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It was only the other day that I noticed again that Jack Vance had a story published in New Worlds 150 (Alfred's Ark). It also appeared (presumably with the rest of the issue) in one of the SF Reprise volumes. Since New Worlds wasn't exactly Vance's normal market, does anyone know how he came to have the story in this issue. Mike will, obviously, if he;s online anytime soon.
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'You know, I can't keep up with you. If I hadn't met you in person, I quite honestly would NOT believe you really existed. I just COULDN'T. You do so MUCH... if half of what goes into your zines is to be believed, you've read more at the age of 17 than I have at the age of 32 - LOTS more'
Archie Mercer to Mike (Burroughsania letters page, 1957) -
Perfectly simple. I asked Jack for a story. I was and remain a great fan.
He and I had the same agent at that time (Scott Meredith) and Jack had a couple of stories more suitable for NW than any of his usual markets. I recall that the second one was in the inventory when NW went through its hiatus until the large issues then appeared.Pre-order or Buy my latest titles in Europe:
The Whispering Swarm: Book One of the Sanctuary of the White Friars - The Laughter of Carthage - Byzantium Endures - London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles - Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - Modem Times 2.0 - The Sunday Books - The Sundered Worlds
Pre-order or Buy my latest titles in the USA:
The Laughter of Carthage - Byzantium Endures - London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction - The Sunday Books - Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles
Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - The Sundered Worlds - The Winds of Limbo - Modem Times 2.0 - Elric: Swords and Roses -
Just for the record, I picked up a copy of SF Reprise 5 from an online seller at a very reasonable price, which contains issues 149 & 150 of New Worlds (hence the inclusion of the Vance story). It was in fine condition and looked virtually unread - a slight spine crease but it still contained the original leaflet insert advertising a book on family planning! Wish I'd kept my copy of SF Reprise 2 but I'm sure I'll find another one somewhere.'You know, I can't keep up with you. If I hadn't met you in person, I quite honestly would NOT believe you really existed. I just COULDN'T. You do so MUCH... if half of what goes into your zines is to be believed, you've read more at the age of 17 than I have at the age of 32 - LOTS more'
Archie Mercer to Mike (Burroughsania letters page, 1957)Comment
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I love this old conservative writer, but such imagination !
For me, he is one of the great one .....
And one of his character has the same family name than me ! a very rare french family name ....... i don't know how he got the idea. More, the portrait he does could be the image of my father.Comment
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A very important influence on my generation -- especially, for instance, M.John Harrison. Conservatism (or indeed liberalism) are often only attitudes people take to structure their ordinary lives. No writer with Vance's imagination can be truly conservative in practice!Pre-order or Buy my latest titles in Europe:
The Whispering Swarm: Book One of the Sanctuary of the White Friars - The Laughter of Carthage - Byzantium Endures - London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles - Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - Modem Times 2.0 - The Sunday Books - The Sundered Worlds
Pre-order or Buy my latest titles in the USA:
The Laughter of Carthage - Byzantium Endures - London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction - The Sunday Books - Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles
Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - The Sundered Worlds - The Winds of Limbo - Modem Times 2.0 - Elric: Swords and RosesComment
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Coincidentally, I just re-read the The Eyes of the Overworld collection for the nth time - brilliantly funny and with a virtuosic command of language which I think should be set as a test for all fantasy writers; I don't care if the Imperious Wazoo of Ychgh is a wonderful creation if you can't handle embedded subordinate clauses, reflexive verbs and the the conditional pluperfect tense with your sodding wand tied behind your back! Clearly an influence on Harrison's Viriconium stories, which in themselves to my mind show up most so-called fantasy writing as being neither particularly fantastic nor actually terribly writerly.Comment
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Prose -- Vance, Leiber, Harrison. All of them brilliant craftsmen with an original imagination far above genre.Pre-order or Buy my latest titles in Europe:
The Whispering Swarm: Book One of the Sanctuary of the White Friars - The Laughter of Carthage - Byzantium Endures - London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles - Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - Modem Times 2.0 - The Sunday Books - The Sundered Worlds
Pre-order or Buy my latest titles in the USA:
The Laughter of Carthage - Byzantium Endures - London Peculiar and Other Nonfiction - The Sunday Books - Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles
Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - The Sundered Worlds - The Winds of Limbo - Modem Times 2.0 - Elric: Swords and RosesComment
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It is a terrible shame that some consider Leiber to be "only" a pulp writer (complete with all of the negative connotations). He had far more imagination and style than most people writing fantasy and horror today. Very clever, too...Originally posted by Michael MoorcockComment
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Influencing MM? Must be good!
I have to admit that Jack Vance (JV), along with your good self, were the two major literary influences of my formative years, in the field of Fantasy and Sci-Fi.Originally posted by Michael Moorcock
Both of you contributed heavily to the fantasy worlds I built for myself and friends through RPGs. I agree with your comment on JVs' conservatism especially. His world views often seemed to show societies that were fixed in their mores and traditions - indeed, created around those traditions, either because of social pressures or even geographical ones. Then some hero would show up and upset the whole apple cart! It seemed to me that these individual catalyst-characters were usually just trying to get from A to B, and JV took great pleasure in describing the changes wrought on the innocents involved!
I'm looking forward to Ports of Call and Lurulu, which I've recently seen in my book club magazine, most avidly!Last edited by Kipper; 11-21-2006, 03:08 PM.He's well smoked
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