About this episode
This episode explores the themes of love and personhood in the context of robots, focusing on Lester del Rey's story 'Helen O’Loy'.
Can a robot be a person? Can a robot have feelings? Can a robot fall in love? Can one fall in love with a robot? With the latest technology and the right programming, the answer appears to be ... yes. "Helen O'Loy" appeared in the December 1938 issue of "Astounding Science Fiction" on pages 118 to 125. It was one of the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. Consequently, it was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929–1964. It was also a nominee for the 1939 Retro Hugo award for best short story. ----- Lester del Rey (real name Leonard Knapp) (June 2, 1915, Saratoga Township, Minnesota, – May 10, 1993, New York City, New York), was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the fantasy editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction imprint of Ballantine Books (subsequently Random House.) Del Rey first started publishing stories in pulp magazines in the late 1930s, at the dawn of the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction. He was a…
People in this episode
Host: Paul Lawley-Jones
Topics covered
- robotics
- love
- science fiction
- emotions
- technology
Keywords
- robot
- feelings
- love
- science fiction
- Lester del Rey
- Helen O’Loy
- Astounding Science Fiction
- Retro Hugo award
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Science Fiction Writers of America
Books & works: Helen O’Loy, Astounding Science Fiction, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929–1964
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