I listened to a great archived piece from Wisconsin Public Radio’s To the Best of Our Knowledge today. It featured commentary from George R. R. Martin and Ursula K. Le Guin on the future of science fiction (and fantasy). It was great to hear these two discuss the topic, especially on the public radio station of my home and native state.
While I’ve seen Martin speak in person and enjoyed it, I have to say his voice has a certain quality suited exceptionally well to reading on the air waves. Be sure to listen to the end of the first segment so you can hear him read from one of his essays on why he loves fantasy (which I believe is published in one of the two volumes of Dreamsongs).
It’s good stuff, so have a listen.
December 20, 2008 at 9:06 am |
You would have to do a LOT of searching to find two SF writers whose work is less representative of the genre. Only academics and people who don’t ordinarly read SF like their stuff.
December 20, 2008 at 10:28 am |
Thanks for stopping by, Pat.
I can’t speak much about Le Guin because I’ve only read a short story or two of hers. But I do interact with a lot of people who regularly read fantasy (none of them academics) who love Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. In fact, I have yet to meet someone who HASN’T liked it.
I am also an avid reader of fantasy, and I like the direction Martin has taken with this epic fantasy. I will agree that he has probably drawn in a lot of non-fantasy readers with the series, though. But I think that’s a good thing.
Just out of curiousity, who do you think would have been two more representative choices in this interview?
December 23, 2008 at 11:34 pm |
Wow. What an interesting statement Pat makes. Ursala Le Guin is only one of the most highly regard speculative fiction authors in the world and George RR Martin one of the currently most popular. In fact, the only author I can think of at the moment that “people who don’t ordinarly read SF” could be applied to would be J.K. Rowling, and no academics like her stuff, unless it’s for its power to get kids to read. I think Pat must be a hard science fiction fan bemoaning the state of that particular genre . . . though both Le Guin and Martin have extensive histories there as well.