LONDON -- Brian Aldiss, one of the most prolific and influential science fiction writers of the 20th century, has died aged 92.
It is with great sadness we announce the death of our beloved father & grandfather. Brian died peacefully at home on his 92nd birthday ^TA
— Brian Aldiss (@brianaldiss) August 21, 2017
OBE, author, poet & belletrist Brian had celebrated his birthday with close friends & family and spoken to many close to him ^TA
— Brian Aldiss (@brianaldiss) August 21, 2017
Literary agency Curtis Brown said Aldiss died early Saturday at his home in Oxford, England.
Born in 1925, Aldiss served in India and Burma with the British Army during World War II and later became a bookseller, publishing his first stories in a trade magazine.
He went on to have a huge influence on sci-fi, as a writer of stories and novels and as editor of many anthologies.
His work includes "Greybeard," set in a world without young people, and the "Helliconia" trilogy, centred on a planet in which the seasons last for centuries.
Aldiss' 1969 short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" was an unrealized dream project for the late Stanley Kubrick and formed the basis for Steven Spielberg's 2001 film "A.I."
He also wrote general fiction, some of it inspired by his wartime experiences, and two volumes of autobiography.
Son Tim Aldiss tweeted that his father was "a drinking companion of Kingsley Amis & correspondent with C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien," and younger writers hailed Aldiss as a major influence and encouraging mentor. On Twitter, "Sandman" author Neil Gaiman called him "a larger than life wise writer."
Aldiss was awarded the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
