Gene Wolfe interview in Locus

P W Stephenson · 31 May 1991, 13:45 · from rec.arts.sf-lovers.1991.mbox

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From: pws at castle.ed.ac.uk (P W Stephenson)
Subject: Re: Gene Wolfe interview in Locus
Date: 31 May 91 13:45:21 GMT
Message-ID: <10723 at castle.ed.ac.uk>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-lovers
References: <1991May30.233326.5041 at tc.fluke.COM>

mce at tc.fluke.COM (Brian McElhinney) writes:
> [quoting interview with GW: lots of juicy titbits from the great man
>  deleted]
>	"The one I like the best is THERE ARE DOORS.  I wrote exactly the
>	book that I wanted to write, and I think I was touching on things
>	that have been very little touched on in general in fiction."  [He
>	goes on to mention "the Casper Hauser phenomenon -- the people that
>	who appear and disappear tracelessly."  Anyone know what he's
>	talking about?]

Casper [?Kaspar?] Hauser was a young man who appeared out of nowhere in
Germany (Baden, I think) in the last century (or two); he couldn't
remember who he was and could only say `I want to be a cavalry officer
like my father';  he died quite young.  There's a theory he was some
inconvenient illegitimate child of a noble or royal family.  Is there anything
Wolfe doesn't know?

By the way, the quotes from the interview (I suppose I'm going to have
to buy the magazine now) don't mention my second favourite book, after
B.o.t.N.S., which is `Peace' --- even my mother thinks this is one of
the best recent books she's read (and my mother is not heavily into SF,
to say the least).

Finally, while we're at it, I've only seen the first of the `Soldier'
books in the U.K. --- though the second may have been around in hardback
--- is (1) there a third anywhere (2) the second likely to arrive here
in paperback shortly --- anyone know?

Peter
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Stephenson         | pws at uk.ac.liv.amtp.s-a |
DAMTP, Univ of Liverpool | PW5 at UK.AC.LIV          | Arthur:  Sounds ghastly.
PO BOX 147, Liverpool    | PWS@UKACRL (BITNET)    | Marvin:  It is.
L69 3BX, UK              | pws at uk.ac.ed.castle    |

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