The Robert Heinlein Interview and Other Heinleiniana

by J. Neil Schulman, Brad Linaweaver (Foreword)

In 1975, Robert A. Heinlein was sixty-six, at the height of his literary career; J. Neil Schulman was twenty and hadn't yet started his first novel. Because he was looking for a way to meet his idol, Schulman wangled an assignment from the New York Daily News--at the time the largest circulation newspaper in the U.S.--to interview Heinlein for its Sunday Book Supplement. The resulting taped interview lasted three-and-a-half hours. This turned out to be the longest interview Heinlein ever granted, and the only one in which he talked freely and extensively about his personal philosophy and ideology. "The Robert Heinlein Interview" contains Heinlein you won't find anywhere else--even in Heinlein's own "Expanded Universe." If you wnat to know what Heinlein had to say about UFO's, life after death, epistemology, or libertarianism, this interview is the only source available. Also included in this collection are articles, reviews, and letters that J. Neil Schulman wrote about Heinlein, including the original article written for The Daily News, about which the Heinleins wrote Schulman that it was, "The best article--in style, content, and accuracy--of the many, many written about him over the years." This book is must-reading for any serious student of Heinlein, or any reader seeking to know him better.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Biography, History

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1999

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief but of great interest to those who like Heinlein or are interested in his thoughts about society, government. etc. Doesn't go into the evolution of Heinlein's thought from a Eugene Debs supporter to a cold-war-supportive libertarian who vouched for Goldwater, though. Modern libertarians would find that an interesting mix. Schulman is very much a libertarian who wrote an an-cap view of the future, Alongside Night, but cites Heinelin, C.S. Lewis, and Ayn Rand as three authors who each vie for his soul. The core of the book is a three-hour interview between Schulman and Heinelin, which is bookended by Schulman's reviews of Heinlein's works.

[Marla A. Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content is great. The proofreading less so

Numerous typographical errors made the book hard to parse in spots. But a fascinating view of the seminal science fiction writer and life-long proponent of libertarian political philosophy.

[Al Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buy this for the interview. That alone makes it gold. The rest? Icing on the cake.

[Val Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Well done. Saw more into the Man's mind and his writing. I love his books.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 2 out of 5]

La verdad es que ha sido un decepción. Una parte sustancial del libro se dedica a que el autor coloque sus propias reviews de obras de Heinlein, y a perseguir su ideología (que coincide en cosas con la mía, pero no es el punto). La entrevista en sí bien, pero se ve que a menudo el autor trata de llevarse a Heinlein a jardines donde este pasa de entrar.

No es malo, pero no es tampoco lo que esperaba. Quizá es culpa mía, dado que soy yo quien pone las expectativas. Desde luego, Heinlein y su esposa consideran que es la mejor entrevista que se le ha hecho, con lo que evidentemente no es un mal trabajo. Pero me ha dejado algo frío.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I love the writings of Robert Heinlein. There are some great books in his collection. Some solid libertarian writing, and good science fiction. And Schulman is a good writer as well. But there is not much to this book. A few reviews and letters, and about 50 pages of the actual interview. Which was ok, but not filled with insight into Heinlein. It was a quick read, but pretty bland fare. You can skip it without missing much.

[Chris Holmberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting background on Heinlein, but didn't hold my attention well. I get a lot more from reading Heinlein's books than reading about him.