Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts

Friday, May 12, 2017

FFB: TURNING POINTS edited by Damon Knight (Harper & Row 1977); DREAM MAKERS: VOLUME II interviews conducted by Charles Platt (Berkley 1985)

Two books about sf and fantasy and what's around them, Damon Knight's pioneering gathering of essays from various sources, about "The Art of Science Fiction" as the subtitle notes (there had been numerous all-original symposia, and some collections of criticism by individual writers, including Knight himself, but no anthology drawing widely on the previously-published literature)...and the second and perhaps more surprising volume of interviews with sf and fantasy writers by the always ready to be contentious Charles Platt (there are two editions of Dream Makers by Platt...the first his first collection of interview essays, the second Platt's selection of entries from both the first two volumes--I recommend reading the entirety of the two earlier volumes).

 Knight's volume, which includes a bit of new material in its time (1977, most notably Knight's own essays on the nature of sf and writing and selling the literature) also offered the first widespread access to certain other documents, published, if at all, only in fanzines of varying degrees of obscurity. This is true of the debate, of sorts, between the rather obscure Philip Geffe and four rather prominent scientists or ex-secientists in the sf field about how scientists are
treated in the fiction, and Joanna Russ's speech, "Alien Monsters," which might be even more controversial, citing as it does an illustration in an sf magazine that no one, apparently, has since found...and which I suspect refers to the resolution to Judith Merril's The Tomorrow People...which Russ cites along the way toward calling for much greater sophistication in dealing with characters and characterization in SF. There is no single thread to the essays Knight collects here, sometimes even within the subheadings the selections are classed with in the table of contents, and I don't think Knight ever intended us to consider each contribution to be the equal of every other one, so much as various sorts of nudges to get the reader new to sf, or a veteran reader or otherwise more involved, to consider or reconsider both conventional wisdom or their own opinions about the field...since the book is mostly about sf, rather than the larger field of fantastic fiction, even if the other sorts of speculative fiction by necessity are discussed. 

 The contents:
i. A Walk Around the Topic
II. History without Tears
III. Criticism, Destructive and Otherwise
IV. S.F. and Science
V. How To, in Four Tricky Lessons
VI. S.F. as Prophecy
VII. Confessions
(The Franklin item, from his book-length study Future Perfect [Oxford, 1966] was omitted by the ISFDB listing for the book; possibly for some reason it's missing from the Macmillan/Orion 2014 ebook edition.)

Casting one's eye over the contents, one can see contributions from those with careers at the heart of the SF fields, including such critics and historians as Versins and Franklin, and those who made notable contributions, sometimes their most important contributions, but who are best-remembered for other work, such as Richard McKenna, whose bestselling historical and only novel The Sand Pebbles might be better known than his notable fantasy short story "Casey Agonistes" and his other work in his brief career in and out of SF, or  Amis, Lewis or Huxley...Lewis definitely considering himself a fantastic-fiction writer, and Amis as well when so engaged, and Huxley apparently not too worried about being so tagged. I do wish another essay by James Blish was included here, though this one is clearly close to Blish's heart, even if the core assumption, that any sentient species is likely to construct a pantheon of gods since humans all over the world do so, seems to me to be shaky anthropomorphism at its most self-reassuring. 

It's a fine and useful book, and I'm glad to see it's once again available, even if solely electronically. 

