The Unsettling Visions Of Thomas Disch
“Fantasy is not avoidable. The very act of writing fiction is a sin, a lie. One of Disch’s most haunting stories, ‘Getting Into Death,’ is about a writer (one who…
Posts by tag
science fiction
165 posts
Staging A Beautiful Apocalypse
Today is the birthday of one of my very favorite living writers, Samuel R. Delany. (I spoke once here before about how I share with Junot Diaz an abiding love…
The Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
Someone bought Agatha Christie’s old “battered” trunk for a hundred quid at auction, and in it, she found some jewels, most likely from the great mystery writer’s infamous collection. (via Confessions…
Morning Coffee
Today’s theme is things that are good. These appeal to me on at least three levels: 1980’s subway photography. The top fonts of 2009. “The primary goal is to change…
The Undefinable Genre Of Science Fantasy
“Felicino: I thought writers were the least reliable guys when it comes to define what they’re writing. And most of them don’t really care. Gio: Well, as a reader and…
Science Fiction Predicts The Present
“Science fiction writers don’t predict the future (except accidentally), but if they’re very good, they may manage to predict the present. Mary Shelley wasn’t worried about reanimated corpses stalking Europe, but…
Africa and Science Fiction
Nnedi Okorafor has an essay over at The Nebula Awards site about Africa’s relationship with science fiction, as well as a discussion on Penguin’s decision to make science fiction ineligible…
Lethem on the “Squandered Promise” of Science Fiction
“In 1973 Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow was awarded the Nebula, the highest honor available in the field once known as “science fiction” — a term now mostly forgotten. “Sorry, just…
The Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
This week, the book blogs are scaring the ever-loving Jesus out of me. Sure, there have been a few fun, interesting updates and interviews, but most of what they’ve been…