Richard A. Lupoff

Richard Allen Lupoff (February 21, 1935 – October 22, 2020) was an American science-fiction and mystery author, who also wrote humor, satire, nonfiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He was an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and had an equally strong interest in H. P. Lovecraft. He also co-edited the non-fiction anthology All in Color For a Dime (with Don Thompson), which has been described as "the very first published volume dedicated to comic book criticism"; as well as its sequel, The Comic-Book Book.

Early life and education Born February 21, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, into a Jewish family, Lupoff studied at the University of Miami, where he continued a career as a freelance journalist that began when he was 14.

Technology career After completion of his degree and military service, Lupoff worked as a technical writer at Sperry Univac for five years, then at IBM for seven years, where his duties centered on directing informational films. The recession of the late 1970s caused him to return temporarily to employment in technology.

Science fiction He began publishing fiction in 1967 with the novel One Million Centuries, and became a full-time writer in 1970. Pastiche of other authors' styles and story settings and use of other authors and friends as characters are features of his writing.

Among his best-known novels are the duology Circumpolar! (1984) and Countersolar! (1987). His novel Sword of the Demon was nominated for the 1977 Nebula Award. Robert Silverberg described it as "a strange and austerely beautiful fable that cuts across genre lines."

His short fiction, which has often been collected and anthologized, includes the 1973 short story "12:01 PM", which was adapted into both the Oscar-nominated short film 12:01 pm (1990) and the TV movie 12:01 (1993). Lupoff appeared in both films as an extra.

Mystery Returning to full-time writing, he turned, instead, to mystery. The Comic Book Killer. published in 1988, has several sequels.

Personal life Richard and Pat Lupoff were married from 1958 until her death in 2018, and had three children. They lived in Westchester County and then in Manhattan, and later in Northern California. He died in Oakland, CA on October 22, 2020.