The Laugh, by Robert Abernathy

The Laugh, by Robert Abernathy

From Golden Age Fiction by Paul Lawley-Jones

April 5, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

This episode narrates 'The Laugh' by Robert Abernathy, exploring the absurdity of adulthood through a child's perspective.

To Dicky, grownups were absurdly like ants. They worked hard for no good purpose. But some day a big, big change would be coming! The Laugh, by Robert Abernathy appeared in the June 1956 issue of "Fantastic Universe" on pages 73 to 79. ----- Robert Abernathy (June 6, 1924 – April 6, 1990) was an American science fiction author during the 1940s and 1950s. He was known primarily for his short stories which were published in many of the pulp magazines that flourished during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. ----- If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me . ----- Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

People in this episode

Host: Paul Lawley-Jones

Topics covered

  • science fiction
  • short stories
  • Golden Age
  • pulp magazines
  • absurdity of adulthood

Keywords

  • Robert Abernathy
  • The Laugh
  • Fantastic Universe
  • science fiction
  • Golden Age
  • short stories
  • pulp magazines

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Laugh, Fantastic Universe

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