The first Golden Age of Science Fiction — often recognized as the period from the 1938 to 1946 — was an era during which the science fiction genre gained wide public attention and many classic science fiction stories were published. In the history of science fiction, the Golden Age follows the "pulp era" of the 1920s and 30s, and precedes New Wave science fiction of the 1960s and 70s. The 1950s are a transitional period in this scheme, however Robert Silverberg saw the 1950s as the true center of the Golden Age.
According to historian Adam Roberts, "the phrase Golden Age valorises a particular sort of writing: 'Hard SF', linear narratives, heroes solving problems or countering threats in a space-opera or technological-adventure idiom."
Read more about Golden Age Of Science Fiction: From Gernsback To Campbell, Developments in The Genre, Cultural Significance, Prominent Golden Age Authors, End of The Golden Age
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“The word “civilization” to my mind is coupled with death. When I use the word, I see civilization as a crippling, thwarting thing, a stultifying thing. For me it was always so. I don’t believe in the golden ages, you see.... Civilization is the arteriosclerosis of culture.”
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“Maybe in the ‘90s or possibly in the next century people will look upon the ‘80s as the age of masturbation, when it was taken to the limit; that might be all that’s going on right now in a big way.”
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“The natural historian is not a fisherman who prays for cloudy days and good luck merely; but as fishing has been styled “a contemplative man’s recreation,” introducing him profitably to woods and water, so the fruit of the naturalist’s observations is not in new genera or species, but in new contemplations still, and science is only a more contemplative man’s recreation.”
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“... fiction never exceeds the reach of the writer’s courage.”
—Dorothy Allison (b. 1949)