Joe Haldeman is an American science fiction author. He is best known for the classic The Forever War (1974), which won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1975.
Joe is the brother of Jack Carroll "Jay" Haldeman II, an American biologist and science-fiction writer.
Joe Haldeman was born in Oklahoma. He grew up in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D. C., and Alaska. He earned a Bachelor of Science in astronomy at the University of Maryland in 1967.
Haldeman served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, and his experiences there heavily influenced his fiction. His works usually deal with war, space travel, and the human condition.
After serving, Haldeman attended the University of Iowa and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing in 1975. He studied under science fiction author and tutor James Gunn.
Joe Haldeman's first published work was the science fiction short story Out of Phase in 1969, which appeared in the magazine Amazing Stories. His first novel, War Year, was published in 1972.
Haldeman's breakthrough came in 1974 after the critically acclaimed The Forever War. Since then, he has become a recognized and successful science fiction author with 20 novels and five anthologies.
Other notable titles include Camouflage (2004), The Accidental Time Machine (2007), and Marsbound (2008), as well as the short works Graves (1993), Tricentennial (1977), and the novella The Hemingway Hoax (1991). His latest novel is Work Done For Hire (2014).
Joe Haldeman has won many awards, including five Hugo Awards and five Nebula Awards. Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May 2010.
In addition to his literary career, Joe Haldeman has worked as an instructor and professor. He has taught creative writing at several universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of North Dakota. He retired from MIT in 2014 after 31 years.
SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."
Joe Haldeman currently lives in Gainesville, Florida, with his wife, Gay Haldeman.
Photo credit: www.joehaldeman.com
