New Worlds (magazine)
New Worlds was a significant science fiction magazine that played a central role in the New Wave movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Founded in 1946, the publication became a platform for innovative authors like Brian Aldiss, J.G. Ballard, and John Brunner, who sought to infuse the genre with stylistic experimentation and psychological depth. Under the editorship of Michael Moorcock starting in 1964, New Worlds transformed into a hub for literary science fiction, challenging traditional narratives and embracing new ideas. The magazine was known for its provocative content, including works that addressed complex themes such as racial exploitation and societal issues, which sometimes led to controversy and backlash from certain sectors of society. Despite receiving support from prominent literary figures and financial backing from the Arts Council, New Worlds struggled with commercial viability and ceased publication in 1970, later existing as a series of irregular paperback anthologies until 1976. In 1991, an updated version of New Worlds was launched, revitalizing its legacy in the science fiction community. The magazine's impact on the genre continues to be recognized for its bold approach and willingness to push boundaries.
New Worlds (magazine)
Type of work: Magazine
Published: 1946- (intermittent)
Subject matter: Science-fiction stories
Significance: This influential British literary science-fiction magazine that ceased publication after Great Britain’s largest chain of newspaper and magazine outlets refused to carry issues containing a serial with offensive language
The late 1960’s and early 1970’s witnessed a movement within science fiction that came to be known as the New Wave. New Wave writers sought to bring stylistic innovation and psychological complexity to a genre that was in many ways still firmly rooted in the pulp tradition from which it sprang. This movement was partly a response to widespread cultural and economic factors, such as a larger and more highly educated readership, with a growing distrust of the technocratic ideology that science fiction often seemed to celebrate. It was also a deliberate effort by a group of young science-fiction writers to bring new life to a genre that seemed in danger of stagnation.
The primary vehicle for many of these authors was NewWorlds, a publication that had been in existence (in one form or another) since 1946. In its first eighteen years NewWorlds had published fiction by such innovative writers as Brian Aldiss, J. G. Ballard, and John Brunner. In 1964 a twenty-four-year-old writer named Michael Moorcock assumed the editorship of the magazine and turned it into the flagship for a new kind of literary science fiction. Rather than perpetuating the formulaic but marketable style of traditional science fiction, Moorcock encouraged literary experimentation by publishing such original works as Thomas Disch’s CampConcentration and Brian Aldiss’ BarefootintheHead. Soon NewWorlds became the focus for a wide-ranging reassessment of the genre’s conventional style and orthodox attitudes.
Moorcock’s policies met with both great success and violent opposition, each sometimes coming from unexpected quarters. NewWorld’s success was more artistic than commercial, unfortunately, but an appeal to the Arts Council had produced a generous grant that enabled the magazine to remain afloat. This government-sponsored generosity was due, in part, to the magazine’s supporters in the literary community, among whom were such prestigious writers as Edmund Crispin, Anthony Burgess, Angus Wilson, J. B. Priestley, and Marghanita Laski. Despite this support, however, New Worlds often came under fire for permitting obscene language and explicit sexual content, most notably in 1968, when the magazine began serializing Bug Jack Barron, Norman Spinrad’s provocative near-future novel about racial exploitation, politics, and the media. As each new issue appeared, opposition grew; Spinrad was denounced as a “degenerate” in the House of Commons, and W. H. Smith, the largest chain of retail news agents in Britain, decided to stop carrying the magazine. Even with continued Arts Council support, the loss of such a significant portion of the market was too much for NewWorlds, and the magazine ceased publication in 1970, continuing only as an irregularly appearing series of paperback anthologies, which ended in 1976.
In 1991 David S. Garnett launched a new version of New Worlds with the help of Michael Moorcock.