{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/120", "note": "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.", "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'" }, "archive": "whorl", "thread": { "id": 120, "subject": "Wolfe Article & Wolfe encounters", "messages": 2, "voices": 2, "first": "1997-02-23T20:03:36+00:00", "last": "1997-03-10T18:10:58+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Patri10629", "address": "patri10629 at aol.com" }, "date": "1997-02-23T20:03:36+00:00", "subject": "Re: (whorl) Wolfe Article & Wolfe encounters", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Hello Michael (Mantis)\n\nThanks for kind words re: my novel Door Number Three.\n\nDOH! as Homer would say. \n\nThe author of the article is George Aichele Jr.:\n\"Self-Referentiality in Gene Wolfe's 'Seven American Nights'\", Journal of the\nFantastic in the Arts, Vol. 3, No. 2, Whole No. 10, 1991-- Journal of the\nFantastic in the Arts, 1157 Temple Trail, Stow, OH 44224. Editor was: Carl\nB. Yoke.\n\nHere I was so proud of myself for getting all these academic reference\nnumbers right. And I forget to mention who wrote it!\n\nMy silence (lurking really) is based on intimidation. I'm amazed by the\nbreadth of knowledge displayed by the people who've read both the New Sun and\nThe Long Sun books. And I'm enjoying all the contributions.\n\nI've posted here before. But what I really have to say is that I adore the\nLong Sun books. They seem to me to be a pinnacle of the craft of Science\nFiction. I've read them three times and they have yet to stop amazing and\nflabbergasting me. Wolfe does more in a paragraph than most writers do in a\nchapter. Why isn't he more appreciated? I say \"Gene Wolfe\" to \"mainstream\"\nreaders and they crinkle their foreheads. We are talking a modern master\nhere.\n\nTwo Wolfe stories that might give folks pleasure:\n\nI had the privilege of sharing dinner with Neil Gaimen at the WFC in October\n95. Mightily intimidated--I adore his Sandman work, and have every issue and\nbook that has been printed. I gushed about The Long Sun books and he\nlaunched into an erudite (to me anyway) reference to Chesterton's Father\nBrown stories ( never read 'em) and Kipling's work (ditto, except for a few\npoems) as influences on the Long Sun novels. No one has brought it up here\n(I think) so I'd be curious what you English Majors think:) In an online\ninterview--Wolfe mentioned the Chesterton/Father brown reference might be on\ntarget.\n\nAlso: I met Gene for the second time at the World Fantasy Convention in\nChicago. The first time (in Baltimore) I stood next to him happily and\nstupidly unable to muster a word for 20 minutes:) \n\nA year later he was so sweet. I had him autograph my Long Sun books and\nmentioned I had reviewed the Long Sun series for the mag SF EYE (forthcoming\nwho knows when, but, like all the other issues, worth the wait). I said,\n(I'm still a bit amazed I could speak to the Man) \"I hope I've done them\njustice...but if I didn't, I'm sure you let me know:)\"\n\n\"What have I done to deserve this abuse?\" Gene said.\n\nI had met him earlier and had mentioned Hating THERE ARE DOORS. Still do.\n It almost prevented me from the exquisite pleasure of The New Sun books.\n Well, I wrote about it in the New York Review of Science Fiction. I also\npraised him mightily. He had pointed a finger at my chest and said: \"You're\nThat Guy!\"\n\nSo as he signed my books I replied. \"I gave you Five compliments in that\nreview! And One slam! And all you remember is the slam! Just like a\nwriter.\"\n\nWolfe paused for a moment and looked at the ceiling. Then said, \"They\nweren't very Big compliments.\"\n\nAnd I burst out laughing.\n\nI just love him.\n\nbest,\n\nPatrick O'Leary\n\nhttp://members.aol.com/patri10629/index.html\n\nQuestions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Jim Jordan", "address": "jbjordan at gnt.net" }, "date": "1997-03-10T18:10:58+00:00", "subject": "Re: (whorl) Wolfe Article & Wolfe encounters", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "At 08:03 PM 2/23/97 -0500, you wrote:\n\n Chesterton's Father" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Brown stories ( never read 'em) and Kipling's work (ditto, except for a few\npoems) as influences on the Long Sun novels. No one has brought it up here\n(I think) so I'd be curious what you English Majors think:) In an online\ninterview--Wolfe mentioned the Chesterton/Father brown reference might be on\ntarget." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "\tOh, there can be no doubt but that \"Nightside\" is \"Father Brown in Space\"!\nAnd, Silk as a whole is rather Brownish. Once you've read Father Brown,\nyou'll know.\n\tAnd see my interview with Gene on Duggan's site. Chesterton is a MAJOR\ninfluence. Predictably, of course." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "I had met him earlier and had mentioned Hating THERE ARE DOORS. " }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "\tBriefly, why? I'll admit I did not understand why the Catholic Church\n(Italian Restaurant) would want to hook up the main character with an idol\ngoddess, but Gene's explanation to me is that the Catholic Church does\nincorporate pre-Christian religions, though in a purified and transformed\nway. On the whole, however, I found it a delightful and thought-provoking\nbook. So, what did you not like about it? Instruct us.\n\n\tI hope this is not \"off topic.\" I think understanding \"Long Sun\" will\ninvolved understanding Wolfe as a whole, especially his religious views.\n\nJBJordan\n\n\nQuestions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com" } ] } ] }