Lester Dent

Bernard Lester Dent ( born October 12, 1904 in La Plata, Missouri in Macon County, † March 11, 1959 ibid ) was an American author of mystery, adventure and western stories that contained partly sci-fi elements. He became known in Germany through his Doc Savage series, which appeared in the early 1970s in German, but was originally published in the 1930er/40er years as Pulp Magazines under the Kenneth Robeson Verlagspseudonym.

Background and education

Dents parents were the farmer Bernard Dent and Alice, born in Norfolk, who had been a teacher before her marriage. Although parents a ranch near Pumpkin Buttes, Wyoming lived Lester Dent was born in La Plata, where his mother received support from their families. On the ranch Dent grew due to the remoteness of the place on without large circle of friends. Only in 1919 the family moved to La Plata, where he was able to complete his schooling.

1923 Dent joined the Chillicothe Business College in Chillicothe one to be a banker. When he realized that arise as a telegrapher better earning potential, he took courses. In 1924 he was a telegraph operator in the Western Union in Carrollton. In 1925 he moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, where he worked for the Empire Oil and Gas Company. Here he also met his future wife, Norma Gerling ( born July 13, 1901) know. The couple married on August 9, 1925.

Career as a writer

1926 the couple moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma, to where Dent worked as a telegrapher for the Associated Press. Inspired by the example of a colleague, he began pulp fiction for pulp magazines to write what he used especially the night shifts for which was incurred little work. The first story was sold the adventure story Pirate Cay, which appeared in September 1929 at the top notch magazine.

Due to an offer of Dell Publishing the Dents moved the beginning of 1931 to New York. Here Dent brought autodidact at the writing techniques for the Pulps and learned to work quickly and effectively. In 1932 he accepted an offer from Henry Ralston of Street and Smith Publications for a new adventure series, Doc Savage. The first issue of the magazine was released in February 1933. Already after half a year Doc was one of the ten most successful placed on the pulp market magazines.

1940 the couple moved back to La Plata, while Dent continued to write for the Doc Savage magazine. After setting Doc Dent wrote for other magazines, his last published during his lifetime story was the Western short story Savage Challenge, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on February 22, 1958.

Dent suffered a heart attack in February 1959 and died of the consequences of which on March 11. He is buried in the cemetery of La Plata.

Private life

Dent was very interested in technological innovations especially in the field of electrical engineering. He had a pilot's license and the schooner Albatross, on which he and his wife undertook long journeys to the North American coast and in the Caribbean. This experience was reflected in his literary activities. Dent was also a member of the Explorers Club.