# This Week in Google Alerts: the honorable Gene Wolfe *The Urth list — 13 messages, 8 voices, 09 Jan 2012* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Gwern Branwen *09 Jan 2012, 22:55* http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/07/gene-wolfe-honored/ > The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will be presenting Gene Wolfe with the first Fuller Award for lifetime achievement in literature on March 17 at an Evening to Honor Gene Wolfe. The event will take place at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, IL and will be hosted by Gary K. Wolfe. Authors scheduled to pay tribute to Wolfe include Neil Gaiman, Luis Urrea, Michael Swanwick, Audrey Niffenegger, Jody Lynn Nye, and Patrick O?Leary with a performance of an adaptation of Wolfe’s story “The Toy Theatre” by Lawrence Santoro. Tickets begin at $65. Tickets: https://genewolfesanfilippo.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn (A dinner & performance ticket will run you $150+, it seems.) ``` gwern http://www.gwern.net ``` --- ### Antonin Scriabin *10 Jan 2012, 14:14 · in reply to Gwern Branwen* That looks fantastic and I might just go ... :-) > On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 5:55 PM, Gwern Branwen wrote: > http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/07/gene-wolfe-honored/ >> The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will be presenting Gene Wolfe with the >> first Fuller Award for lifetime achievement in literature on March 17 at an >> Evening to Honor Gene Wolfe. The event will take place at the Sanfilippo >> Estate in Barrington Hills, IL and will be hosted by Gary K. Wolfe. Authors >> scheduled to pay tribute to Wolfe include Neil Gaiman, Luis Urrea, Michael >> Swanwick, Audrey Niffenegger, Jody Lynn Nye, and Patrick O?Leary with a >> performance of an adaptation of Wolfe’s story “The Toy Theatre” by Lawrence >> Santoro. Tickets begin at $65. > Tickets: https://genewolfesanfilippo.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn (A > dinner & performance ticket will run you $150+, it seems.) > > -- > gwern > http://www.gwern.net > _______________________________________________ --- ### Gwern Branwen *16 Jan 2012, 23:58 · in reply to Gwern Branwen* > On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 5:55 PM, Gwern Branwen wrote: > http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/07/gene-wolfe-honored/ >> The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will be presenting Gene Wolfe with the first Fuller Award for lifetime achievement in literature on March 17 at an Evening to Honor Gene Wolfe. The event will take place at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, IL and will be hosted by Gary K. Wolfe. Authors scheduled to pay tribute to Wolfe include Neil Gaiman, Luis Urrea, Michael Swanwick, Audrey Niffenegger, Jody Lynn Nye, and Patrick O?Leary with a performance of an adaptation of Wolfe’s story “The Toy Theatre” by Lawrence Santoro. Tickets begin at $65. A much more interesting description: http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/honoring-gene-wolfe Also http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/01/12/qa-with-the-founder-of-%E2%80%98the-encyclopedia-of-science-fiction%E2%80%99/ > What are your favourite works of SF and Why? > > Someone once quipped: “the Golden Age of Science Fiction is twelve”, meaning that what you read when you are twelve impresses itself upon an area of the brain that will seek out more like it. It follows that as your reading level and experience becomes greater, your favourites will continually alter. Readers in their seventies may have developed the kind of sophistication that would allow them to enjoy the sequence of four novels known as “The Book of the New Sun” (1980-83) by Gene Wolfe. Unusually, the book masquerades as a fantasy about an ancient and depleted civilisation of the future, but readers will sooner or later notice that all this fantasy has an astonishingly firm — if elusive — underpinning of SF. Younger readers may, however, be more likely to enjoy “Snow Crash” (1992) by Neal Stephenson, set in a much closer future than the one Wolfe creates, starring among others a high speed pizza delivery girl, and some very clever, very young hackers creating a cyberworld. ``` gwern http://www.gwern.net ``` --- ### Mo Holkar *17 Jan 2012, 09:31 · in reply to Gwern Branwen* > At 22:55 09/01/2012, Gwern wrote: > a performance of an adaptation of Wolfe???s > story ???The Toy Theatre??? by Lawrence Santoro. Will be interesting to hear how (if) this handles the interesting interpretative theories about the identities of the narrator, puppetmaster, etc, as discussed on the wiki: http://www.wolfewiki.