Cordwainer Smith was one pseudonym of Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, a U.S. Army officer, scholar on East Asian matters, classmate of L. Ron Hubbard, advisor and godson of Sun Yat-Sen, and an expert in psychological warfare. His identity remained a secret until shortly before his death.

Though his writing was cut short by his relatively early death, his stories, mostly concerning a far future involving a millennia-spanning “Instrumentality of Mankind,” were nominated for two Hugo awards and a Nebula award. The Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award, intended to shine a light on authors deserving of renewed attention, is named for him.