Sunday, March 31, 2002

Those of you who are older, and widely read in obscure literary science fiction, will be sad to know that R. A. Lafferty has died. He was one of the few truly original stylists in the genre. A Lafferty story was as distinct in voice as a poem by Hopkins, another great Catholic eccentric. His writing was uneven, but at his best he could break your heart or crack your ribs with laughter, sometimes both at once. There is not much about him on the web. Here is the largest site I could find:
R.A. Lafferty: Devotional Site

Most of his work is out of print, or available only in small press pamphlets. If you want someplace to start, try "900 Grandmothers", a story collection, or "Past Master" a novel both absurd and touching, about what happens when an honest man is put into Utopia.

No comments: