Robert Gibson

Robert Gibson (born 20th January 1954 in London), of Scottish and Belgian ancestry, lives in Heysham, Lancashire, on Morecambe Bay in the north-west of England. He has degrees from Cambridge and London Universities, and won the BBC Mastermind competition in 1998. Currently, apart from writing, he works as a private tutor, helping clients of all ages in a range of subjects. A patriot, he stood twice for Parliament as a candidate for the UK Independence Party, which is somewhat ironical since he attended primary school in Brussels, has fond memories of that city and still enjoys visits to Belgium to see relatives and friends.

His passion for astronomy and science fiction began at age 6 when his mother gave him a Pictorial Encyclopaedia with artists' renderings of the surfaces of the planets. The word 'planet' itself acquired a numinous significance from then onwards, and his published works are all in some sense achievements in world-building.

Another great influence was provided by the planetary romances of Edgar Rice Burroughs, which despite, or rather because of, their defects, invite the critic to probe the mystery of story-telling power. Robert Gibson has created his own world-scene for planetary romance: see www.ooranye.com and the linked-story collection Uranian Gleams. This and his other works are much discussed on the Old Solar System website www.solarsystemheritage.com.

He learned Italian in his late teens so as to read Dante's Divine Comedy. This remains his favourite poem and all-round supreme literary experience. RG is also a keen American history buff.

Current writing plans centre upon a forthcoming sequel to Uranian Gleams.