Harlan Ellison

[jayrath]

As a very minor published author myself, I appeared with Ellison at a science fiction convention some years ago. There is no question that he is immensely talented. And I thought he was also immensely egotistic -- he had a manual typewriter set off in a tiny roped area, so that people could come and watch the great man type, as if the act of writing was itself entertaining. (And if any of the supermodels mentioned above ever want to watch me type, feel free.)

But I was also very struck at how genuinely friendly and accessible he was to the convention fans. He would stand in line with them to see other guests, make small talk with them during the wait, etc.

A strange mix, is Mr. Ellison.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Forbin said:
"Hitler's girlfriend."

At some point in Joan's life, having forgotten most of the detail of her week on the ST set, someone must have said, "Edith Keeler? Hitler would have loved her for keeping the US out of the war!"

Blame it on amnesia after she walked past Shatner's dressing room and saw him without his hairpiece glued in place.

 

[Botany Bay]

Having finally watched those videos on the weekend (thanks TiberiusK!) I have made up my mind that Ellison was just trying to stir up trouble and keep his name in the headlines. Doohan, Kelley and Koenig didn't seem to get worked up by him (although I kept expecting Jimmy D to get up and whack him one a la "Tribbles"!).

He's done a pretty good job - I would have never heard of him if it wasn't for Star Trek.

 

[A beaker full of death]

And now for a reality [as in non-trekie] check...

HARLAN ELLISON READS FOR CHARITY
THURSDAY, JUNE 14
Make your plans now for one of the biggest events in Earth-2 Comics' history!

Renowned author, screenwriter, critic and raconteur Harlan Ellison will be performing a rare public reading on Thursday, June 14, with all proceeds from the event going to the Penny Lane Youth Foundation Library Project!

Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased in the store or online -- just click here to order! Tickets are extremely limited, so don't put off ordering, or else you'll miss out! Check your calendars and get out your credit cards! This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the masters of the short story in one of his legendary speaking engagements, and remember, it's all for a good cause!

HARLAN ELLISON was recently characterized by The New York Times Book Review as having "the spellbinding quality of a great nonstop talker, with a cultural warehouse for a mind." The Los Angeles Times suggested, "It's long past time for Harlan Ellison to be awarded the title: 20th century Lewis Carroll." And the Washington Post Book World said simply, "One of the great living American short story writers."

He has written or edited 75 books; more than 1700 stories, essays, articles, and newspaper columns; two dozen teleplays, for which he received the Writers Guild of America most outstanding teleplay award for solo work an unprecedented four times; and a dozen movies. He won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe award twice, the Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker award six times (including The Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996), the Nebula three times, the Hugo 8½ times, and received the Silver Pen for Journalism from P.E.N. Not to mention The World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, the American Mystery Award, two Audie Awards, the Ray Bradbury Award, and a Grammy nomination for Spoken Word recordings.

 

[trevanian]

For what is probably the only time in history (cuz I think we used to flame each other a few years back when I was KMART), I am saying, thank you BEAKER.

The record really does speak for itself, and that report doesn't even address his record of sacrifice for worthy causes.

As for you folks who wouldn't know Ellison if not for Trek, or who think he can't write ... geez, just try reading a couple of his essay articles, if not his fiction. The guy is really really good.

 

[Forbin]

Good? He's freakin brilliant. Ellison should be essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a science fiction fan.

 

[RookieBatman]

Forbin said:
Good? He's freakin brilliant. Ellison should be essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a science fiction fan.

Now, here's a greater issue I have a problem with. Why should anyone be essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a science fiction fan? If someone likes Aasimov buts dislikes Ellison, or likes Niven but dislikes Aasimov, isn't that just a matter of preference? I very much doubt there's a single writer that every true science fiction fan enjoys.

 

[Psion]

You're right, RookieBatman, but Ellison's contributed quite a bit to the science fiction genre and it seems a bit of an oversight to completely skip his work. I loathe the writing of Ray Bradbury, for example, but I've still read some of his stories. Isaac Asimov bores me to tears, but I've still read the "Foundation" novels and a number of his robot books (his essays, however, aren't to be missed). It's perfectly fine to skip an author for personal reasons or preference, but its hard to say you're extensively read in the genre if you've skipped the greats.

Look at it this way, suppose you're an explorer on a new continent. During your wanderings you decide you don't like river valleys, so you stop visiting those areas. Aren't your explorations then going to be deficient?

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

A beaker full of death said:
And now for a reality [as in non-trekie] check...

HARLAN ELLISON READS FOR CHARITY
THURSDAY, JUNE 14
Make your plans now for one of the biggest events in Earth-2 Comics' history!

Renowned author, screenwriter, critic and raconteur Harlan Ellison will be performing a rare public reading on Thursday, June 14, with all proceeds from the event going to the Penny Lane Youth Foundation Library Project!

Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased in the store or online -- just click here to order! Tickets are extremely limited, so don't put off ordering, or else you'll miss out! Check your calendars and get out your credit cards! This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the masters of the short story in one of his legendary speaking engagements, and remember, it's all for a good cause!

HARLAN ELLISON was recently characterized by The New York Times Book Review as having "the spellbinding quality of a great nonstop talker, with a cultural warehouse for a mind." The Los Angeles Times suggested, "It's long past time for Harlan Ellison to be awarded the title: 20th century Lewis Carroll." And the Washington Post Book World said simply, "One of the great living American short story writers."

He has written or edited 75 books; more than 1700 stories, essays, articles, and newspaper columns; two dozen teleplays, for which he received the Writers Guild of America most outstanding teleplay award for solo work an unprecedented four times; and a dozen movies. He won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe award twice, the Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker award six times (including The Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996), the Nebula three times, the Hugo 8½ times, and received the Silver Pen for Journalism from P.E.N. Not to mention The World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, the American Mystery Award, two Audie Awards, the Ray Bradbury Award, and a Grammy nomination for Spoken Word recordings.

