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Michael Kandel

Michael Kandel is an American translator and author of science fiction. He received a doctorate in Slavistics from Indiana University, and is an editor at the Modern Language Association. Kandel is also a part-time editor at Harcourt, editing (among others) Ursula K. Le Guin's work.

Kandel is perhaps best known for his translations of the works of Stanisław Lem from Polish to English. Recently he has also been translating works of other Polish science fiction authors, such as Jacek Dukaj, Marek Huberath and Andrzej Sapkowski. The quality of his translations is considered to be excellent and is especially notable in the case of Lem's writing, which makes heavy use of wordplay and other difficult-to-translate devices.

He is best known for his work editing Hugo and Nebula Award-winning stories from writers such as Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Robert Silverberg. Kandel also penned several of his own novels, including the Star Trek-related Federation trilogy and the computer-gaming inspired Hieberon series.

Kandel was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1941 and roughly 12 years later, at the age of 13, he began writing his own stories. Throughout high school, Kandel continued writing, and also wrote for his own high school and college newspapers. After high school, Kandel went on to study philosophy at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and eventually gained membership to the prestigious Futurians literary society.

After graduating college, Kandel began working in the publishing industry, first as an editor at Ballantine Books beforemoving on to Bantam Books in 1977 and then Pocket Books in 1987. It was here that Kandel became firmly established as one of the most influential editors in the science fiction field. During his time with Pocket Books, Kandel acquired and edited many of the writers who today are considered masters of the science fiction genre.

In addition to his editorial work, Kandel has written or co-written several novels throughout the years. Most notably, Kandel has written the Federation trilogy – a series of Star Trek novels set in the universe of Gene Roddenberry's popular franchise. This trilogy follows the stories of Starfleet officer William T. Riker and his shipmates as they journey around the galaxy, uncovering new secrets and facing unforeseen threats.

Kandel is also the author of the Hieberon series, which sees a computer game addict thrown into a world where the game he plays has become real. This series was praised by critics for blending science fiction, fantasy, and gaming elements together in a unique way. For his efforts, Kandel was awarded the HOMer Award for Best Original Science Fiction of 1987.

Away from his writing career, Kandel also served for several years as president of the Milford Science Fiction Writers' Conference, an event he was instrumental in encouraging. Kandel has also served for many years as a Judge for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2011, was named as the sole winner of the prestigious Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.

In 2012, Kandel finally retired from his editorial career but has since then written short stories that have been published in anthologies. Kandel remains an important and influential figure in the science fiction community and his work is esteemed and respected across the world.

Novels

• Strange Invasion (1989)
• In Between Dragons (1990)
• Captain Jack Zodiac (1991)
• Panda Ray (1996)