The joy makers
0.0
Open LibraryAbout this book
The three parts of James Gunn's fix-up novel The Joy Makers (1961) were originally published in magazine form in 1955 as 'Name Your Pleasure,' 'The Naked Sky', and 'The Unhappy Man.' I have not read the originals so I'm unsure of how much was added or subtracted or completely re-conceptualized. Largely a satire -- Gunn pushes his point to the logical, and terrifying extreme -- each part is a further chronological progression of a society whose chief aim is to make people happy. It is hard not to read Part I as a satirical take on some aspects of Scientology, a movement that was gaining force in the early 1950s.
Themes & subjects
Science fictionFiction, science fiction, generalHappinessFictionSocial engineering
First published 1971About the author
James E. Gunn
12 Jul 1923 – 23 Dec 2020
James Edwin Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he earned a journalism degree from the University of Kansas, followed by a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. He became the director of public relations for the University of Kansas. He then became a professor Professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing, and is currently a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction. He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–1972 and was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980–1982.
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