Philip K. Dick β 20th-century American science fiction writer; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Man in the High Castle; a cult figure in speculative fiction. His novels probe reality, identity, and power, many adapted into iconic films.
π The Man in the High Castle won the Hugo Award in 1963. π¬ His works inspired Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall. π§ͺ Obsession with the boundary between reality and illusion defined his fiction. π Authored over 40 novels and 120 short stories. π Themes reflect Cold War paranoia and fear of authoritarianism. π Struggled with amphetamine addiction, shaping his frenetic style. ποΈ Could produce multiple novels per year with staggering output. πΊ Amazon produced a hit series based on The Man in the High Castle. π―ββοΈ The death of his twin sister Jane haunted him throughout life. π Explored alternate universes and fractured timelines. π In 1974 he underwent the mystical βVALISβ experience, shaping his later works. πΌ Loved classical music and once worked in a record shop. π§ Curious: convinced intelligence agencies spied on him; once reported a βbreak-inβ that proved unfounded. π Funny: joked he wrote so fast βeven the typewriter canβt keep up.β