Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick was born in 1928, and began publishing novels and stories in the 1950s. Over the course of a remarkably productive career spanning three decades, he transcended the boundaries of science fiction with profound meditations on the dangers of centralized power and what it means to be human. Dick died in 1982, in poverty and with his work relatively unknown beyond dedicated science fiction readers. His influence and stature have grown considerably since; he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, while a number of his books have been published by the Library of America. Many of his works have been adapted for film and television, such as Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly and The Man in the High Castle.