Writer James White: Creativity

James White is a Northern Ireland writer who became famous for the cycle of novels and stories about the space hospital. He is the founder of the genre of medical science fiction. The owner of the literary award Eurocon (1972).

Biography

James White was born in the capital of Northern Ireland - the city of Belfast - April 7, 1928. Fantasy was carried away in his youth, becoming a 13-year-old co-author in an amateur magazine. After graduation, James worked in a far from science and adventure area - a seller of garments. However, his thoughts were in deep space, in the center of the inhabited worlds.

Family life was happy. In 1955, White married Margaret Sarah Martin, also a passionate fan of fiction. The couple had three children. In 1966, thanks to his creative abilities, James White became closer to the stars. By that time, the writer had been taken to Short Brothers Ltd as a technician first and then as deputy head of the public relations department. In 1984, he retired. He died on August 23, 1999.

Creation

White dreamed of becoming a doctor, but there was no money for training. His dreams he embodied on paper, writing novels "Star Surgeon", "First Aid", "Doctor Killer", "Space Psychologist" and others. In the soul of the future famous writer does not accept violence, because of his work impregnated with the spirit of mutual assistance, sacrifice and salvation.

The first stories were published in 1953, the first novel - in 1957th. In parallel, White collaborates with science fiction magazines. In 1947, he met another Irish science fiction writer Walter Willis. Together they participated in the publication of SF journals Slant (1948-1953) and Hyphen (1952-1965). Among the authors of "fanzines" were literary stars John Brunner, Bertram Chandler, Bob Shaw.

James White argued that he took up the pen only because he was tired of the apocalyptic stories of the time, from the prophecies of death in a nuclear war. He wanted to show the primacy of life over death, which was fully reflected in the cycle of Sector General about the space hospital, where people are next to the most unusual alien beings.

"Space Hospital"

The cycle of works under the same name (in the original Sector General) consists of 12 books published between 1962 and 1999. In addition, short stories were also created. The intergalactic hospital is a giant multi-species hospital that houses patients and staff of dozens of intelligent races with various environmental requirements, behavior and the most exotic diseases. The station also functions as a peacekeeping center.

The series includes novels:

• "The Star Surgeon."
• "Star doctor."
• "Interstellar ambulance."
• "The doctor is a murderer."
• Galactic Chef.
• "The final diagnosis."
• "Space psychologist".
• "Double contact".

And collections:

• "Space Hospital."
• "A big operation."
• "Ambulance".
• «Emergency incidents».

Plot

In the first three parts, White describes the purely medical problems that people may face when treating living organisms with a completely different physiology. The plot unfolds around the vicissitudes of Dr. Conway's career, which rises from a junior surgeon to a highly skilled diagnostician.

In the fourth book, the Galactic Federation decides that the hospital emergency service, which offers assistance to victims of space accidents and planetary disasters, is the most effective means of creating a peaceful contact with new intelligent species of aliens. Thanks to this literary move, James was able to expand the range of stories and characters.

Starting with the seventh book, the emphasis is on different perceptions of the world by alien forms of life, psychological problems. The circle of tasks that go beyond medicine is being solved, philosophical questions about feelings of guilt and forgiveness. In fact, the British science fiction writer became the first to describe the interspecific relationship between humanoids and non-humanoids from a medical point of view. The series also became one of the first "peacekeeping" space operas, where pacifism dominates - the rejection of violence in any of its manifestations. During the Cold War it was unusual.

Other works

James White wrote not only about space doctors. In his arsenal there are many curious topics. For example, in the collection Deadly Litter (1964), the author outlined the problem of space debris, although at that time there were only a few orbital launches. The story "Sanctuary" (1988) won the Analog Analytical Laboratory award. The book on the first contact of mankind with the alien race All Judgment Fled (1968) was awarded the "Eurocon" award in 1972. Four times White's work was nominated for the Hugo and Newbell awards.

Examples of other iconic works:

• "Secret visitors" (1957).
• "Tomorrow is too far" (1971).
• "The Dream of the Millennium" (1974).
• "World Federation" (1988).
• "Land: The Last Conflict" (1999).

Devotion to a dream

James White loved to write. Returning from work, he wrote stories on topics that he liked. Even when, due to diabetes, his vision fell heavily, he did not abandon the main passion of his life. For many years he was a member of the Council of the Science Fiction Association of Britain, his colleagues were Harry Harrison and Anne McCaffrey. He was also the patron of the Science Fiction Association of Ireland.