Who Wrote "Four in One"?

[exchemist]

I have a memory of a sci-fi short story I read as teenager in the 1960s, in which, after a spacecraft crashes on an alien world, 4 members of the crew regain consciousness to find their bodies, apart from the brain and spinal cord, have been consumed by a sort of protoplasmic organism. The organism however supports and hosts the brain and spinal cord, as it is useful to its existence to have a directing mind. All four are in one blob and are able to communicate telepathically within the blob. The blob is shape-shifting and can take on forms instructed by the brains it hosts. So they can "make" arms, for example, by a process of mind control. The 4 crew members argue, fight and two eventually are killed, while the remaining two separate and try to reconstruct their human forms.

I don't remember the author but I think the title was "Four In One". I've searched the internet for this without success. Does anybody recognise this story from my description and, if so, can you provide any more details about it?  

Update: I've found it: Damon Knight, 1953.

There is even a pdf of the story: https://epdf.tips/four-in-one.html

So now the question is different: does anyone else but me know this story? It's one that made quite an impression on me at the time, so that I still remember it, more than half a century later. 

[TheVat]

I lived in Eugene, Oregon for a year, when Knight lived there with his wife Kate Wilhelm.  They were local celebrities, but only saw them once, roaming a street fair.  The story sounds familiar, probably because the library where I lived as a teenager had a complete collection of the Galaxy Readers, the annual compilations of Galaxy magazine.  I remember his short stories as dark, sometimes darkly funny, sometimes disturbing....I think he had a couple in the Dangerous Visions anthology.  Here's a web version...

https://archive.org/details/galaxymagazine-1953-02

 

[sethoflagos]

4 hours ago, exchemist said:

 Update: I've found it: Damon Knight, 1953.

There is even a pdf of the story: https://epdf.tips/four-in-one.html

I enjoyed that little read. Thanks!

I'd actually guessed Jack Vance from your storyline. It had a bit of an Eyes of the Overworld feel to it.

[WilliamCliff]

On 2/19/2023 at 11:26 PM, exchemist said:

I have a memory of a sci-fi short story I read as teenager in the 1960s, in which, after a spacecraft crashes on an alien world, 4 members of the crew regain consciousness to find their bodies, apart from the brain and spinal cord, have been consumed by a sort of protoplasmic organism. The organism however supports and hosts the brain and spinal cord, as it is useful to its existence to have a directing mind. All four are in one blob and are able to communicate telepathically within the blob. The blob is shape-shifting and can take on forms instructed by the brains it hosts. So they can "make" arms, for example, by a process of mind control. The 4 crew members argue, fight and two eventually are killed, while the remaining two separate and try to reconstruct their human forms.

I don't remember the author but I think the title was "Four In One". I've searched the internet for this without success. Does anybody recognise this story from my description and, if so, can you provide any more details about it?  

Update: I've found it: Damon Knight, 1953.

There is even a pdf of the story: https://epdf.tips/four-in-one.html

So now the question is different: does anyone else but me know this story? It's one that made quite an impression on me at the time, so that I still remember it, more than half a century later. 

It was interesting to read this, thanks!