Charles Platt, for his part, took a few more chances and widened his remit rather better for the interviews gathered for his second collection of interview-based profiles...he, with not much justification, insisted that most of the women writers in SF were essentially fantasy rather than sf writers, so there was only the most begrudged space given to Kate Wilhelm as the only woman writer in the first volume of Dream Makers. And that because Platt didn't have access to Damon Knight, so the married couple interviewed each other for Platt's book, making that the only entry which was not the result of a visit by Platt to the habitation of the writer (or editor) being queried. And to wrap the book, writer and fellow interviewer Douglas Winter interviews Platt (Winter's similar book of interview essays with horror-fiction writers, Faces of Fear, would be released the same year as DM2.
But, despite the presence of Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, Jack Vance and Arthur C. Clarke in this volume (along with the somewhat later arrivals such as Joe Haldman, Larry Niven and Keith Launer), Platt mostly felt freer to include more writers beyond the Old Lions of the field, and with Russ, Alice Sheldon ("James Tiptree, Jr.")  and Kit Reed managed to take in three of the more important women writers, even if none was averse to fantasy, science fantasy or otherwise not have a periodic table of the elements at hand at all times while writing. Andre Norton, then as now, was vastly better known for her YA fiction than her adult work, and others, such as D. M. Thomas, William Burroughs, and to some extent Robert Anton Wilson, were often seen as apart from SF, no matter how much or how often their key works either were firmly in SF traditions or drew heavily on SF viewpoints or techniques. Alvin Toffler was the one non-fiction writer, albeit an allied futurist, included.  But interviews with Russ, the often interview-shy John Sladek, D. M. Thomas (I prefer his sf poetry to his bestseller, in part a time-travel fantasy, The White Hotel)(William Kotzwinkle's The Exile deals far more nimbly with similar materials, I'd suggest). Sturgeon and Laumer capture each at crucial moments in their careeers, or (as in Russ's case) when cagily willing to discuss questions of sexual identity that had not, as far as I know, been stated even as not quite plainly as they are here. And the candid opinions of such writers as Harry Harrison and Stephen King are more than useful in this context; King's cogent assessment of the work of Lin Carter wasn't likely to arise in too many other discussions he'd have in public, much less transcribed. Platt doesn't actually get to see L. Ron Hubbard, but puts an oar in to suggest he was still alive by the time of their 1983 correspondence. 

These two books are collections of useful, if not always the most reliable, statements of thought by mostly major figures in the fields of fantastic fiction, and even those who are not major for one reason or another are worth hearing from even if mostly for the bad example they set. And the mutual appearance of Sturgeon, Russ and Laumer in both volumes isn't the only reason you might gain something from reading them together. 

Please see Patti Abbott's blog for more of today's books.
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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Patricia Abbott: CONCRETE ANGEL and more: The blog tour continues

Patricia Abbott, or Patti as she usually goes by, is not a natural self-promoter, but that doesn't keep her from being a busy writer, with over 150 short stories published in various magazines and anthologies since she began to get serious about writing about twenty years ago; she's published a poetry chapbook (Next to the Serengeti Ballroom) and three books of fiction before her highly-praised current offer, the novel Concrete Angel (Polis Books); her previous titles include the anthology (co-edited with Steve Weddle) Discount Noir (2010),  the short story collection Monkey Justice (2011),  and the novel-in-linked-stories Home Invasion (2013). The new book has as a starting point something of an inversion of the situation of James M. Cain's classic Mildred Pierce...in Abbott's novel, it's the daughter who is striving to make better life for herself and her challenging, even sociopathic, mother.

 Abbott's husband is Philip Abbott, a professor at Wayne State University, who has published 11 books so far; their son is Joshua Abbott, a Macomb County, MI assistant prosecuting attorney, and their daughter is Megan Abbott, who has published eight books, most recently the novel The Fever.  Winner of the Derringer Award for her short story "My Hero," Patti is also a very active blogger, the host of the "Friday's Forgotten Books" weekly roundelay, and usually a participant in my "Tuesday's Overlooked A/V" weekly lists as well. Her next novel, Shot in Detroit, is nearing completion now.

 The brief interview below is a stop on her "blog tour" to support the publication of Concrete Angel; previous interviews can and should be seen at the following links:

Kirkus Reviews
Dana King: Twenty Questions 
Gerald So: Concrete Angel chat
Bill Crider: Being a Late Bloomer
George Kelley: Patti Abbott's Bookshelves 
Charlie Stella: 3 writers who've influenced me...
J. Kingston Pierce: "Mommie Direst" (a reference to the character in Concrete Angel)
Ron Earl Phillips: Patti Abbott and Rob Hart: A Conversation
Ed Gorman: Pro-File 
Women of Mystery: Setting 
Elizabeth Spann Craig: Working My Way Toward the Novel 
Sergio Angelini: Why I Wrote Concrete Angel 
B. V. Lawson: R&R: Philadelphia Then 
Megan Abbott: Interrogation 
Deborah Diesen: Michiganding 
Marshal Zeringue: Page 69 Test 
Prashant Trikannad: 2 Questions
Patricia Abbott: Five Favorite Novels About Mothers and Daughters

