tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2746189833925666296.post7977261777984134702..comments2024-03-28T15:07:49.650-04:00Comments on the phantom country: More on Hot Docs 2008: stalags, robots, writers, killers and ample opportunity for revisiting both the past... and the futureJBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319721431296639419noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2746189833925666296.post-75419839451840827722008-04-30T19:32:00.000-04:002008-04-30T19:32:00.000-04:00Man, JB, if you had known me when I was in high sc...Man, JB, if you had known me when I was in high school, I could have fixed you up with any of the two dozen Ellison books I used to have on my bookshelf.<BR/><BR/>Ellison's output consists almost entirely of short stories, so it's hard to know which collection would be a good one to start with, especially since I suspect most of them are hard to track down. SHATTERDAY and DEATHBIRD STORIES, maybe? Or ELLISON WONDERLAND? His collections of TV columns, THE GLASS TEAT and THE OTHER GLASS TEAT, give you a good sense of his voice too.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, his stories are pretty widely anthologized, so you might be able to find "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" or "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said The Ticktockman" without much trouble. Or you could rent the cult post-apocalyptic sci-fi satire A BOY AND HIS DOG, which I believe is the only film adaptation of his work... unless you count THE TERMINATOR, which bore enough of a similarity to Ellison's work that he was able to compel James Cameron to acknowledge his influence in the credits. Imagine: a writer who beat out James Cameron in a battle of egos! That's Ellison in a nutshell.<BR/><BR/>I don't know if Ellison is on the same intellectual level as Dick or Ballard, but he's got a dark sensibility and a ferocious approach to storytelling that really turned my crank when I was a kid.Paul Matwychukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01917384620564525389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2746189833925666296.post-80029315335585200302008-04-30T18:40:00.000-04:002008-04-30T18:40:00.000-04:00Paul,I actually went to the screening very much ho...Paul,<BR/><BR/>I actually went to the screening very much hoping to get a better idea of what Ellison novels or collections to check out as I've only ever read a couple of stories. While not a particularly big SF reader, I am an enormous fan of Philip K. Dick, J.G. Ballard, a couple of things from Ursula K. Le Guin (what's with genre writers and initials?), and I've just recently picked up some Theodore Sturgeon that I'm been pretty fascinated by-but I really don't know Ellison's work, his ideas, his obsessions or his style, and DREAMS didn't enlighten me one iota. <BR/><BR/>But to answer your question, listening to him rant did in fact make me that much more intrigued. He's obviously a bright guy, very charming, if exhausting. Of course in telling stories he could become a bit sentimental, and his ability to rant voraciously about pretty much anything makes me wonder if his prose has the potential to be equally indiscriminate. If you have any must-read suggestions I'd love to hear them.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00319721431296639419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2746189833925666296.post-16688185356096938102008-04-30T15:21:00.000-04:002008-04-30T15:21:00.000-04:00As a longtime Harlan Ellison fan, I'm really hopin...As a longtime Harlan Ellison fan, I'm really hoping that <I>Dreams With Sharp Teeth</I> makes its way to Edmonton. At the same time, I'm kind of dreading it, since Ellison is a bit of a crankypants with a tendency to rant. Had you read much of his work before seeing this film, JB? It sounds like you might be unfamiliar with a lot of his output. And if that's the case, I'm curious whether his onscreen personality made you want to see what he sounds like on the page.Paul Matwychukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01917384620564525389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2746189833925666296.post-77197638372759032812008-04-30T09:40:00.000-04:002008-04-30T09:40:00.000-04:00Thanks for your comments about Killer Poet and you...Thanks for your comments about Killer Poet and your willingness to consider both sides of the story. If you'd like to learn more about Norman Porter, please bookmark friends-of-norman-a-porter.org, an almost-ready new website created by a group of Norman's long-time friends. <BR/><BR/>The site, which should go live in the next few days, presents accurate information supported by 46 years' worth of legal and other documentation. <BR/><BR/>Thanks again for your open-mindedness.<BR/><BR/>Elizabeth Nash<BR/>Co-Sponsor<BR/>Friends of Norman A. PorterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com