Project Gutenberg 2008-04-10 Public domain in the USA. 114 Silverberg, Robert 1935 Knox, Calvin M. Martin, Webber Mitchell, Clyde Jarvis, E. K. Burke, Ralph The Happy Unfortunate Produced from Amazing Stories December 1957. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "The Happy Unfortunate" by Robert Silverberg is a science fiction novella written in the late 1950s. The story is set in a dystopian future where the Earth has been divided into two distinct groups: Spacers, who are physically larger and robust due to generations of selective breeding for space travel, and Earthers, who are smaller and reliant on plastic surgery to achieve societal standards of beauty. The narrative centers around the themes of identity, belonging, and the struggle between these two factions, exploring the changes that have occurred in Earth society during the protagonist’s five years in space. The plot follows Rolf Dekker, a Spacer who returns home to Earth and experiences a culture shock as he encounters Earthers who have undergone extensive physical modifications. Rolf grapples with his feelings of alienation and his desire to fit in among the Earthers, culminating in an invitation to a party where he confronts the stark differences between their worlds. As he navigates the complexities of his identity and desires, Rolf faces emotional turmoil stemming from rejection and self-hatred after a failed romantic encounter with an Earther. The story ultimately portrays his realization that he belongs in space, leading him to reject the superficiality of the Earther lifestyle in favor of embracing his own identity as a Spacer. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 86.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Short stories Science fiction, American PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 68078 2025-07-10T09:57:16.841330 text/html 64445 2021-01-03T11:45:36 text/html 138816 2025-07-10T09:57:20.808304 application/epub+zip 138122 2025-07-10T09:57:18.502309 application/epub+zip 92981 2025-07-10T09:57:17.380315 application/epub+zip 284368 2025-07-10T09:57:22.489278 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 276654 2025-07-10T09:57:20.136292 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 151202 2022-09-11T13:15:13.238247 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 61152 2025-07-10T09:57:16.579320 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 60953 2021-01-03T11:45:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 57590 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 1604560 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 97765 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 73803 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 71743 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 76099 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 77347 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 78948 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 75109 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 74279 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 77839 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 76772 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 75209 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 78569 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 73999 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 75092 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 77618 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 78929 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 77213 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 75148 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 26496 2008-06-12T13:06:31 application/octet-stream 19974 2025-07-10T09:57:22.611280 application/rdf+xml 12651 2025-07-10T09:57:17.863312 image/jpeg 3318 2025-07-10T09:57:17.619318 image/jpeg 71740 2021-01-03T11:45:36 application/octet-stream application/zip 23696 2021-01-03T11:45:36 application/octet-stream application/zip 138610 2025-07-10T09:57:16.851378 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog More titles under Jorgensen, Ivar en.wikipedia