Brian Aldiss, a renowned British science fiction author, was born in Dereham, Norfolk, to Stanley and Elizabeth Aldiss. He spent his childhood away from his family, attending Framlingham College preparatory school in Suffolk and West Buckland school in Devon. Aldiss served in the Royal Corps of Signals during World War II, where he was stationed in India and Burma. He rose to the rank of corporal and was among the many young soldiers whose lives were saved by the Japanese surrender following the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
After the war, Aldiss settled in Oxford and began working as a bookshop assistant. Under the pseudonym Peter Pica, he contributed a series of fictional sketches to the trade magazine The Bookseller, which became popular with readers and caught the attention of Sir Geoffrey Faber, chairman of the publisher Faber and Faber. This led to the publication of his first book, The Brightfount Diaries, in 1955.
Aldiss's first science fiction novel, Non-Stop, was published in 1958 and introduced British characters to the genre. He went on to write several more novels, including Greybeard, which depicted a world of universal sterility, and the Horatio Stubbs trilogy, which was set in the far east during World War II.
In the 1970s, Aldiss's work became more experimental, and he published novels such as Frankenstein Unbound and The Malacia Tapestry, a fantasy inspired by 18th-century Italian artists. He also wrote the Helliconia trilogy, which was set in a world that circles a double star and explores the rise and fall of cultures.
Aldiss was a prolific writer, publishing numerous novels, short stories, and non-fiction works throughout his career. He was also a fierce advocate for science fiction, and his commitment to the genre earned him numerous awards and accolades. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Literary Society in 1989 and was appointed OBE in 2005.
Aldiss was married twice, first to Olive Fortescue from 1948 to 1965, and then to Margaret Manson until her death in 1997. He had four children and was survived by his partner, Alison Soskice, and his children.
