day of Spring” first appeared in If, ed. James L. Quinn (June 1954). You can read it online here.

As I mentioned in my only other review of Mari Wolf’s work, she’s best known for her contributions to fandom including the Fandora’s Box column (1951-1956) in Imagination. In addition, Mari Wolf (1926-) published seven short stories between 1952 and 1954, six of which appeared in If. Unfortunately, after her divorce in 1955 from fellow SF author Rog Phillips (1909-1966), she stopped publishing SF. Here is a brief bibliographic blurb on her life, career, and SF endeavors. Ted White wrote an article about her in the fanzine e*I*5 (Vol. 1 No. 5) December 2002 (here). The issue also includes Wolf’s short story “Prejudice” (1953), which only received a fanzine publication.

The Nature of the Generational Voyage

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Anton Kurka’s cover for the January 1953 issue

I thought Mari Wolf’s “The Statue” (1953), a rumination on mortality, might find a home in my series on SF stories that are critical in some capacity of space agencies, astronauts, and the culture which produced them. However, due to its overall positivism–despite the blue-collar grit and focus on death–it didn’t fit. I would like to thank “Friend of the Site” Mark Louis Baumgart (see comments) for pointing me towards a new author!

Mari Wolf (1927-), best known for her contributions to fandom including the Fandora’s Box column (1951-1956) in Imagination, published seven short stories between 1952 and 1954, six of which appeared in If. Unfortunately, after her divorce in 1955 from fellow SF author Rog Phillips (1909-1966), she stopped publishing SF. Here is a brief bibliographic blurb on her life, career, and SF endeavors. Ted White Continue reading →