Jerry Pournelle - Fiction Writer, Career and Life
Jerry Pournelle's Personal Details
Jerry E
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | August 7, 1933 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | University Of Washington, Media Personalities, Writers, Fiction Writer |
| Known as | Jerry Eugene Pournelle |
| Childrens | Jennifer R. Pournelle |
| Universities |
|
| Notable Alumnis |
|
| Birth Place | Shreveport |
| Gender | Male |
| Sun Sign | Leo |
| Born in | Shreveport |
| Famous as | Fiction writer |
Jerry Pournelle's photo
Who is Jerry Pournelle?
Jerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science-fiction writer, essayist and journalist. A lesser known fact about him is that he is a polymath too, with degrees in statistics, systems engineering, psychology and political science. He started writing non-science fiction work under the pseudonym of Wade Curtis or J. E. Pournelle. Critics believe that when it comes to writing, his stories always display a strong military theme and the progress of the people is depicted by, and depended upon, the advancement in technology. Then certain complicated social issues, arising from the technology, are dealt with through politically incorrect ways. Another thing that makes him popular amongst the readers is the various “laws” that he published in his books, the most famous being his Iron Law of Bureaucracy. As a journalist, he earned recognition in the computer industry for his monthly columns called the 'Computing At Chaos Manor' in ‘Byte’ magazine. His columns were the industry's first and the longest-running monthly column, running for a period of over 20 years. After the termination of his contract he moved the column to his own website. He thoroughly opposed the US strategy regarding the gulf war, as he was of the opinion that the money spent on the war could have been used for developing energy technologies
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Childhood & Early Life
Jerry Pournelle was born on August 7, 1933 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He received his schooling from Capleville, Tennessee and served in the Korean War for the US Army.
After his return from the Korean War, he went to the University of Washington and received his BS in psychology and mathematics in 1955. Thereafter, he went on to obtain an MS in psychology, experimental statistics and systems engineering.
He completed his PhD in political science from the University of Washington, in 1964. For his political science dissertation, he created a 2-D coordinate system which could be used to distinguish political ideologies and called it the 'Pournelle chart'.
Career
Jerry Pournelle worked as campaign director for the mayoral campaign of 1969 for Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty, who was a Demaocrat party candidate. Jerry was later on appointed as Executive Assistant to the Mayor in charge of research, but he quit from the position after two weeks.
After resigning from the position at Mayor’s office, he became a consultant to the Professional Educators of Los Angeles (PELA) in 1970. This group was known for its opposition to the unionization of school teachers in LA.
He worked in the operations research department at The Aerospace Corporation and the North America Rockwell Space Division, and later on became the founding president of the Pepperdine Research Institute.
A government budget cut reduced the demand for space research and he chose to become a science-fiction writer.
Russell Kirk and Stefan T Possony took Pournelle as their protégé. Possony and Pournelle penned several publications, including 'The Strategy of Technology' which later became a textbook for the US Military Academy, US Air Force Academy, the Air War College and the National War College.
During the 1970s and 1980s he wrote articles for the magazine ‘The General’. The articles were about military tactics and war gaming in the military simulations industry.
In his 1977 novel, 'The Mercenary', a planet is threatened with mass destruction if a large part of its population doesn't shift to the countryside. The leading political party finds it unsuitable. However, the protagonist decides to crush the party completely and get people moved to the countryside.
He began writing the ‘Chaos Manor’ section in the ‘Byte’ magazine in 1979. The column was about his every-day experiences with his home office's hardware and software.
In 1984 the column was renamed to ‘Computing at Chaos Manor’. When the magazine decided to close its print version in US, Pournelle wrote for the magazine's online and international print editions.
In his novel 'Footfall' (1985), elephant-like aliens take control over a part of Kansas. The President decides to annihilate the place with nuclear explosives, but with utmost secrecy. The protagonist then brings a twist to the plot and achieves surrender from the aliens instead.
The contract between Pournelle and ‘Byte’ ended in 2006 and neither decided to renew it. Then Pournelle began writing the column for his own website, Chaos Manor Reviews.
He suggested several “laws” in his books and the most famous one is his Iron Law of Bureaucracy. He stated "In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals the bureaucracy is suppose to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely".
Major Works
He attained great fame and recognition for the books he co-wrote with Larry Niven. Their 1985 novel 'Footfall' reached the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller List and 'Lucifer's Hammer' (1977) reached No. 2 on the same list. Another of their novels, ‘The Mote in God's Eye' was a huge success and so was the sequel 'The Gripping Hand'.
