Robert Bloch is a famous American writer who worked in the 20th century. He wrote books in the genres of horror, fantasy and science fiction. The most famous novel of the writer is Psychosis, which was filmed by Hitchcock in 1960 and received the title Psycho in Russian box office. We will talk about the life and work of creator Norman Bates in this article.
Robert Bloch: biography
Bloch was born on April 5, 1917 in Chicago. And from childhood he was fascinated by the work of G. F. Lovecraft. For some time he even corresponded with his idol. We can say that the books of the master of horror, read by little Robert, influenced all the work of the future writer.
Bloch's first story was published in 1934 on the pages of Marvel Tales magazine. The work was called Lilies, which translates as "Lilies." From that moment until 1945, the writer published in various magazines more than a hundred stories in the genre of fantasy and horror. Many of these works were co-written by G. Kuttner, a science fiction writer, and published under the pseudonym Tarleton Fiske. By this time, Bloch was already known in certain literary circles.
The year 1945 became a landmark for Bloch. At this time, he was invited as a screenwriter to the popular Stay Tuned for Terror radio show. As a result, 39 episodes were released, which were based on the author’s stories and were very popular among listeners. At the same time, Arkham House publishes a huge collection of short stories by the writer.
The first film adaptation and works in the genre of science fiction
Robert Bloch is a writer who is rightly considered the founder of the classic horror. Moreover, without his work, it is impossible to imagine Stephen King. Nevertheless, Bloch did not leave the genres of science fiction and fantasy. So, in 1962 there was a collection of his articles from fanzines, which was specially prepared for a convention called World Science Fiction, which took place in the same year. At the same convention, Bloch made a presentation on “inner space,” which was later printed.
In 1959, a book was published that brought unprecedented success to the writer - Psychosis. After that, Robert Bloch devoted a lot of time to Hollywood. The writer's work, it can be said, stopped at that moment - filming began. This captured the author for a while. In addition, the success of the film also increased the number of fans of Bloch himself.
After 1960, the active publication of various collections with the author’s stories begins. True, Bloch did not adhere to any chronology in the selection of works for print, so under one cover you can find pre-war stories and works written after the 50s.
Bloch wrote relatively few works related to science fiction. Many of them were included in the 1962 collection Atoms and Evil. Nevertheless, witty elegance combined with gloomy humor makes an incredible impression on the reader.
Personal life
For the first time, Robert Bloch married a girl named Marion so that he would not be taken into the army. In 1943, shortly after the wedding, they had a daughter, Sally. Marion was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis, and the young couple had to relocate to Weyauwega, Wisconsin, in 1953. Here she could get the support of relatives and close friends. After prolonged treatment, Marion was able to overcome the disease. Nevertheless, the couple broke up in 1963. After the divorce, the daughter stayed with her father.
A year after the divorce, in 1964, the writer met Eleanor Alexander, who had recently become a widow. They began a stormy and swift romance, which ended on October 16 of the same year with a wedding. The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Tahiti. And on their return in 1965, they decided to move to London. This marriage was very happy for the writer. Robert lived with Eleanor in harmony until his death.
Obituary
Robert Bloch did an act in August 1994 that shocked a lot of his fans - he published his obituary. Later, this act was called a joke of the one who wrote all his life exclusively about death. However, exactly one month after this publication, the writer died of cancer in Los Angeles.
The flea was cremated, and his ashes buried in the "Hall of the Dead" at Westwood Cemetery (Los Angeles). Later, in 2012, his wife Eleanor was also buried there.
Awards
He was awarded many literary awards by Robert Bloch. The best works of the writer, among which mostly stories, received book awards such as:
- Hugo - 1959, 1984;
- "Forry" - 1974;
- World Fantasy Award - 1975, 1978;
- "Balrog" - 1980, 1982;
- British Fantasy Award - 1983;
- Bem Stoker Award - 1987, 1989
And these are far from all the rewards that Bloch received during his lifetime.
The cycle of "Psychosis"
The works of this cycle are the most famous that Robert Bloch wrote. These are the best books of the writer, as many admirers of the author’s work believe. Sometimes called several collections of stories. But let's talk about the book that brought Bloch world fame.
In total, the cycle includes three books: “Psychosis”, “Psychosis 2” and “The Psychopath's House”. All of them are united by one hero - Norman Bates. This is a middle-aged bachelor whose life is subject to the desires of a powerful mother. Together they hold a small motel away from the road.
In the first two parts, the main role is given to Norman himself, and the action of the third takes place 10 years after his death, when the enterprising psychopath's neighbor decides to organize tourist excursions dedicated to Bates’s life and crimes.
The sequels did not manage to become as famous as the first part of the cycle, however, they also remain popular to this day.
Robert Bloch: interesting facts
There is a version according to which the main character of the novel "Psychosis" Norman Bates has a prototype. He is Ed Gain - one might say the most famous killer in the history of the United States. The offender was arrested two years before the publication of the novel, in 1957, for the murder of a woman. During the search, the police managed to find furniture, clothes, cutlery made from parts of human bodies in his house. Psychiatrists have suggested that Gain was trying to create a woman's costume. Having made it, he would be able to change into his late mother, whom acquaintances described as a woman of Puritan mores, striving to constantly control her son.
Flea’s house was not far from Heine’s home. The writer was familiar with his case, but did not know the details. Nevertheless, when the novel was finished, the writer himself was very surprised at how much Norman Bates was similar to Hein in his motives and actions.
We already mentioned some friendship between Howard Lovecraft and Bloch, but their communication was not limited to simple correspondence. In 1935, Lovecraft wrote a work, the prototype of the hero of which was Bloch. The story was called "Inhabitant in the Dark." The flea did not remain in debt and soon published the story "Star Tramp", which was written in the style of "Cthulhu Myths."
Thus, Bloch was a rather popular writer of the twentieth century, based on the works of which 15 films were shot.