Daniel Walther, born on March 10th, 1940 in Munster in Alsace, died on March 3rd , 2018 in Mulhouse, was one of the best French contemporary writers of science fiction and fantasy.
He studied at the Universities of Strasbourg and Saarbrücken (Germany). Daniel Walther was perfectly bilingual in French and German, he began with pharmaceutical and then linguistic studies before composing anthologies of science fiction.
He wrote his first novel, “Le Corps déballé” (The Unpacked Body), in 1963 before writing more than 160 short stories of science fiction and fantasy.
In 1976, he received the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire for his anthology “Les Soleils noirs d’Arcadie” (The Black Suns of Arcadia).
A few years later, in 1980, he was entrusted with the management of the ” Club du livre d’anticipation” (The Anticipation Book Club) and Galaxie-Bis SF collections for a decade.
In the same year, he again received the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire of the French novel for “L’Épouvante” (The Terror).
His favorite themes were the revolt against the oppression of political regimes, the universal lack of freedom and censorship.
In parallel, from 1973 to 2005, he was a journalist and columnist at the Mulhouse’ News of Alsace agency, where he wrote in the literary section as well as in those of justice and higher education.
“Science Fiction Made in Germany”, an anthology by Daniel Walther
Between 2007 and 2010, he published the novel “Îles mécaniques”, which he considered to be a very dark history, “Si Pale, Si Mince, Morte”, “La Musique de la chair” and finally the novel “Morbidezza, Inc.”.
In 2013, the French science fiction journal Galaxies-SF dedicated to Daniel Walther, under the pen of Richard Comballot, a dossier largely built around a detailed interview: “Une trajectoire à contre-courant” (A trajectory against the main current), accompanied by a new unpublished text, his answers to the Proust Questionnaire and a comprehensive bibliography.
He died on March 3rd, 2018 at the age of 77 in Mulhouse, France.
RIP !
Works
Novels
“Krysnak ou le complot” , Denoël ” Présence du futur “, 1978.
L’Épouvante”, J’ai lu , 1979.
“Happy end ou La nouvelle cité du soleil”, Denoël , 1982.
“Le Livre de Swa”, Fleuve noir , 1982 ; re-ed. Éons, collection Futurs, 2006
“Le Destin de Swa”, Fleuve noir, 1983.
“La Légende de Swa”, Fleuve noir, 1983.
“Apollo XXV”, Fleuve noir, 1983.
“La Marée Purulente”, Fleuve noir, 1986 ; re-ed. FeniXX, 2015.
“Tigre”, Fleuve noir, 1988.
“La Planète Jaja”, Fleuve noir, 1989.
“Terre sans souffrance”, Fleuve noir, 1995.
“Le Veilleur à la lisière du monde”, Fleuve noir, 1998.
“Mais l’espace… mais le temps…”, Fleuve noir, 1998.
“La mort à Boboli”, Phébus, 2000.
“Cité de la mort lente”, éditions du Rocher “Novella SF”, 2005.
“Morbidezza, Inc.”, Black Coat Press , coll. Rivière Blanche, 2008.
Short stories anthologies
“Requiem pour demain”, Marabout “Science-fiction”, 1976.
“Les Quatre saisons de la nuit , Nouvelles éditions Oswald , 1980.
“L’Hôpital et autres fables cliniques , Oswald, 1982.
“Cœur moite et autres maladies modernes , NéO , 1984.
“Sept femmes de mes autres vies , Denoël “Présence du futur”, 1985
“Le Rêve du scorpion et autres cauchemars , NéO, 1987.
“Les Rapiéceurs de néant”, Alfil, 1997.
“Les Mandibules et les dents”, Les Belles lettres “Cabinet noir”; 1999.
“Ombres tueuses”, Phébus, 2001.
“Baba Yaga et autres amours cruelles”, Nestiveqnen, 2005.
“Le château d’Yf”, A Contrario, 2005.
“Nocturne sur fond d’épées”, Eons Fantasy, 2007.
“La musique de la chair”, 2010
Poems and songs
“Les Aqueducs du temps”, 1980 dans “La Terre est bleue comme une orange”, Éditions Ouvrières/Pierre Zech, Collection ” Enfance heureuse “, 1986.
“Cité no.12″, 1983, dans “La Terre est bleue comme une orange”, Éditions Ouvrières/Pierre Zech, Collection ” Enfance heureuse “, 1986.
“Le Navire soleil“, 1983 dans “La Terre est bleue comme une orange”, Éditions Ouvrières/Pierre Zech, Collection ” Enfance heureuse “, 1986.
“Les Démones“, Revue Phénix no. 17, 1989.
“Les Pourpres archers des villes“, Revue Phénix no. 17, 1989.
Anthologies
“Le Livre d’or de la science-fiction : Science-fiction allemande - Étrangers à Utopolis” (1980)/Science Fiction Made in Germany
Short stories
“Est-ce moi qui blasphème ton nom, Seigneur ?” (1973)
“Le Procotole des mages de Lyon”, in the anthology “Noirs complots”, (April 2003 )
“La musique de la chair”, in Galaxies-SF n° 12 (May 2011)
“Réponse au questionnaire de Proust”, in Galaxies-SF n° 21 (March 2013)
“Grenades (de cristal) dégoupillées”, in Galaxies-SF n° 21 (March 2013)
“La reine jetée aux chiens (Jézabel)”, in Galaxies-SF n° 32 (March 2015)
Awards
Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire in 1976 for the anthology “Les Soleils noirs d’Arcadie” (The Black Suns of Arcadia)
Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire in 1980 for the novel “L’Épouvante” (The Terror)