RIP Harlan Ellison

[stonebender]

As time passes by more and more of the authors I read as a child are dying. Mr. Ellison is one of the last authors I remember reading as a young kid. I encountered him on a couple of occasions. One of the benefits of going to SF conventions. What I remember is that although his reputation would make one think he was difficult to be around. He certainly was capable of verbally eviscerating anyone, but I never saw him be angry or disrespectful of people in general. He saved his fights for those in power. He didn’t “punch down”. Now, I didn’t really know him. I just have a couple of personal memories. He wrote the scariest short story I’ve ever read. I genuinely enjoyed his nonfiction and feel very sad for the authors that would have been included in his third volume of Dangerous Visions. It’s a real shame how that project ended. His version of a Star Trek episode was fascinating, and he should have known it would never make air exactly as he wrote it. He was a huge presence, an occasionally brilliant, but always interesting writer. He will be missed.

Comments

[snippy]

He punched down when it was women.

He called me a silver tongued devil once, one of my fondest memories.

Everybody is both good and bad. His work is still good.

[stonebender]

In a long career I'm sure he wasn't perfect. I think I was comparing him to our president. At least the times that I saw him he seemed to only go after people who could hold their own. But I'm no expert and perhaps I should rewrite that part.

[lcohen]

i was going to say something similar to snippy--my first thought of him was of how vile he was to connie willis. but yes, i liked his star trek episode.