James Blish

American science fiction and fantasy author (1921–1975)
Person human Q248867
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Summary

James Blish was born on May 23, 1921[1], in East Orange[2]. He died on July 30, 1975[3], in Henley-on-Thames[4]. He worked as a writer[5], novelist[6], literary critic[7], and science fiction writer[8]. He ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (1,561 views/month, #7,118 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • Place of burial: Holywell Cemetery[10]
  • Spouse: J. A. Lawrence[11], Virginia Kidd[12]
  • Country of citizenship: United States[13]
  • Native language: English[14]
  • Educated at: Columbia University[15], Rutgers University[16]
  • Notable work: A Case of Conscience[17], The Seedling Stars[18]
  • Award received: Hugo Award for Best Novel[19], Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame[20], Retro Hugo Award for Best Novella[21], Retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette[22]
  • Sex or gender: male[23]
  • Genre: science fiction[24], fantasy[25]
  • Commons category: James Benjamin Blish[26]
  • Archives at: Bodleian Library Special Collections[27]
  • Cause of death: lung cancer[28]
  • Participated in conflict: World War II[29]
  • Family name: Blish[30]
  • Given name: James[31], Benjamin[32]
  • Pseudonym: William Atheling, Jr.[33]
  • Official website: http://jamesblish.com/[34]
  • Manner of death: natural causes[35]
  • Described by source: Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction[36]
  • Nominated for: Hugo Award for Best Novella[37], Hugo Award for Best Short Story[38], Locus Award for Best Novella[39], Nebula Award for Best Novel[40], Nebula Award for Best Novella[41], Nebula Award for Best Novelette[42], Locus Award for Best Collection[43]
  • Languages spoken, written or signed: English[44]
  • Birth name: James Benjamin Blish[45]

Why It Matters

James Blish has Wikipedia articles in 22 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[46] He is known by 20 alternative names across languages and contexts.[47]

Works attributed to him include A Case of Conscience[48], a literary work[49].

FAQs

Where was James Blish born?

James Blish's place of birth was East Orange[2].

Where did James Blish die?

James Blish died in Henley-on-Thames[4].

Who was James Blish married to?

James Blish's spouses include J. A. Lawrence[11] and Virginia Kidd[12].

What did James Blish do for work?

James Blish worked as a writer[5], novelist[6], literary critic[7], and science fiction writer[8].

Where did James Blish go to school?

James Blish was educated at Columbia University[15] and Rutgers University[16].

What awards did James Blish receive?

Honors received include Hugo Award for Best Novel[19], Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame[20], Retro Hugo Award for Best Novella[21], and Retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette[22].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  3. [23] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [11] ↑ . The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  5. [12] ↑ . The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [10] ↑ . richardcorfield.org. richardcorfield.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  15. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [19] ↑ . thehugoawards.org. Retrieved . thehugoawards.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [27] ↑ . Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts catalogue. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [1] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [3] ↑ . SNAC. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [37] ↑ . thehugoawards.org. thehugoawards.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  37. [38] ↑ . thehugoawards.org. thehugoawards.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  38. [39] ↑ . sfadb.com. sfadb.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  39. [40] ↑ . nebulas.sfwa.org. Retrieved . nebulas.sfwa.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  40. [41] ↑ . nebulas.sfwa.org. nebulas.sfwa.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  41. [42] ↑ . nebulas.sfwa.org. nebulas.sfwa.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  42. [43] ↑ . sfadb.com. Retrieved . sfadb.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  43. [44] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  44. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [48] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [49] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [46] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [47] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). James Blish. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-blish
MLA “James Blish.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 17 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-blish.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_james-blish_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{James Blish}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-blish}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-17}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 1d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikipedia languages → ['ar', 'arz', 'azb', 'bg', 'br', 'commons', 'cs', 'de', 'en', 'es', 'fa', 'fi',
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||3 */ source for place of birth, source for date of birth, source for date of death from Store norske leksikon ([[Wikidata:Requests for permissi"
  2. 6w ago · Anti-Strange-Ipek-Action · 2026-09-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    End of work period → +1975-00-00T00:00:00Z
    P14750 → 99F0-0D47-E5F8-38CB-C55B
    National library of israel j9u id → 987007278215805171, 987007576538505171
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ National library of israel j9u id: 987007576538505171, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/270936|batch #270936]]"
  3. 18w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0071235-Blish-James-19211975
    Nominated for → Hugo Award for Best Novella, Hugo Award for Best Short Story, Locus Award for Best Novella +5
    Official website → http://jamesblish.com/
    Conflict → —
    + 32 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: p0071235-Blish-James-19211975, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259494|batch #259494]]"
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