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Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe, American author (died 2019)

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Born
May 7, 1931
Died
April 14, 2019
Zodiac sign
Taurus
Birth year
1931

About Gene Wolfe

Gene Rodman Wolfe was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose, his fascination with memory and the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and novelist who won many literary awards. He was honored as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Wolfe is best known for his Book of the New Sun series (four volumes, 1980–1983), the first part of his "Solar Cycle". Wolfe's first published book was the paperback original novel Operation Ares (Berkley Medallion, 1970). While attending Texas A&M University, he published his first speculative fiction in The Commentator, a student literary journal.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Gene Wolfe timeline

  1. Wolfe's first published book was the paperback original novel Operation Ares (Berkley Medallion, 1970).
  2. Wolfe is best known for his Book of the New Sun series (four volumes, 1980–1983), the first part of his "Solar Cycle".

The world when Gene Wolfe was born

Gene Wolfe was born in 1931. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1931

  • #1 song"Stardust" – Artie Shaw
  • Top movieFrankenstein
  • Best-selling bookThe Good Earth – Pearl S. Buck

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentKnute Rockne dies in plane crash
  • Top headlineAl Capone convicted of tax evasion
  • Technology milestoneEmpire State Building completed
  • Defining fadJigsaw puzzles
  • Notable inventionElectric razor
  • World population2.10 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHerbert Hoover
  • Sports championSt. Louis Cardinals (World Series)
  • U.S. population124.0M

1931 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Gene Wolfe's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19312026
Gas$0.17$3.45/gal
Average home$5,500$435,000
Average income$3,000$67,500
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.02$0.73
Population124.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.