To Serve Man

About To Serve Man

"To Serve Man" is a science fiction short story written by Damon Knight, later adapted for use as an episode of the 1960s television series The Twilight Zone. In 2001, the story was awarded a Retro Hugo Award for the Best Short Story of 1951.

The story involves helpful alien emissaries, the pig-like Kanamit (singular Kanama), giving mankind all the necessary tools to survive and to end wars and famine. As a further token of friendship they even freely transport humans to their paradise-like planet.

The aliens accidentally leave behind a book. A United Nations official from Russia named Grigori finds the book and via a Kanamit-English dictionary manages to decipher the book's title, How To Serve Man, and first paragraph, which he explains to the narrator. The paragraph reveals the Kanamit's disquieting motives: How To Serve Man is a cookbook.