I suspected I might be adding to this list, and I have been...Patricia Abbott and Bryon Quertermous spoke and signed copies of their new books at the Mysterious Bookshop at 58 Warren St, New York, NY, this coming Thursday, 18 June 2015 beginning at 6:30p.  --Todd Mason

TM: You've mentioned in previous interviews that you were not raised in a particularly literary household, though your mother
read "Ellery Queen"'s novels. But you were drawn to the neighborhood bookmobile at a young age, and became a regular patron of the Free Library of Philadelphia branch when it opened in your neighborhood. Was there a particular librarian or teacher who nudged you in that direction, or was particularly helpful in finding the kind of literature you wanted to read? Or, for that matter, were you encouraged as a youngster to write? You've mentioned you initially were only interested in books that were about girls very much like yourself...when did you branch out in your reading? 

 Patricia Abbott: To answer the last question first, I am not sure I ever did branch out as much as I ought to. There are still many classic books in fantasy, science fiction, and similar areas that go unread. I should certainly read more non-fiction. Only my book group has led me to books like The Boys in the Boat, Unbroken, poetry collections, a few biographies, essays by various writers. My inclination is to read crime stories and straight fiction. Back to your first question: When the first library was build in my neighborhood, I began to go even more often [than to the bookmobile]. The children's' room was unbelievable to me after the bookmobile. I met my first African-American woman there--the children's librarian [this being the highly segregated Philadelphia of the 1950s]. Her name was Mrs. Robinson and she held books for me she thought I would like and also tried to broaden my interests. She was not so successful with "nudging" me, but she was willing to talk about what I had read. And if it was Cherry Ames, Army Nurse or a Trixie Belden or whatever, she was probably happy I was reading at all. Now that makes it sound like I came from a neighborhood of illiterates. But, in fact, the kids at my school were avid readers. I was the one with narrow interests. I didn't even read fairy tales or mythology books, for Pete's sake. As to writing influences, in sixth grade I had a fairly awful, in many respects, teacher. But she did have us write all the time and perform little plays. My math skills suffered but she may have introduced me to that possibility. It just took me a very long time to come back to it. 

 I gather you were usually a good student and not Too much a troublemaker, but from early on you describe yourself as leaning into extreme inquisitiveness about how others lived, enough to gain a reputation for such in your neighborhood even as a preschooler (often the mark of a writer), and, by your teens, at least a brief period of "bad girl" rebellion. Did your reading have any influence on this? When did you start reading crime fiction on a regular basis? Did you prefer other kinds of fiction? 

 At about fourteen, I became what they used to call "boy crazy." That led me in some wrong directions. My reading probably slowed down during this period but it never stopped. It was too much a part of me. And actually in that period, I read all of Sinclair Lewis, John O'Hara [whose work was crime-fiction-adjacent], Thomas Hardy, Pearl Buck, Leon Uris, [CF writer...before Rosemary's Baby] Ira Levin, Edna Ferber, etc. I didn't read crime fiction at all until I was 19, newly married and at the shore in Ocean City, N.J. Phil and I found a trove of Agatha Christie books at a used bookstore and bought them all for very little. And my vacation turned into binge-reading her. After that, my reading was equally divided between crime and straight fiction.

 Have you been a lifelong movie buff? How has that informed your fiction? Have you ever written plays or other forms beyond prose fiction? (I'm amused that poetry editors were encouraging you to look at some of your poems, at least, as outlines for short stories, when you don't usually like to outline your work.) 

