Philip José Farmer (1918–2009) was an American science fiction writer whose hallmark was shockingness and commitment to adventure-fantasy plots. His “The Lovers” was rejected by a number of major publishers, including the famous John W. Campbell, editor “Amazing science fiction,” but readers greeted the young author’s creation with delight, as evidenced by the 1953 Hugo, “the most promising new author.” In subsequent years, Farmer cemented his reputation as a rebel and a dreamer. He published “sexual fantasy” novels with the porn publishing house Essex House. He quarreled with Kurt Vonnegut, choosing Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut's alter ego, as the author of his work. He brought Phileas Fogg and Tarzan to life, giving the classic literary heroes rugged physicality and giving them the powers of real-life superheroes. He created a number of amazing cycles: “River World”, “Multi-tiered World”, “World of Days”, the strange and attractive plots of which have delighted readers for decades. “Lovers” and “Flesh” are the early novels of F. H. Farmer, filled with social a satire on gray puritanical America and the incredible adventures of heroes trapped in their own sexuality.