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The following is a profile of Richard Matheson and is meant to accompany the discussion article on his short story "Born of Man and Woman." If you would like to jump straight to the that article, please click here. There will be an additional link provided at the end of the profile. It's often hard to say at exactly what point an influential writer enters a genre. Richard Matheson has been one of the most prolific and successful writers of SF stories and screenplays of the last 50 years. But was he destined to be a SF great? Not necessarily. Born in Allendale, NJ, in 1926, Matheson had his first story, "Born of Man and Woman," published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. This impactful little story was written as a piece of straight horror; but when it was received as SF by readers, Matheson considered a jump into the field. After writing three mystery novels, his first SF novel, the famous I Am Legend, was published. This launched a career that has touched us all; and while he has continued to write in other genres as well, it is for his SF work that he is best known. "I've never heard of him," you may be saying. Perhaps that's because screenwriters don't often get the high visibilty and credit they deserve. How many casual fans of Star Trek do you think realize that the same team (Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore) that has brought you Generations, First Contact, and many a Voyager episode also penned the box office smash Mission: Impossible 2? So here are a few highlights of Matheson's career; some pieces I think you'll recognize: • The Incredible Shrinking Man • The Last Man on Earth • "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"
The copyright of the article Richard Matheson: A Profile in Science Fiction & Society is owned by . Permission to republish Richard Matheson: A Profile in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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