Avram Davidson
An American writer whose erudite, witty, and deeply strange stories defied genre boundaries and captivated a devoted readership.
1923–1993 (age 70)·American writer·Birthday: April 23·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Avram Davidson's fiction feels like it was unearthed from a forgotten library, a blend of scholarly wit, baroque imagination, and sheer narrative mischief. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and later in the Israeli Haganah, experiences that seeped into his wide-ranging work. As a writer, he refused to stay in one lane, producing everything from detective tales starring the Talmudic scholar Dr. Eszterhazy to fantasy novels and historical pastiches. His prose was dense, allusive, and often laugh-out-loud funny. His editorial tenure at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, though brief, was memorable for its high literary standards. Davidson lived a peripatetic life, from New York to Guatemala to the Pacific Northwest, collecting esoteric knowledge that always found its way into his singular stories.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Avram was born in 1923, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Avram Was Born
The biggest hits of 1923
#1 Movie
The Covered Wagon
Avram's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1923Born
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1928Started school
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1936Became a teenager
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Could drive
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1941Could vote
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Turned 21
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1953Turned 30
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 40
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 50
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 60
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 70
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Won a Hugo Award for his short story 'Or All the Seas with Oysters'.
- Received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.
- Edited The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction from 1962 to 1964.
- Won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his crime fiction.
Did You Know?
He served as a combat medic in both the U.S. Navy and the Israeli Haganah.
He once worked as a lay rabbi and a shochet (ritual slaughterer).
His story 'The Golem' is told almost entirely in footnotes.
He was a passionate and knowledgeable collector of antique Judaica.
“The necessary ingredient for the existence of any art, major or minor, is that someone, somewhere, shall want to do it.”
