Buzz
Throughout his prolific career, Philip K. Dick, born on December 16, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, explored themes of soulless corporations, oppressive regimes, and divine intervention in his novels and short stories. His visionary works have influenced countless science-fiction writers and served as the foundation for numerous TV and film adaptations. Delve into the extraordinary mind behind iconic titles like Blade Runner, Minority Report, and many other genre-defining classics.
1. Philip K. Dick Discovered Sci-Fi by Chance
At around 12 years old, Dick stumbled upon science fiction almost by accident. While searching for the latest issue of Popular Science in a store, he found the shelf empty. His attention was drawn to a magazine titled Stirring Science Fiction, and he thought, "Well, the title sounds close enough," and decided to give it a try. That serendipitous moment sparked a lifelong passion for the genre.
Reflecting on the writing, he admitted it was poor, but he managed to suspend his disbelief and immerse himself in the unconventional stories. Dick began devouring works by every sci-fi author he could find, remaining a lifelong enthusiast of the genre. In a 1974 interview, he revealed his favorite writers at the time were John Sladek, Chip Delaney, and Ursula LeGuin.
2. He believed a supernatural voice guided him throughout his life.
Dick often claimed that a mysterious, disembodied voice would occasionally emerge to guide him during pivotal moments in his life. He referred to it as Ruah, meaning the spirit of God, which first spoke to him during a high school physics exam. With its assistance, he reportedly aced the test. The voice would sporadically return, offering brief guidance before vanishing. “I have to be very receptive to hear it. It sounds as though it’s coming from millions of miles away,” Dick once remarked.
During one such encounter, accompanied by a blinding pink light, Dick asserted that the voice warned him of his son's life-threatening condition—an undiagnosed right inguinal hernia. While his wife's account of the event differs, they eventually sought medical help, leading to a diagnosis and surgery that saved his son's life.
Many aspects of the voice were later incorporated into his novel VALIS, where a fictionalized version of Dick, named Horselover Fat, is guided by a similar omniscient pink light. Dick later revealed that the voice fell silent after he completed The Divine Intervention, the sequel to VALIS.
3. Philip K. Dick’s debut novel earned him just $1500 over two decades.
Despite his status as one of the most celebrated sci-fi authors, Dick’s early works didn’t bring in significant income. In a 1976 interview, he revealed that his first novel, 1955's Solar Lottery, generated only about $1500 (approximately $7705 today) in its first 20 years—comprising a $1000 initial payment and a $500 reprint fee a decade later. Similarly, his first hardcover novel, 1959's Time Out of Joint, netted him a mere $750 (around $7500 today).
4. He studied real Gestapo diaries while writing The Man in the High Castle.
The Man in the High Castle depicts a chilling alternate history where Nazi Germany and Japan won WWII and divided the world. To create a plausible narrative, Dick spent seven years poring over historical documents, including actual Gestapo diaries, to understand the mindset and decisions of the Nazi regime.
While the research provided the depth needed for a convincing story, the experience left Dick too disturbed to consider a sequel. "I tried several times to write a follow-up, but I would have had to revisit Nazi history," Dick explained in an interview. "The thought of it made me want to eliminate every one of them—I couldn’t bring myself to do it again."
5. He despised the initial screenplay for Blade Runner.
Blade Runner, inspired by the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, stands as one of the most famous adaptations of Philip K. Dick’s work and could be an excellent choice for those seeking science fiction gift ideas. However, Dick was far from impressed with the original script penned by Hampton Fancher.
“They stripped my book of all its nuances and deeper meaning […] It turned into a mere battle between androids and a bounty hunter,” Dick remarked in his final interview. Fortunately, the studio later brought in David Peoples to rewrite the script, which Dick praised as “absolutely sensational.”
6. Dick declined the opportunity to write a Blade Runner novelization.
Although Blade Runner is based on Dick’s novel, it diverges significantly from the source material. To align the book with the film, the studio offered Dick a substantial fee to write a novelization that matched the movie’s script, intended for release alongside the film. However, there was a condition attached.
"The financial offer was substantial, and the film studio even proposed sharing merchandising rights. However, they demanded that the original novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, be sidelined in favor of a novelization based on the screenplay," Dick explained. "My agency estimated that I could earn around $400,000 from the novelization, compared to just $12,500 from re-releasing the original book."
Despite the studio’s threats to prohibit any mention of Blade Runner on the cover, Dick and his agency stood firm and chose to re-release the original novel.
7. Every major adaptation of his work debuted after his death.
While Philip K. Dick’s works have inspired countless TV shows and films—such as Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and Total Recall (twice!)—only one adaptation aired during his lifetime. This was an episode of the 1962 British series Out of this World, which loosely adapted his 1953 short story "Imposter." Sadly, all episodes of the show, except "Little Lost Robot," were erased after broadcast, leaving no way to view them today.
Dick was alive for much of Blade Runner’s production but passed away on March 2, 1982, just months before its release. He did, however, see some special effects footage during production and was amazed by the team’s work, particularly how Douglas Trumbull perfectly captured his vision of a futuristic Los Angeles.
By the end of his life, Dick’s opinion of the film had softened significantly. In his final interview, he shared his enthusiasm about attending the premiere, joking, “I hear the movie will have a classic gala premiere. That means I’ll need to buy—or rent—a black tuxedo, which isn’t really my thing. I’m more comfortable in a T-shirt.”
8. He was recreated as an android in 2005. (And again in 2011.)
In 2005, Hanson Robotics unveiled an android modeled after Philip K. Dick at Wired NextFest. Designed by David Hanson, the android was remarkably lifelike for its time, wearing clothes donated by Dick’s children and featuring a synthetic face that eerily resembled the author. It even spoke in Dick’s own voice, thanks to thousands of pages of his writings, interviews, and journals being uploaded into its system. The android could answer questions using Dick’s voice, and if asked something unfamiliar, it relied on a built-in language-deciphering system to generate a response.
In an odd turn of events, the original android head was lost when Hanson accidentally left it in a duffel bag during a flight change to San Francisco. A replacement was built in 2011 for $50,000, featuring enhanced facial expressions and advanced vision technology.
This article was originally published in June 2022 and updated in November 2022.
