Hugo Award: description, winners, best books and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

The Hugo Award is an award given to the most outstanding work in the fantasy or science fiction genre. It was first awarded in 1953, and since then the ceremony has been held annually. What is known about the most famous Hugo owners, what fascinating works allowed them to receive this honorary award?

Hugo Award Description

As already mentioned, the tradition of honoring the best books in the fantasy and science fiction genre with an honorary award originated in 1953. The Hugo Award is an award given at Worldcon. Authors whose novels were published in English (or translated into it) in the previous year are eligible to participate in the competition. The text of the work must contain at least 40 thousand words. The award is a figurine shaped like a rocket taking off.

The Hugo Award is traditionally awarded based on the results of preferential voting. Registered guests of the Worldconvention. The ballot they receive contains the names of the five novels that are the most nominated members of the jury this year. There is no fixed date for the Worldcon convention, but the ceremony usually takes place in late August or early September. Fiction fan meeting can take place in various cities around the world.

Record holder

Which author has won the most Hugo awards? The talented science fiction writer Robert Heinlein deservedly became the record holder - the man who received this award five times. The writer, who left this world in 1988 at the age of 80, is considered the patriarch of American fiction, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of this genre.

Heinlein's works are attractive due to the uniqueness of images, unpredictability of plot moves, brightness and liveliness of the language. It is impossible to tear oneself away from his novels, the author knows how to keep readers in suspense right up to the final page. "The Door to Summer" is one of five works for which the writer was awarded the Hugo Award.

The central character of the novel is the brilliant inventor Daniel Davis, who constantly gets into trouble because of his distraction. Once a young man becomes a victim of betrayal, a beautiful bride cheats on him with his best friend. Daniel loses not only loved ones, but also all his savings. Realizing that there is nothing to lose, the inventor moves into the near future. In a world where 30 years have already passed, he is trying to build a new life.

The Green Mile (StevenKing)

Other Hugo Award winners can boast of outstanding achievements. Stephen King is a man who needs no introduction. From the pen of this American writer came dozens of fascinating works belonging to different genres. Many of them have been successfully filmed. "Hugo" King received for his famous novel "The Green Mile".

Readers get the opportunity to get to know the inside of the prison block of death rows, in which a terrible atmosphere reigns. Prisoners come here to never return to the world of the living. But are all the death row inmates accused of violent crimes, who will die in the electric chair, really guilty?

Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)

Ray Bradbury is a man who over 92 years of his life managed to write over 800 literary works belonging to different genres. His name is invariably mentioned when science fiction classics are listed. Bradbury became famous for his novel Fahrenheit 451, and his other books are also famous. The writer was awarded the Hugo Award precisely for his first "star" work.

"Fahrenheit 451" is a novel in which a post-industrial society appears before the reader. In this world, a special squad is provided, whose task is to burn any written publications. People who are seen in the possession of books are overtaken by cruel punishment. The population is deprivedown will due to the hypnotic effect of interactive television. Dissidents are declared insane and subjected to forced "treatment". Dissidents chased by electric dog.

Earthsea (Ursula Le Guin)

The very first work, belonging to the fascinating cycle about "Earthsea", made a previously unknown writer a star. Ursula Le Guin began to be compared with such creators as Lewis, Heinlein and Tolkien, without whom fantasy and science fiction would not exist. The Hugo Award was a recognition of the outstanding achievements of the creator of an amazing world.

The action of the novels of the cycle takes place in the fictional kingdom of Earthsea, in the intricate labyrinths of which it is easy to get lost. The magical world is spelled out down to the smallest detail, it turned out to be alive and addictive. Not surprisingly, the number of fans of the cycle is measured in millions.

What else to read

Who else has the Hugo Award been awarded over the years? The winners, which cannot be ignored, are George Martin, Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch. George Martin is the author of the famous A Song of Ice and Fire cycle, which takes place in the fictional kingdom of Westeros. In the fictional world, there is a bloody struggle for power, the participants of which are not only representatives of the human race, belonging to noble families, but also mysterious magical creatures. "Hugo" Martin received for one of the best works of the cycle - "The Clash of Kings".

Robert Bloch is an award-winning science fiction writer for Train to Hell. The central character of the story is a young guy named Martin, who one day meets a mysterious train. The conductor offers the young man a contract, according to which Martin agrees to travel on this train, and then can demand the fulfillment of any of his desires.

Isaac Asimov is another world-famous science fiction writer whose name is mentioned next to such distinguished writers as Clark and Heinlein. The Hugo Award was given to this man for his work I, Robot. The main theme of the novel is the relationship between people and machines.

Hugo these days

For over 60 years, the participants of the World Convention have been evaluating the work of science fiction writers and presenting awards. What novels have been honored with her in the last few years? Hugo Award winners by year (2010-2014): Paolo Bacigalupi, Connie Willis, Joe W alton, John Scalzi, Ann Lecky.

Paolo Bacigalupi brought "Hugo" his biopunk novel Clockwork. The work takes readers to the 23rd century, the action takes place in Thailand. The world is going through a crisis that has become the result of global warming, the waters of the oceans have hidden most of the land. Salvation is seen by the representatives of the human race in the development of biotechnology, but the safety of the survivors is threatened by the ever-increasing ambitions of the owners of transcontinental corporations.

"Servants of Justice" - the novel with which the writer announced her existence to the worldAnn Leckie. The debut turned out to be successful, the work was awarded the Hugo Award. The action takes place in the distant future, where the world is ruled by the powerful Radch empire, which has completely subjugated the scattered colonies of the planet Earth. Of course, exciting adventures in space await readers.

Interesting facts

It is also interesting which authors received the most Hugo awards? The winners (besides the aforementioned Robert Heinlein, winner of five statuettes) are Bujold, Asimov, Vinge, Willis. For example, Lois Bujold has four Hugo awards, and Isaac Asimov managed to earn an honorary award three times.

An interesting innovation announced at the 1996 World Convention: the Retro Hugo Award. The conditions state that only works published many years ago (up to 100) and not previously honored with a Hugo can qualify for this award. By 2016, it had only been awarded four times. It has been won by writers such as Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Terence White.