Introduction


Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert helped turn science fiction into literature. Although he is best remembered for his novel Dune and its many sequels, Herbert published an extensive amount of material during his lifetime. It is tempting for some critics to label Herbert as a cult figure because of the view of science fiction as a niche genre and market. Yet Herbert's Dune and his many other writings have gained an increasingly literary reputation in the later years of his career and those after his death. His reputation for weaving profound ideas throughout the sci-fi genre is virtually unparalleled, and he remains a major influence on the generation of writers who followed him.

Essential Facts

  1. Herbert began to develop his writing style by working as a journalist. He penned articles for several newspapers as a young man.
  2. Despite not completing his own degree in creative writing, Herbert taught at the University of Washington for several years in the early 1970s.
  3. He grew up on a farm during the Great Depression and returned to living on one in 1972, once he was financially able to write books full-time.
  4. Herbert released six novels in his highly regarded Dune cycle. A seventh novel was intended, but Herbert died before writing it.
  5. Herbert died of pancreatic cancer in 1986. He worked throughout his illness by using a laptop.