Arthur Bertram Chandler

Arthur Bertram Chandler (28 March 1912-6 June 1984) was an Australian science fiction author who wrote under the pen names of Andrew Dunstan, George Whitley, George Whitely, and S.H.M. He was born in Aldershot, England and became an Australian citizen after migrating to Australia in 1956. He was a merchant marine officer commanding various ships in the New Zealand and Australian merchant navies.

Chandler’s John Grimes novel and Rim World series both have a naval flavour that made him a well-known writer of over 40 novels and 200 short stories. He won the Ditmar Awards for his three novels, 'False Fatherland' (1969), 'The Bitter Pill' (1975), and 'The Big Black' (1976), including the short story of 'The Bitter Pill' (1971). In his writings, Chandler obviously showed his experiences while on board maritime ships. He described the lives of the crews aboard spaceships and the relationships amongst the members that create a sense of realism. In his John Grimes novel, Chandler described his principal hero as an enthusiastic sailor adventuring on the oceans of different planets. Chandler’s 'The Deep Reaches of Space' (1964) has autobiographical elements, with a seaman as the protagonist who becomes a science fiction writer and travels to the future to save stranded humans on an alien planet with the use of his nautical experience. A an Australian background is evident in his writings, as he depicted Australia as the future powerful world by leading space exploration and eventually settling other planets. The parallel universe plot device was used by Chandler throughout his career, as seen in many Grimes stories that involve characters crossing over into other realities.