Present Dean -- or at least Senior Wrangler -- of American SF writers, Frederik Pohl, reviews Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue With His Century, Volume 1.
Interesting insight, from a guy who was there.
(Also from Pohl, a bit of chicken-heart insight, in the midst of meatier musings about collaborative writing. Ooo).
I didn't even know Frederick Pohl was still alive.
ReplyDeleteI need to get John Carr's H. Beam Piper biography back from the friend who borrowed it. I think I remember reading that Piper, while friendly with Pohl, privately didn't think much of him (and that his attitude was not necessarily uncommon among other writers who had to deal with Pohl). But I'd have to read the book again to be sure of that.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Piper's impresson of Pohl is decades out of date. The younger Pohl was A) an Editor, traditional enemy of all writers and B) one of the Futurians, with all that entails (politically left, though not commies [a distinction that hardly survived WW II, due first in no small part to aggressive recruiting by the USSR and then the postwar "Red Scare."]). The older Pohl...? I would not hazard a guess about his voting habits and I'm damned if I'd waste his time or mine debating such things; I'm just happy he's still writing interesting, readable fiction.
ReplyDeleteHe may have been one of the first writers -- well before 11 September 2001 -- to suggest it is unwise to appear to take terrorists too seriously; after all, that only inflates their image. Far better to mock 'em -- and strike at them unexpectedly.
I have GOT to get to a Science Fiction Convention soon. I'm glad Fred's still around, but I'm scared to Google some of my Favorites and see if they're still above ground. Wait a second....Okay, Harlan Ellison's still here. But that'll be really Weird when he reaches the Top Survivor Spot, though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd started to read Locus regularly, way back, and the day the one with Robert A. Heinlein and Clifford D. Simak's passing noted on the cover showed up, I decided it was just too depressing and stopped.
ReplyDeleteThe torch is passed and the Giants of Yore give way, one by one -- but dang, it hurts to see them go.
I liked Clifford Simak a lot, and I think one reason I went to UCSC was because Heinlein's books were there.
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