There were several novelists in the '40s and '50s like Robert Nathan and Paul Gallico who moved from a sort of magical realism to fantasy to regular fiction without being pegged into a genre. You also have people like Kurt Vonnegut, who contends he's not a science fiction writer despite the sf content of his novels, and Ray Bradbury, who largely identifies himself as an sf author when many of his stories would have fared fine in the mainstream.
This is a time of celebration, so sit still and be quiet.
Snyder ,'Chosen'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Ginger - Jun 07, 2006 8:58:27 am PDT #593 of 28061
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Strega - Jun 07, 2006 9:02:34 am PDT #594 of 28061
Harlan Ellison has probably written everything. As he'd be the first to point out. Mystery, SF, nonfiction, essays, and I don't know how you'd classify the book about NYC gangs. And lots of TV.
He might be a particularly good example since he's complained about genre... typecasting? Or whatever that's called.
Hayden - Jun 07, 2006 9:03:00 am PDT #595 of 28061
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
I may be influenced by the fact that I read Jude the Obscure and The Return of the Native in one day for a test.
That would kill a lesser person.
Kathy A - Jun 07, 2006 9:09:00 am PDT #596 of 28061
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
I think I've posted before about my detestation for Tess, both the book and the character. Actually, my Victorian Lit class had me disliking almost all the fiction writers assigned (except for Lewis Carroll), but liking most of the essayists.
Nora Roberts got a nice blurb from Stephen King in his latest EW column, as the best romance writer around (he said something like "She's written 700 books, of which I'm guessing around 100-200 are any good, but those that I've read, I've liked a lot.")
If anyone hasn't read Ellison's The Glass Teat yet, I highly recommend it--it's an excellent collection of columns he did on TV in the late '60s/early '70s.
Katie M - Jun 07, 2006 9:29:00 am PDT #597 of 28061
I was charmed (albeit somewhat perplexed) by the fannish sensibility of many of the music choices -- it's like the director was trying to vid Canada. --loligo on the Olympic Opening Ceremonies
Doesn't she also teach? I seem to remember her being thanked in an acknowledgement page of another author, mentioning that she was a professor at his school.
Yeah, she's a professor at Princeton, or was last I knew.
JohnSweden - Jun 07, 2006 11:10:50 am PDT #598 of 28061
I can't even.
I think Robin Hobb is someone else.
She is, she used the name Megan Lindholm in the past too.
P.M. Marc - Jun 07, 2006 11:21:36 am PDT #599 of 28061
So come, my friends, be not afraid/We are so lightly here/It is in love that we are made; In love we disappear
I read all the Hardy there was by choice and was SAD when I ran out.
You weirdos.
Jesse - Jun 07, 2006 11:41:03 am PDT #600 of 28061
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
I can't believe no one mentioned Russell Hoban, author of both Bread and Jam for Francis, and Riddley Walker. (Among other things for various ages of reader.)
Amy - Jun 07, 2006 11:51:11 am PDT #601 of 28061
Because books.
Wow, Russell Hoban is a great example. Again, I had no idea he wrote anything but children's books (my favorite was always Harvey's hideout), but I don't read a lot of fantasy or sci-fi. Thanks, Jesse!
Jesse - Jun 07, 2006 11:53:30 am PDT #602 of 28061
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
Riddley Walker is a fairly amazing book, but even more so when you remember that it's the same Russell Hoban.