Part XIX: Swann/MacLeish/Hoban/Farmer/Ackroyd/Grimwood/Ryman/F. O’Brien/Maguire

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Masters of Fantasy: Part XIX

Well, I've put it off for long enough. I'm sure my steadiest readers are eagerly awaiting some new names to hear about, and I'm more than happy to share them. I would very much like it if these authors were not totally forgotten, and only you can make that happen. So here they are.



THOMAS BURNETT SWANN (1928-1976)

Thomas Burnett Swann taught English literature at Florida Atlantic University before turning to full-time writing in the 1960's, first publishing sentimental poetry (he was an avid lover of the poem form) before penning a science fiction story, "Winged Victory", in 1958. He continued to write until his death from cancer, after which several of his novels were posthumously published. The majority of his work is pure fantasy, following a progressive history of the thinning of magic in the world and the tragic fates of the old classical inhabitants as modern empires and religions take hold; strangely enough, his sequences are published in reverse chronological order. Of note are the Minotaur Trilogy (Day of the Minotaur, The Forest of Forever, and Cry Silver Bells), which is set in ancient Greece, and the Latium Trilogy (Lady of the Bees, Green Phoenix, and Queens Walk in the Dust), which is told from a Roman perspective; other single novels include The Weirwoods, Moondust, The Goat Without Horns, Wolfwinter, How the Mighty Are Fallen, and The Minikins of Yam.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Burnett_Swann)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=swann_thomas_burnett)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/swann_thomas_burnett)
Steven Saylor's Thomas Burnett Swann Tribute Site (http://www.stevensaylor.com/ThomasBurnettSwann/)
Eight Miles Higher – Thomas Burnett Swann: Into the Wander-Wood (http://andrewdarlington.blogspot.com/2013/08/science-fantasy-thomas-burnett-swann.html)



RODERICK MACLEISH (1926-2006)

Nephew of the acclaimed poet Archibald MacLeish, Roderick MacLeish served as news director for WBZ Radio in Boston during the 1950's as well as a co-founder of Westinghouse Broadcasting's London and Washington, D.C. divisions; in his later years, he contributed commentary to CBS News, National Public Radio, and The Christian Science Monitor. He also published both literary and mystery fiction as well as nonfiction. One of his most noted works is Prince Ombra, in which a young New England boy discovers that he is the 1,001st incarnation of an appointed champion destined to face the eponymous essence of evil for the fate of the world.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderick_MacLeish)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=macleish_roderick)
Epiphyte.net – Brief review of Prince Ombra (http://epiphyte.net/SF/prince-ombra.html)



RUSSELL HOBAN (1925-2011)

An American expatriate in London for the last half of his life, Russell Hoban started out primarily as a young children's writer before penning The Mouse and His Child, a dark tale of two wind-up mice and their adventures, for a slightly older audience. Eventually, he would turn out work for adults beginning with  The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz, in which a quest for the ultimate map which leads to everything instigates a search for long-disappeared lions; further fantasies of note include the abstract metaphysical Kleinzeit (an advertising copywriter is thrust into a bizarre sequence of events involving living concepts and repressed creativity), Pilgermann (a Jewish eunuch receives a vision of Christ and sets out for the Holy Land, encountering an increasingly strange cast of characters), and The Medusa Frequency (a writer looking to beat a creative block is left with experiencing conversations with what he believes is the head of Orpheus). His most celebrated work is the post-apocalyptic science fiction story Riddley Walker, told in a unique fictional dialect, set in a future England ravaged by nuclear war where civilization is beginning to reemerge. Other speculative stories such as Fremder, Amaryllis Night and Day, and Angelica Lost and Found are worth considerable mention.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Hoban)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=hoban_russell)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/hoban_russell)
The Official Russell Hoban Website (http://www.russellhoban.org/)
The Telegraph – Obituary/Retrospective of Russell Hoban (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8957017/Russell-Hoban.html)
The Head of Orpheus: A Russell Hoban Reference Page (http://www.ocelotfactory.com/hoban/)
The New York Times, Archived Article – Russell Hoban, Reinventing English (https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/01/books/russell-hoban-reinventing-english.html)



PHILIP JOSÉ FARMER (1918-2009)

