Newswire R.I.P. Philip José Farmer

by Keith Phipps February 25, 2009

The prolific and widely influential science fiction writer Philip José Farmer has died at the age of 91. Farmer's career mixed acclaim, and daring that courted infamy. With stories like "The Lovers," which won him a Hugo for "most promising new writer in 1953, and novels such as Flesh, Farmer made great strides toward bringing sexual frankness into science fiction.

Farmer also found fertile grounds in the margins of other creators' works, revisiting and revising characters such as Doc Savage and Tarzan, both of whom became subjects of Farmer's fictional biographies. He also published a novel under the name of "Kilgore Trout," borrowing the name from Kurt Vonnegut's fictional writer, reportedly much to Vonnegut's later chagrin after his initial approval. Farmer found his greatest following with a pair of ongoing series: The Riverworld and World Of Tiers cycles. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Farmer spent much of his life in Peoria, Illinois. He leaves behind family, a following of "Farmerphiles," and over 75 books.

Here's a clip of Farmer detailing his brief interaction with Tarzan:

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