Carl Freedman was born in 1951. He is the William A. Read Professor of English Literature at Louisiana State University and the author of many books, articles, and reviews that cover a wide range of topics in modern thought and culture, most notably Marxist critical theory, science fiction, film, and United States electoral politics. His best-known book is Critical Theory and Science Fiction (2000); his most recent is Art and Idea in the Novels of China Miéville (2015). He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.