Philip José Farmer decided he wanted to become a writer at an early age, being a voracious reader, eventually receiving a bachelor's degree in English at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, while working at a steel mill. His first literary success was the novella The Lovers in 1952, about a sexual encounter between a human and an extraterrestrial; further success would come fifteen years later with another novella, Riders of the Purple Wage, allowing him to pursue writing full-time in 1969. From that point on, Farmer would become one of the most respected science fiction writers in the field, well-known for his pioneering use of religious and sexual overtones running throughout his work. Almost 60 novels and over 100 short stories and novelettes would round out his 60-year career, including the World of Tiers sequence (The Maker of Universes, The Gates of Creation, A Private Cosmos, Behind the Walls of Terra, The Lavalite World, and More Than Fire); the afterlife themed Riverworld series (To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Fabulous Riverboat, The Dark Design, The Magic Labyrinth, and Gods of Riverworld); and numerous homages to pulp fiction heroes like Tarzan and Doc Savage, including the Secrets of the Nine trilogy (A Feast Unknown, Lord of the Trees, and The Mad Goblin).

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_José_Farmer)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=farmer_philip_jose)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/farmer_philip_jose)
The Official Philip José Farmer Web Page (http://www.pjfarmer.com/)



PETER ACKROYD (1949- )

Peter Ackroyd received a rather prestigious education and began his career in poetry, eventually going on to chronicle several lengthy biographies of figures such as Eliot, Blake, Dickens, Pound, and others, as well as several books of English history. Eventually, he took up novel writing, several of which are of fantasy interest and nearly all of which in some way chronicle the spirit and place of London. These include The Great Fire of London (the makers of a movie of Dickens's Little Dorrit are haunted by the original characters), Hawksmoor (a series of murders in 20th century London correspond to the erection of seven churches in the 18th century, rooted in occult psychogeography), First Light (the appearance of the night sky over an ancient dig site matches that of thousands of years ago, drawing together an eccentric cast of characters), and The House of Doctor Dee (the main character believes that he may be a homunculus created by the alchemist of Elizabeth I). Further interest may be found in Milton in America, The Plato Papers, The Fall of Troy, and The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ackroyd)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=ackroyd_peter)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ackroyd_peter)



KEN GRIMWOOD (1944-2003)

Growing up with an interest in EC Comics and radio journalism, Ken Grimwood released a rather short but quite notable bibliography before his death of a heart attack at age 59. His debut novel, Breakthrough, a tale of reincarnation, attracted some attention but went out of print early, as did his other novels of immortality (Elise) and mind control (The Voice Outside). However, his shot at stardom came with his best-known work, the time travel fantasy Replay, in which a radio journalist inexplicably finds himself reliving his life consecutively in increasingly shorter intervals; the book has remained in print continually since its publication, being translated into several languages and optioned for film, as well as winning the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1988. His work seeks to impart a life-affirming message on the reader, one that is always well-needed in an increasingly cynical world.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Grimwood)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=grimwood_ken)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/grimwood_ken)
The Independent – Obituary of Ken Grimwood (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ken-grimwood-36631.html)
BirthMoviesDeath.com – On EDGE OF TOMORROW and Ken Grimwood's REPLAY (https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2014/06/06/on-edge-of-tomorrow-and-ken-grimwoods-replay)
NPR.org – In 'Replay', A Life Full of Second Chances (https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92131281)
Tor.com – Jo Walton: Re-living Your Own Life: Ken Grimwood's Replay (https://www.tor.com/2012/02/02/re-living-your-own-life-ken-grimwoods-replay/)
Travels Through Iest – Review of Replay (http://travelsthroughiest.blogspot.com/2012/03/replay-by-ken-grimwood.html)



GEOFF RYMAN (1951- )

A gay Canadian expatriate in England, Geoff Ryman is one of the founders of the "mundane science fiction" movement (so names because it deals with terrestrial concepts based on modern science as it is rather than speculative fancies), as well as a co-designer of the official websites of the UK government. Among his most noted science fiction titles are The Child Garden, 253, Air: Or, Have Not Have, and The King's Last Song. Perhaps his most accomplished work, by consensus, is the revisionist fantasy Was, which follows the connections between a gay actor dying of AIDS in the present day and a disturbed young girl named Dorothy Gael in the 1860's, upon whom L. Frank Baum based the main characters of his famous Oz books, as she retreats into a personal fantasy to alleviate the dreariness of her won life.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Ryman)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=ryman_geoff)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ryman_geoff)
Slate.com – The Uses of Enchantment: Review of Was (https://slate.com/culture/2014/07/geoff-rymans-wizard-of-oz-novel-was-reviewed.html)