 Yes. I think there has hardly ever been a week in my life when I didn't go out to the movies. And I have been known to do three [in a week or less]. I don't watch them at home very often. I need the dark, the smell of popcorn and licorice, the sticky floor beneath my feet to really get into a movie. At home, I am likely to read while I watch a movie and the experience is very disappointing. My first movie theater was the Renel Theater on Ogontz Avenue in Philly. I was allowed to walk there (maybe a mile) with my girlfriends from a very young age (perhaps 8). The only time this obsessive movie-going abated was the five years before my kids were in school. Once they were there all day, we went to the movies in the afternoon. So I am weak on movies between 1970-77. I think it does impact on my fiction a bit. I always imagine what movies the characters might watch. And I think the subject matter of French movies, domestic life, really influenced me. Especially [those of] Claude Chabrol and Eric Rohmer. I don't however picture the stories as if they are movies. It's the words I write for, not the images. 

 As your fourth book, though (arguably) first novel and first bound and printed publication (in trade paperback format), how are you enjoying the fruits of your labor so far? You've just begun a speaking tour in support of the book, has it been what you've expected? Do you feel that with several books to each of your credit, that you, your husband and your daughter might be putting unfair pressure on your son to publish at book length? 

 I am only doing two events. It is just too costly to go to a bookstore where I know no one, and would have to pay hotel and air flight. I have been to book talks like that...where there is an audience of ten people and three buy the book. Instead I am relying on the world of blogs to help me. And my friends have been very kind indeed. 

 My son could write an amazing book I am sure. He has had some of the most horrific cases...but he likes to put them behind him. Marcia Clark, on the other hand, seems to be able to draw on her experiences. 
Abbott in conversation at the Book Beat, in Michigan.

 My talk in Michigan was surprisingly delightful. I looked out on the faces--I knew just about everyone in the room (see what I mean about going to a place you don't have friends)--and felt embraced. I would like to say I am "over the moon" as someone suggested to me yesterday, but I view anything good as a harbinger of bad things to come. So I am not really enjoying having a book I can hold as a younger writer might. It's just not in my makeup. Instead I worry about not selling any copies and making Jason Pinter (the publisher of Polis) regret taking me on.

 You're in the process of finishing your second traditional novel's revisions...do you know what else you'd like to try, in terms of fiction or related goals?  A novel of historical fiction, horror, contemporary mimetic fiction--all of which you've written repeatedly in shorter forms? Something else again? 

 I would love, above all, to write a ghost story, but I doubt I could sustain the mood for 300 pages. I think I have an idea for a possible third novel--using one of my stories as an outline. See? That poetry editor taught me well.
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Monday, July 29, 2013

Paul Desmond on CBC-TV, 1976; GLAD TO BE UNHAPPY the album



Takes the interlocutors two minutes of bibble to get to the Desmond interview. Recorded not long before his death in 1977.


 1965 album: Glad to Be Unhappy 
Desmond, alto sax; Jim Hall, guitar; Gene Wright, bass (long-term Toshiko Akiyoshi and, later, Frank Sinatra bassist Gene Cherico subs on "Poor Butterfly"); Connie Kay, drums. One of several Desmond/Hall albums, and the DBQ bassist and MJQ percussionist making for an excellent rhythm section.

Tracks: 1 Glad To Be Unhappy 00:00 2 Poor Butterfly 05:46 3 Stranger In Town 13:06 4 A Taste Of Honey 19:34 5 Any Other Time 24:04 6 Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo 29:30 7 Angel Eyes 34:14 8 By The River Sainte Marie 40:37 9 All Across The City 46:54 10 All Through The Night 51:28 Credits: Alto Saxophone – Paul Desmond Drum – Connie Kay Guitar – Jim Hall Bass – Eugene Wright (tracks: Except # 2), Gene Cherico (tracks: Only on # 2) Recorded in RCA Victor's Studio "A" and Webster Hall, New York City, 1963-1964

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Alison Brie interviewed (and lured into action posing) by Paul F. Tompkins


"This time out I chat with the terrifically talented and charming Alison Brie about Mad Men, Community and being just a little baby!"


"Also? I am sorry for almost ending Alison Brie’s career (and continued mobility) with hadoken."


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