Few black writers have employed popular forms--the mystery novel, the historical or gothic romance, or science fiction. Harlem Renaissance writer Rudolph Fisher has been credited with the first mystery novel by a black writer. Frank Yerby adopted the historical romance as his forte. Chester Himes wrote a series of popular detective novels set in Harlem. Each of these writers received some measure of recognition and popular success, but none of them attained the level of both popular and critical acclaim Samuel Ray "Chip" Delany has reached in the science-fiction genre. For excellence in both the novel and short story, he has captured science fiction's coveted Hugo and Nebula awards, voted him by science-fiction fans and science-fiction writers respectively. His critical writings about science fiction from the perspective of a working writer are widely respected. Samuel R. Delany is one of science fiction's preeminent authors.

The son of Samuel...