Where?

 

[A beaker full of death]

RookieBatman said:
Why should anyone be essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a science fiction fan? If someone likes Aasimov buts dislikes Ellison, or likes Niven but dislikes Aasimov, isn't that just a matter of preference?

No, it isn't. Like his work or not, one must be conversant with it to be able to speak intelligently about 20th century science fiction. Similarly, one can't ignore Euripides and profess to know a damn thing about Greek tragedy.

 

[MikeH92467]

A beaker full of death said:

RookieBatman said:
Why should anyone be essential reading for anyone who calls themselves a science fiction fan? If someone likes Aasimov buts dislikes Ellison, or likes Niven but dislikes Aasimov, isn't that just a matter of preference?

No, it isn't. Like his work or not, one must be conversant with it to be able to speak intelligently about 20th century science fiction. Similarly, one can't ignore Euripides and profess to know a damn thing about Greek tragedy.

I have to agree. I have read some of Ellison's work and found it brilliant, but I'm not a fan of apocolyptic sci-fi and I've just not felt compelled to see out his work.

I'm not saying you should force feed yourself stuff that you don't enjoy (life is too short for that) but I do think stepping outside your comfort zone with your reading is a good way to stretch your mind a bit.

 

[presence]

I don't necessarily have to like someone, or want to have lunch with them, to appreciate their work.

As an example, I recently saw on dvd Ellison's "Palladin of the Lost Hour" with Danny Kaye and Glynn Turman. It is one of the finest pieces of science fiction/fantasy I have ever watched. When I went back to listen to the audio commentary by Ellison, I soon turned it off. It was shallow and small. See the program, skip Ellison's commentary.

 

[M'Sharak]

Sir Rhosis said:
To all the people who have responded, out of curiosity, how many Ellison stories have you read? Doesn't have to be exact. "Five or six," or "A couple dozen," are fine answers. If you haven't read him, just put "None."

The questions is not meant as a comment on anyone's opinion of Ellison, the man, so be honest. And as it is purely for my personal curiosity/informational purposes, there is no need to editorialize (i. e., "I think he's an asshole and therefore won't read his fiction"). Simply write a number and let it go. Or if it is only one or two stories or articles, list the titles or your remembrance of the plot/what the article concerned.

I'll start. I have probably read about 300 hundred Ellison stories, around 15 Ellison teleplays, and maybe 100 articles/op eds/what-have-you.

Sir Rhosis

I don't have an exact count, and it's been a few years, but I've read several of his story collections (including Paingod and Other Delusions, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Deathbird Stories, Stalking the Nightmare and Angry Candy), plus a good deal of of his non-fiction and of his commentary in collections edited by him of works by other writers. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've read some Ellison.

Psion said:
My sister was bitten by a gazelle once.

Mynd you, gazelle bites Kan be pretty nasti...

 

[Forbin]

Pretty sure I've read everything he's written in terms of his "speculative fiction" stories. Can't swear I've read every essay or article he's ever written. And I skipped his novel "Spiderkiss" because it wasn't of the genre.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

I've read more collections of his short fiction than I can count and a a few of his essay collections, incloding both Glass Teats. When I was in my teens and eary (very early) twenties, I couldn't get enough of him. Now, something about his work puts me off. I think it's a wavelength thing: once I started reading Philip K. Dick, Ellison's brand of SF was close but no cigar. However, I still have immense esteem for the man's work if only for the crucial role it played in my development. "On the Downhill Side" is quite possibly the only unicorn story I'll ever be able to stomach, let alone love.

 

[trevanian]

I started reading Ellison at the behest of a girl I was trying to get to act in a super-8 movie back in 1976 (she did the movie, but wasn't that good in it, and I had to get her friend to overdub her), and wound up buying all of the then-current Pyramid paperbacks.

I've read pretty much all of his collected nonfiction, and at least tried reading every bit of fiction except for SLIPPAGE, which I haven't yet opened. I think his unfilmed script for FLINTLOCK was superb, and his I ROBOT was an amazing effort, very well-intended, and in the right hands -- say with a director who wasn't heavyhanded -- it could have been an amazing piece of work.

When I was in my teens I spent six months trying to do an unauthorized amateur film of I HAVE NO MOUTH, which I'm glad didn't happen because we didn't have the resources, and another couple months trying to shoot a version of REPENT HARLEQUIN!, which I wish I'd pursued because we found inexpensive in-camera ways to do the setting.

I stopped having idols when I was a teenager after reading a Pete Rose interview in PLAYBOY; however, Ellison and Orson Welles have remained personal heroes (Welles in spite of some of his personnel indiscretions, Ellison because of his sense of ethics as well as his writing.) I don't find Ellison (or anybody else) above criticism, but I do think anybody doing that criticizing should have an informed opinion as opposed to an opinion borrowed from the 'it's popular to think this way' crowd.

 

[ToddPence]

Harlan has gotten a lot of flak on this board, and on Trek and other forums in general, for what many term his overly harsh and viritrolic, supercilious style. But let's cut the guy some slack. He's got a right to be bitter. I mean, can you imagine what it must be like going through life and never getting to see a parade?

 

[Mysterion]

ToddPence said:
Harlan has gotten a lot of flak on this board, and on Trek and other forums in general, for what many term his overly harsh and viritrolic, supercilious style. But let's cut the guy some slack. He's got a right to be bitter. I mean, can you imagine what it must be like going through life and never getting to see a parade?

And probably wouldn't if he hadn't said "bad" things about ST. *sigh*