FLANN O'BRIEN (1911-1966)

Brian O'Nolan, a contemporary of James Joyce, is considered one of the seminal figures in 20th century Irish literature, known for his biting wit and relentless satire of contemporary Irish life. He wrote prolifically under numerous pseudonyms, with particular note given to his column in The Irish Times, "Cruiskeen Lawn", under the name Myles na gCopaleen. To English readers, he is best remembered as Flann O'Brien, under which he penned the modernist classic At Swim-Two-Birds, a metafictional tale in which the characters of a literature student's novel try to take control of the story; it is highly regarded as one of the best English novels ever written by many academic sources. Also well appreciated is The Third Policeman, a surreal story involving a sinister police force and the bending of reality; it was published posthumously as no publisher would accept it originally, causing some elements of it to be recycled in the similar novel The Dalkey Archive, in which (among other things) a mad scientist plots to destroy the world by depleting it of its oxygen.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_O%27Nolan)
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=obrien_flann)
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/obrien_flann)
The Guardian – Flann O'Brien: Lovable Literary Genius (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/05/flann-obrien-loveable-literary-genius)
The Irish Times – The Fantastic Flann O'Brien (https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-fantastic-flann-o-brien-1.611390)
The Atlantic – The Last Laugh (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/05/the-last-laugh/306769/)
ConceptualFiction.com - At Swim-Two-Birds (http://www.conceptualfiction.com/at_swim_two_birds.html)
Postmodern Mystery - The Third Policeman (http://postmodernmystery.com/the_third_policeman.html)



GREGORY MAGUIRE (1954- )

Gregory Maguire, a native of Albany, New York, was deeply affected by the loss of his mother due to complications in childbirth, so much that it would feature heavily in his own writing. He earned degree in American, English, and children's literature from several universities, eventually co-founding Children's Literature New England in 1987 in an effort to nurture the role of books in young developing lives. His earliest works were for children, but he really entered the public consciousness in 1995 with his adult reimagining of L. Frank Baum's Oz series told from the perspective of the villain – Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West; three more books in the same setting would follow (Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out from Oz). His other adult work would follow a similar pattern of reimagining classic fairy tales for mature, contemporary audiences, such as Cinderella (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister), Snow White (Mirror, Mirror), Alice in Wonderland (After Alice), and the Nutcracker (Hiddensee). Continuing to write for children, Maguire spends his time contributing to NPR's "All Things Considered" and lecturing worldwide on literature and culture; his best-known work would be adapted for Broadway in 2003 as the musical Wicked, becoming the sixth longest-running show in Broadway history.

Offsite resources:

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Maguire)
Gregory Maguire's Official Webpage (http://gregorymaguire.com/)
Britannica.com (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gregory-Maguire)
American Fairy Tales: A Conversation with Gregory Maguire (http://www.frodelius.com/wirelesstelegraph/maguire.html)
Tor.com – Responding to Fairyland: Gregory Maguire's Wicked (https://www.tor.com/2010/12/16/responding-to-fairyland-gregory-maguires-wicked/)
Tor.com – Self-discovery in Fairyland: Gregory Maguire's Son of a Witch (https://www.tor.com/2010/12/30/self-discovery-in-fairyland-gregory-maguires-son-of-a-witch/)
Tor.com – Drifting in Fairyland: Gregory Maguire's A Lion Among Men (https://www.tor.com/2011/01/06/drifting-in-fairyland-gregory-maguires-a-lion-among-men/)
Tor.com – A Possible Farewell to Fairyland: Out of Oz (https://www.tor.com/2011/11/01/a-possible-farewell-to-fairyland-out-of-oz/)



Well, that's all I have for now. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone who's been waiting since February. I still have six more parts already planned out, though I can't make any promises on when they'll come. Let me know what you think in the comments and let's get some discussions going. As ever, the forum topic can be found here: http://www.lostpathway.com/index.php/topic,16.0.html#forum