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Stories.TheToyTheater Mo # ~ # ~ # WolfeWiki -- a wiki about Gene Wolfe http://www.wolfewiki.com/pmwiki/ --- ### David Duffy *17 Jan 2012, 12:11 · in reply to Gwern Branwen* http://www.jonathanstrahan.com.au/wp/2012/01/07/episode-83-live-with-gary-k-wolfe/ The other Wolfe on the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame event, and Strahan on BotNS, _The Map_, _A Cabin on the Coast_. Strahan discusses the fact that BotNS was not Hugo nominated, compared to other awards it picked up (more popular with other authors than SF fans). Strahan didn't finished BotNS ;), though he has read Long. He thinks the short stories more accessible. GKW thinks _Wizard Knight_ a more start for beginners at "how to read Gene Wolfe". Comments Wolfe writing has been compared to origami. Gary K Wolfe also recorded an interview with Wolfe for the Chicago public libraries system around the time. He also cited a spoiler warning at a convention (they are about to talk about _Moby Dick_). Strahan mentions _Shields of Mars_, introducing the idea that Wolfe can be read pleasurably without plumbing the depths. He doesn't think there are any depths to that story. GKW then compares hermeneutics of Wolfe as studying chess, and the Sun series to _Ulysses_. They will discuss Wolfe in subsequent podcasts. CHeers, David Duffy. --- ### James Wynn *18 Jan 2012, 21:53 · in reply to Antonin Scriabin* I think I'd like to go to this. I would be cool if we could get a table and sit together. But we'd need at least 10 to do that. Well, 9 actually. I think I know a mystery guest who would definitely go if we pulled it together. > On 1/10/2012 8:14 AM, Antonin Scriabin wrote: > That looks fantastic and I might just go ... :-) > > On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 5:55 PM, Gwern Branwen > wrote: > > http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/07/gene-wolfe-honored/ > > > The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will be presenting Gene Wolfe > with the first Fuller Award for lifetime achievement in literature > on March 17 at an Evening to Honor Gene Wolfe. The event will take > place at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, IL and will be > hosted by Gary K. Wolfe. Authors scheduled to pay tribute to Wolfe > include Neil Gaiman, Luis Urrea, Michael Swanwick, Audrey > Niffenegger, Jody Lynn Nye, and Patrick O'Leary with a performance > of an adaptation of Wolfe's story "The Toy Theatre" by Lawrence > Santoro. Tickets begin at $65. > > Tickets: https://genewolfesanfilippo.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn (A > dinner & performance ticket will run you $150+, it seems.) > > -- > gwern > http://www.gwern.net > _______________________________________________ --- ### James Wynn *19 Jan 2012, 17:46 · in reply to James Wynn* Having permission I can say that Michael Andre-Driussi and I are trying cook up a plan for that weekend. So even if we can't get a table, it would still be fun to get together with whoever goes. > On 1/18/2012 3:53 PM, James Wynn wrote: > I think I'd like to go to this. I would be cool if we could get a > table and sit together. But we'd need at least 10 to do that. Well, 9 > actually. I think I know a mystery guest who would definitely go if we > pulled it together. > > > On 1/10/2012 8:14 AM, Antonin Scriabin wrote: >> That looks fantastic and I might just go ... :-) >> >> On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 5:55 PM, Gwern Branwen > > wrote: >> >> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/07/gene-wolfe-honored/ >> >> > The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will be presenting Gene Wolfe >> with the first Fuller Award for lifetime achievement in >> literature on March 17 at an Evening to Honor Gene Wolfe. The >> event will take place at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington >> Hills, IL and will be hosted by Gary K. Wolfe. Authors scheduled >> to pay tribute to Wolfe include Neil Gaiman, Luis Urrea, Michael >> Swanwick, Audrey Niffenegger, Jody Lynn Nye, and Patrick O'Leary >> with a performance of an adaptation of Wolfe's story "The Toy >> Theatre" by Lawrence Santoro. Tickets begin at $65. >> >> Tickets: https://genewolfesanfilippo.