Gunn was a professor emeritus of English and the founding director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, both at the University of Kansas.[7][8]
Gunn was born in Kansas City, Missouri,[9] on July 12, 1923 to Jesse and Elsie Mae (née Hutchison) Gunn. He came from a publishing family: his father was a printer, two uncles were pressmen, another uncle was a proofreader, and his grandfather was a newspaper editor. His grandfather, Benjamin Gunn, appeared in Ripley's Believe it or Not. As a Masonic representative, he had visited every county in every state in the country and could name them all, including where he had spent the night.
Gunn served for three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II[9] but never saw combat. With several months of Japanese language training and a few hours spent learning to fly an airplane, he was sent to Truk Island, now known as Chuuk Lagoon, to be adjutant to the commanding officer. He then attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English from Northwestern University in 1951.[10]
By 1958, Gunn was managing editor of University of Kansas Alumni Publications.[10] He became a faculty member of the university, where he served as the director of public relations and as a Professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He was a professor emeritus and founding director of the original Center for the Study of Science Fiction,[11] which awarded the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short fiction.
On June 12, 2015, Locus announced the selection of Gunn and four others for induction into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, along with "a 'lightning-fast' fundraiser to cover [Gunn's] travel expenses so he can attend the June 27, 2015 induction ceremony in Seattle".[5][6]
Gunn became a professional writer in 1947 when he wrote a play produced by the University of Kansas, Thy Kingdom Come, then wrote newspaper articles and radio scripts.[10]
Although he considered moving to New York to become a playwright, he began his career as a science fiction writer in 1949, making his first short story sale to Thrilling Wonder Stories.[13] He has had nearly 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has written 28 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.[8]
In 1948, Gunn wrote his first science fiction, ten short stories, and published nine from 1949 to 1952 as "Edwin James", a pseudonym derived from his full name James Edwin Gunn.[10][8] The first two in print, "Communications" and "Paradox" (the first sale), were published in September and October 1949 by editor Sam MerwininStartling Stories and Thrilling Wonder Stories respectively.[1] Gunn's master's thesis, a critical analysis of the genre, was also published in a professional magazine.[10] His novels were first published by Gnome Press in 1955, Star Bridge, written by Gunn and Jack Williamson, and This Fortress World.[1]
Gunn married Jane Frances Anderson on February 6, 1947, at Danforth Chapel in Lawrence, Kansas. They had two sons, Christopher, born in 1949, and Kevin, born in 1954. Christopher died on St. Patrick's Day, 2005. Jane died September 27, 2012. Kevin is still living.[9][when?]
Gunn died in Lawrence, Kansas, on the morning of December 23, 2020, at age 97[17] of natural causes after a brief hospitalization.[9]
His stories also have been adapted into radio plays and teleplays.
NBC Radio's X Minus One – "Cave of Night", February 1, 1956; "Wherever You May Be", June 26, 1956
Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series The Immortal in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals[8]
"Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft", an episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World (filmed in 1989) was based on Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".[18]
A more-complete bibliography of Gunn's works is available on Christopher McKitterick's site[19] (maintained since 1992; McKitterick worked closely with Gunn and his SF center from 1992 until his death in 2020, and wrote extensively on Gunn, his original Center for the Study of Science Fiction, and his work).
The Immortals (Bantam, 1962), which was adapted for an ABC Movie of the Week in the fall of 1969 and turned into an ironically short-lived TV series in 1970.
The Listeners (Scribner's, 1972), stories[14][15] – October 1972 collection of six novelettes, five previously published (September 1968 to September 1972); "The 'Computer Run's between each story average 8 pages long"[20]
The Magicians (Scribner's, 1976) – expanded from a novella, "Sine of the Magus" (Beyond Fantasy Fiction, May 1954)[1]
Gunn's other anthologies include The Road to Science Fiction, six volumes from 1977 to 1998. The first four volumes, published by Mentor New American Library from 1977 to 1982, are organized chronologically and cover Gilgamesh to 1981 or "Forever" (volume 4, From Here to Forever). The last two volumes, published by White Wolf, Inc. in 1998, feature "The British Way" and "Around the World".[1]
