Robert A. Heinlein

Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American author, engineer, and naval officer. He is primarily known as an author of science fiction. His best-known works include Starship Troopers (1959), Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966). Additionally, he wrote a little fantasy fiction and some non-fiction. Within a few years of his debut in 1939, he was clearly the most influential writer the field has ever known; he established norms of writing science fiction, particularly in his unrivaled talent for incorporating scientific speculation into the narrative structure by unobstructive means, that have since been emulated with varying degrees of success by nearly every science-fiction writer. He was quickly recognized by his peers as being unparalleled: he won four Hugos for the best novel of the year; was the Writer Guest of Honor at the World Science Fiction Conventions of 1941, 1961, and 1976, and received the first Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers of America. For many years, he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke were known as the Big Three of science fiction.

Educated at the United States Naval Academy, Heinlein hoped to be a career officer; he was discharged, against his will, for medical reasons in 1934.

His work's dominant themes are the importance of freedom and creativity, with many of his protagonists rising from obscurity through their own wits, or battling for freedom against collective entities. His work also often reflects such martial virtues as patriotism and loyalty. As a result, he is high on the list of authors favored by libertarians.