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn (A >> dinner & performance ticket will run you $150+, it seems.) >> >> -- >> gwern >> http://www.gwern.net >> _______________________________________________ --- ### António Pedro Marques *19 Jan 2012, 17:54 · in reply to James Wynn* Well, it's good to know you're still kickin'. James Wynn wrote (19-01-2012 17:46): > Having permission I can say that Michael Andre-Driussi and I are trying cook > up a plan for that weekend. So even if we can't get a table, it would still > be fun to get together with whoever goes. > > > On 1/18/2012 3:53 PM, James Wynn wrote: >> I think I'd like to go to this. I would be cool if we could get a table >> and sit together. But we'd need at least 10 to do that. Well, 9 actually. >> I think I know a mystery guest who would definitely go if we pulled it >> together. --- ### James Wynn *19 Jan 2012, 17:57 · in reply to António Pedro Marques* I'll be back when time permits me to crack a book again. > On 1/19/2012 11:54 AM, Ant?nio Pedro Marques wrote: > Well, it's good to know you're still kickin'. > > James Wynn wrote (19-01-2012 17:46): >> Having permission I can say that Michael Andre-Driussi and I are >> trying cook >> up a plan for that weekend. So even if we can't get a table, it would >> still >> be fun to get together with whoever goes. >> >> >> On 1/18/2012 3:53 PM, James Wynn wrote: >>> I think I'd like to go to this. I would be cool if we could get a table >>> and sit together. But we'd need at least 10 to do that. Well, 9 >>> actually. >>> I think I know a mystery guest who would definitely go if we pulled it >>> together. > _______________________________________________ --- ### Matthew Knight *22 Feb 2012, 04:59 · in reply to James Wynn* I'm a lurker and all, but I'm curious if anyone is still considering going as a group. They are now offering tables of 8 for $1000. Despite lacking time and living off of a pitiful grad student stipend, I'm finding it hard to resist the idea of seeing the man himself in all his Lupine glory at least once in my life, and at such an event as this... Anyway, just thought I'd throw the suggestion out there. Matt --- ### James Wynn *22 Feb 2012, 18:55 · in reply to Matthew Knight* People who I have heard are going: Mantis Marc Aramini Antonin Scriabin Me. Hope to see you there Michael. > On 2/21/2012 10:59 PM, Matthew Knight wrote: > I'm a lurker and all, but I'm curious if anyone is still considering > going as a group. They are now offering tables of 8 for $1000. > Despite lacking time and living off of a pitiful grad student stipend, > I'm finding it hard to resist the idea of seeing the man himself in > all his Lupine glory at least once in my life, and at such an event as > this... > > Anyway, just thought I'd throw the suggestion out there. --- ### Marc Aramini *22 Feb 2012, 19:30 · in reply to James Wynn* I was re-reading Fifth Head of Cerberus a long time ago and there were two things that really struck me in terms of how I think the dynamic between trees / Silkhorn / life on Blue or Green works. "They mated with trees and drowned the children to honor their rivers" (pg 11 of old ace copy) and "I told her about my experiments (I was stimulating unfertilized frogs' eggs to asexual development and then DOUBLING THE CHROMOSOMES by a chemical treatment so that a further asexual generation could be produced)" (pg 23) As you know, I thought the eucharist scene in which "they" are watching in the forest involves the trees (vanished gods), and that the new species on Blue or Green are "hybrids" or old ones with that tree stock, which would double the genetic information before sex segregation in the hybrids. I felt good reading that in Fifth Head, as it at least indicates to me that Gene has thought about this process for asexual reproduction before, especially since hybridization DOES double the chromosomes. I am aware Fifth Head is about cloning, but interesting to me nonetheless. --- ### Matthew Knight *04 Mar 2012, 05:19 · in reply to James Wynn* Sorry to keep bringing this up...but just wanted to confirm that nobody (err, 6 other people, at this point) is still waiting in anticipation to buy a table for the big celebration? I think the deadline is on Monday. Don't know if I can afford it, and my story didn't make the cut, but I'm still pretty torn over the decision! > On Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 12:55 PM, James Wynn wrote: > People who I have heard are going: > Mantis > Marc Aramini > Antonin Scriabin > Me. > > Hope to see you there Michael. > > > On 2/21/2012 10:59 PM, Matthew Knight wrote: >> I'm a lurker and all, but I'm curious if anyone is still considering >> going as a group. They are now offering tables of 8 for $1000. >> Despite lacking time and living off of a pitiful grad student stipend, >> I'm finding it hard to resist the idea of seeing the man himself in >> all his Lupine glory at least once in my life, and at such an event as >> this... >> >> Anyway, just thought I'd throw the suggestion out there. > ______________________________**_________________ ---