Philip K. Dick

Andrew M Butler (Canterbury Christ Church University)
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Philip K. Dick was a science fiction writer active between 1951 and his death in 1982, best known for the novels

The Man in the High Castle

(1962) and

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

(1968), the latter being the inspiration for the film

Blade Runner

(Ridley Scott, 1982). His works explored the themes of defining the real and the human, often straying into political and theological areas. He started publishing at a point where science fiction had became more interested in politics and social issues, especially in the works of Theodore Sturgeon, C.M. Kornbluth, Fredrik Pohl, Alfred Bester and Robert Sheckley. His career spanned the height and collapse of the pulp magazine market in the 1950s, the rise of the paperback novel in the 1950s and 1960s and the emergence of large advances for…

1791 words

Citation: Butler, Andrew M. "Philip K. Dick". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 November 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1255, accessed 13 October 2024.]

1255 Philip K. Dick 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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