Charles Platt
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- The American architect is Charles A. Platt.
Charles Platt (born in London, England, 1945) is the author of 41 fiction and nonfiction books, including science-fiction novels such as The Silicon Man (endorsed by William Gibson as "A plausible, well-crafted narrative exploring cyberspace in a wholly new and very refreshing way") and Protektor (published in paperback by Avon Books). Platt was nominated for Hugo awards and received a Locus Award for his two books of profiles of science-fiction writers, Dream Makers (1980) and Dream Makers II (1983).
From 1980 to 1987, Platt interviewed about forty major science-fiction writers such as Philip K. Dick, J.G. Ballard, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, Ray Bradbury, John Brunner, and the like (source: 'The Web Site of Charles Platt').
As a fiction writer, Charles Platt has also used pen-names: Aston Cantwell (1983), Robert Clarke (Less Than Human (novel), a science-fiction comedy, in 1986) and Charlotte Prentiss (historical and prehistory novels, between 1981 and 1999). He contributed to the series of Playboy Press erotic novels under the house pseudonym Blakely St. James that was shared by many other writers during the 1970s.
Platt began writing for Wired magazine in its third issue, and ultimately became one of its senior writers, contributing more than thirty full-length features. He was an early and prominent user of MindVox and wrote five books on computers and computer programming during that period. His nonfiction has appeared in publications such as Omni, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times.
He also taught computer graphics at The New School for Social Research in New York City, is a published photographer, and was President of CryoCare Foundation, a cryonics organization that he co-founded in 1993. He worked for Alcor, a company which may be best known for cryopreserving Ted Williams' head after he died. In 2004 Platt became a director of a company named "Suspended Animation, Inc.", which is based in Boynton Beach, Florida. Suspended Animation pursues R&D to develop equipment and procedures for use in mitigating ischemic injury immediately after cardiac arrest, in terminal patients who have made arrangements for cryopreservation at cryonics organizations such as the American Cryonics Society and the Cryonics Institute.
Although Platt ceased much of his activity as a writer after 2001, he continues to contribute to Make magazine (published by O'Reilly) and during 2005 was offered a contract for a new picaresque black comedy about a teenage female serial killer.
Platt relocated from England to New York City in 1970 and is a naturalized U. S. citizen. He has one daughter, Rose.
In a review of a book by David Drake, Platt asserted that Drake wouldn't write such "queasy voyeurism" if he had really seen war. Drake, a Vietnam veteran, has since taken to including despicable characters named "Platt" in his writings.
[edit] External links
- The Web Site of Charles Platt
- Charles Platt bibliography (fiction) - Fantastic Fiction (UK)
- Suspended Animation Official corporate site
TRIVIA:
Author David Drake calls many of his villains 'Platt' after Charles Platt, because of a scathing review Platt wrote about him, calling into doubt Drake's serving in the viet nam war
