Michael Szameit
Encyclopedia
Michael Szameit is a German
science fiction
writer
.
Born 1950 in Priessen (now part of Doberlug-Kirchhain
), in East Germany, he became an electrician
before beginning to study physics
, which he had to abandon for health reasons. Later he worked as a sound
technician
, eventually becoming head of a recording studio
for radio
and television
. From 1981 to 1984 he worked in the editorial office of the Neues Leben publishing house.
In 1984 he became a freelance writer. Today he lives in Hamburg
and works as an editor
and journalist
for the German magazine Blinker.
His first short story
was published 1976, his first novel
(Red Alert in Tunnel Transterra) in 1982 by the Neues Leben publishing house.
According to a poll held in 1990 by the club magazine Transfer of the SFC Andymon, he was at that point one of the four most popular science fiction writers in the then German Democratic Republic.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Born 1950 in Priessen (now part of Doberlug-Kirchhain
Doberlug-Kirchhain
Doberlug-Kirchhain is a town in the district of Elbe-Elster, Brandenburg, Germany. -History:937. The town of Kirchhain was built by Margrave Gero. A document written in 1005 mentions the town Doberlug for the first time. In 1165 the Cistercian Dobrilugk Abbey was founded by Margrave Dietrich of...
), in East Germany, he became an electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
before beginning to study physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, which he had to abandon for health reasons. Later he worked as a sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
technician
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
, eventually becoming head of a recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
for radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. From 1981 to 1984 he worked in the editorial office of the Neues Leben publishing house.
In 1984 he became a freelance writer. Today he lives in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and works as an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for the German magazine Blinker.
His first short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
was published 1976, his first novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
(Red Alert in Tunnel Transterra) in 1982 by the Neues Leben publishing house.
According to a poll held in 1990 by the club magazine Transfer of the SFC Andymon, he was at that point one of the four most popular science fiction writers in the then German Democratic Republic.
novels
- Red Alert in Tunnel Transterra (1982, Alarm im Tunnel Transterra)
- In the Light of Zaurak (1983, Im Glanz der Sonne Zaurak)
- The Secret of the Sun Stones (1984, Das Geheimnis der Sonnensteine)
- Dragoncruiser Ikaros (1987, Drachenkreuzer Ikaros; 1994 reprint by Heyne ISBN 3-453-07780-6)
- Copyworld (1997; 1999 reprinted by Das Neue Berlin ISBN 3-360-00892-8)
stories
- The Animal (1976, Das Tier)
- Vacation, Aldebaran style (1976, Urlaub auf aldebaranisch)
- The Apple-purée Cruiser (1983, Der Apfelmuskreuzer)
- Planet of the Wind Harps (1983, Planet der Windharfen)
- Three-Eyes, keep watch... (1990, Dreiäuglein, wache...)
as publisher
- From the Diary of an Ant (1985, Aus dem Tagebuch einer Ameise)
- The Long Way to the Blue Star (1990, Der lange Weg zum blauen Stern)