Awards & Achievements
Pournelle won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, in 1973.
In 1992, his book 'Fallen Angels' got him the Prometheus Award and he became the co-recipient of the Heinlein Society Award with author-friend Larry Niven in 2005.
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the British Interplanetary Society, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Operations Research Society of America.
Personal Life & Legacy
Jerry Pournelle married Roberta Jane Isdell in 1959 and they have five children together.
In 2008, Pournelle was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He successfully battled it by undergoing radiation treatment.
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Jerry Pournelle's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 0 | 2001 - Prometheus Hall of Fame Award - The Survival of Freedom | |
| 0 | 2005 - Robert A. Heinlein Award | |
| 0 | 1992 - Prometheus Award for Best Novel - Fallen Angels | |
| 0 | 1973 - John W. Campbell Award for the Best New Writer | |
Jerry Pournelle biography timelines
- // 7th Aug 1933Jerry Pournelle was born on August 7, 1933 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He received his schooling from Capleville, Tennessee and served in the Korean War for the US Army.
- // 1955After his return from the Korean War, he went to the University of Washington and received his BS in psychology and mathematics in 1955. Thereafter, he went on to obtain an MS in psychology, experimental statistics and systems engineering.
- // 1959Jerry Pournelle married Roberta Jane Isdell in 1959 and they have five children together.
- // 1964He completed his PhD in political science from the University of Washington, in 1964. For his political science dissertation, he created a 2-D coordinate system which could be used to distinguish political ideologies and called it the 'Pournelle chart'.
- // 1969Jerry Pournelle worked as campaign director for the mayoral campaign of 1969 for Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty, who was a Demaocrat party candidate. Jerry was later on appointed as Executive Assistant to the Mayor in charge of research, but he quit from the position after two weeks.
- // 1970After resigning from the position at Mayor’s office, he became a consultant to the Professional Educators of Los Angeles (PELA) in 1970. This group was known for its opposition to the unionization of school teachers in LA.
- // 1973Pournelle won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, in 1973.
- // 1977In his 1977 novel, 'The Mercenary', a planet is threatened with mass destruction if a large part of its population doesn't shift to the countryside. The leading political party finds it unsuitable. However, the protagonist decides to crush the party completely and get people moved to the countryside.
- // 1977 To 1985He attained great fame and recognition for the books he co-wrote with Larry Niven. Their 1985 novel 'Footfall' reached the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller List and 'Lucifer's Hammer' (1977) reached No. 2 on the same list. Another of their novels, ‘The Mote in God's Eye' was a huge success and so was the sequel 'The Gripping Hand'.
- // 1979He began writing the ‘Chaos Manor’ section in the ‘Byte’ magazine in 1979. The column was about his every-day experiences with his home office's hardware and software.
- // 1984In 1984 the column was renamed to ‘Computing at Chaos Manor’. When the magazine decided to close its print version in US, Pournelle wrote for the magazine's online and international print editions.
- // 1985In his novel 'Footfall' (1985), elephant-like aliens take control over a part of Kansas. The President decides to annihilate the place with nuclear explosives, but with utmost secrecy. The protagonist then brings a twist to the plot and achieves surrender from the aliens instead.
- // 1992 To 2005In 1992, his book 'Fallen Angels' got him the Prometheus Award and he became the co-recipient of the Heinlein Society Award with author-friend Larry Niven in 2005.
- // 2006The contract between Pournelle and ‘Byte’ ended in 2006 and neither decided to renew it. Then Pournelle began writing the column for his own website, Chaos Manor Reviews.
- // 2008In 2008, Pournelle was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He successfully battled it by undergoing radiation treatment.
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Jerry Pournelle's FAQ
What is Jerry Pournelle birthday?
Jerry Pournelle was born at 1933-08-07
Where is Jerry Pournelle's birth place?
Jerry Pournelle was born in Shreveport
What is Jerry Pournelle nationalities?
Jerry Pournelle's nationalities is American
Who is Jerry Pournelle childrens?
Jerry Pournelle's childrens is Jennifer R. Pournelle
What was Jerry Pournelle universities?
Jerry Pournelle studied at University Of Washington, University of Washington
What was Jerry Pournelle notable alumnis?
Jerry Pournelle's notable alumnis is University Of Washington
What is Jerry Pournelle's sun sign?
Jerry Pournelle is Leo
How famous is Jerry Pournelle?
Jerry Pournelle is famouse as Fiction writer