Origins & Early Life

Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, originally of science fiction and fantasy, who has published many well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worked as an editor and is also a successful musician. He is best known for his novels about the character Elric of Melniboné, which were a seminal influence on the field of fantasy in the 1960s and 1970s. As editor of the British avant garde/science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States, publishing and publicising the work of J.G.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Ballard, Thomas M. Disch, John Sladek, Langdon Jones, Barrington J. Bayley, Hilary Bailey, Pamela Zoline, Samuel R. Delany and M. John Harrison leading to the advent of cyberpunk.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

His publication of Bug Jack Barron (1969) by Norman Spinrad as a serial novel was notorious; in Parliament, some British MPs condemned the Arts Council of Great Britain for funding the magazine. In 2008, The Times named Moorcock in its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Ada Yonath — Contemporary (Born in 1939) (1939): Pioneering crystallographer known for elucidating the structure and function of the ribosome.
• Alexander Yegorov (general) — Contemporary (Died in 1939) (1939): Soviet military leader and one of the original Marshals of the Soviet Union.
• Alphonse Mucha — Contemporary (Died in 1939) (1939): Master of Art Nouveau, famed for decorative posters and The Slav Epic.
• Alvin E. Roth — Shared historical date (12-18 · Born) (1951): Pioneering economist known for game theory and market design solutions.
• Andrija Mohorovičić — Shared historical date (12-18 · Died) (1936): Pioneering Croatian geophysicist, founder of modern seismology.
• Amelia Earhart — Historical peer (Died in 1939) (1939): Iconic American aviator whose pioneering flights shaped early 20th-century aviation.
• Amos Oz — Historical peer (Born in 1939) (1939): Pioneering Israeli novelist, journalist, and intellectual whose works explored Palestinian life.
• Abedi Pele — Historical peer (Born in 1964) (1964): Legendary Ghanaian footballer, celebrated for his attacking prowess and leadership.
• Adam Yauch — Historical peer (Born in 1964) (1964): Founding member of Beastie Boys; influential rapper, filmmaker, and Tibetan activist.
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — Historical peer (Born in 1971) (1971): Iraqi militant leader and founder of the Islamic State (IS)
• 1939 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1939
• December 18 (12-18) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on December 18