Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction • Hacker News Board

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#11

Post by WaxProlix » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 8:57 PM UTC

JadeNB wrote: post #4

ThomPete wrote: post #3

Can anyone explain to me what that article had to do with the past and future of science fiction? I am seriously trying to understand.

It seems pretty explicit about it, although "the past and present of science fiction" might be a better descriptor. For example, here are quotes where the past: > Delany came of age at a time when the genre [of science fiction] was indeed characterized by gee-whiz futurism, machismo adventuring, and white, heterosexual heroes. is contrasted with the present: > In the contemporary science-fiction scene, Delany’s race…

It could be interpreted as a noun-noun compound; "machismo adventuring" would be akin to "cave spelunking" or "ego exploring".

Probably a typo.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#12

Post by richardfontana » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 8:59 PM UTC

devindotcom wrote: post #9

Interesting little profile of Delany. I didn't realize he was so prolific and still writing. And I'm not quite sure where to start his work.... probably not Dhalgren, right?

I'd suggest starting with _[Trouble on] Triton_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_%28novel%29

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#13

Post by stuxnet79 » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:00 PM UTC

Interesting. I've still never read Delany despite the fact that he's the only commercially successful, black sci fi author I know.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#14

Post by WaxProlix » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:01 PM UTC

devindotcom wrote: post #9

Interesting little profile of Delany. I didn't realize he was so prolific and still writing. And I'm not quite sure where to start his work.... probably not Dhalgren, right?

I started with Babel-17 and then read Nova and Stars In My Pocket... before getting into the short stories a bit (Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones was the first, I think).

He's a master, and his works are in a real sense masterworks. Whatever you start with, you'll probably find something to enjoy.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#15

Post by waterlesscloud » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:01 PM UTC

devindotcom wrote: post #9

Interesting little profile of Delany. I didn't realize he was so prolific and still writing. And I'm not quite sure where to start his work.... probably not Dhalgren, right?

His novel Nova is probably the best place to start. The short story "Aye, And Gomorrah" is a pretty good spot too.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#16

Post by HeyLaughingBoy » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:03 PM UTC

WaxProlix wrote: post #14

devindotcom wrote: post #9

Interesting little profile of Delany. I didn't realize he was so prolific and still writing. And I'm not quite sure where to start his work.... probably not Dhalgren, right?

I started with Babel-17 and then read Nova and Stars In My Pocket... before getting into the short stories a bit (Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones was the first, I think). He's a master, and his works are in a real sense masterworks. Whatever you start with, you'll probably find something to enjoy.

Stars in my pocket... is an Epic. Definitely worth it, but like Dune, it took me years of trying to get past page 100. Once past, they were both amazing works, but, oh do they start of sooo slowly.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#17

Post by HeyLaughingBoy » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:10 PM UTC

stuxnet79 wrote: post #13

Interesting. I've still never read Delany despite the fact that he's the only commercially successful, black sci fi author I know.

It's interesting that despite the phrase "...the face that stared back was as Negroid as my own.." in one of his short stories, it didn't occur to me that he was black until reading it in some interview or something. If I gave the line any thought at all, I probably dismissed it as poetic license or something.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#18

Post by EvanAnderson » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:14 PM UTC

devindotcom wrote: post #9

Interesting little profile of Delany. I didn't realize he was so prolific and still writing. And I'm not quite sure where to start his work.... probably not Dhalgren, right?

I picked Dhalgren out of a bag of used books randomly. I'd never never read any of Delany before, but I'd read a fair amount of SF and general fiction. I can't say it was my favorite book, but it certainly wasn't impenetrable.

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#19

Post by WaxProlix » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:34 PM UTC

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #16

WaxProlix wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started with Babel-17 and then read Nova and Stars In My Pocket... before getting into the short stories a bit (Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones was the first, I think). He's a master, and his works are in a real sense masterworks. Whatever you start with, you'll probably find something to enjoy.

Stars in my pocket... is an Epic. Definitely worth it, but like Dune, it took me years of trying to get past page 100. Once past, they were both amazing works, but, oh do they start of sooo slowly.

I never had a problem with either of them, for some reason, but E.R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros had that effect on me pretty heavily. To this day I've never read more than 100 pages of that book in a single attempt (where attempt can be a couple weeks of concerted effort).

Re: Samuel Delany and the Past and Future of Science Fiction

#20

Post by ItsDeathball » Thu, Jul 30, 2015, 9:40 PM UTC

matt_morgan wrote: post #7

ItsDeathball wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm gonna sound like a conspiracy nut here, but it seems like a side-channel attack on Gamergate (via Sad Puppies), coupled with the "we're on the right side of history" meme. I'm not saying I support either of those, but after following them for a while it's hard not to pick up on biased coverage in the media.

What was biased about it?

Upon re-reading, nothing particularly egregious. There is the characterization of Sad Puppies as a movement to push women and nonwhites out of the Hugo Awards, when I believe the motivation is that the participants want their fun sci-fi escapism to be evaluated as such and not by how well it coincides with the Hugo panel's politics.

Of course, the net effect of their effort has been, in practice, to favor white male authors, so the article is accurate at face value. I wouldn't expect the author to go in detail into something only tangentially related, either. It's just bothersome to see every controversy in traditionally geeky hobbies lately reduced to "white male bigots form hate mob," so even a relatively neutral mention feels biased sometimes.