Why is Virginia Heinlein Important?
Readers who have not read the autobiographical material in Expanded Universe and Grumbles from the Grave can be excused for wondering why Virginia Heinlein is of any interest and importance to fans of Robert Heinlein’s work. Even that somewhat sketchy material does not fully convey what recent biographical research has shown: That Mrs. Heinlein, while not participating in the actual writing of any of Robert Heinlein’s works, was essential to their creation and development. From the time of their marriage in 1948, Virginia Heinlein acted as her husband’s business manager, secretary, story idea collaborator, and “first reader.” More than any person besides Robert Heinlein himself, she is responsible for his postwar and later work “being as it is” – and in some cases, being at all. She was essential in providing readers with at least seven published novels, in that she kept Robert Heinlein alive and healthy for nearly two decades longer than he might have lived without her loving care and
