Philip K. Dick

Philip Kindred Dick (1928–1982) was an American science fiction writer known for his masterful explorations of paranoia, identity, reality, and consciousness. Although he achieved only modest recognition during his lifetime, his work has gained significant critical acclaim and influence posthumously, particularly due to the many successful film adaptations of his novels.

Dick's novels—including Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, and A Scanner Darkly—are characterized by their relentless questioning of what constitutes "the real" and what defines "the human." He often created characters trapped in complex, often surreal realities where the line between hallucination and objective truth is constantly shifting. He is widely regarded as one of the most intellectually provocative and visionary science fiction writers of the 20th century.