Science fiction writer Joanna Russ dies

[Iphinome]

http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publis...icle_10299.php

Science fiction publication Locus Magazine has confirmed the 74-year-old died peacefully in hospice care in Tucson. She first suffered a stroke in February and was admitted to care in April after a further series of strokes.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Joanna was gracious, vital and skeptical when I met her as a sixteen-year-old while visiting Damon Knight with a writer friend. Later, I realized I'd met a pioneer -- one of the first to break ranks with SF's then-homophobic milieu and declare who she really was. This gave her work immediacy and made it more ambitious:-- speculative in an entirely new way.

She will always be missed, but her work remains alive.

[ps249]

never heard of her

[Donnageddon]

Originally Posted by ps249

never heard of her

Thanks for letting us know, ps249. I am sure the list of who, and what, you do not know is far too numerous for you to bother pointing it out in every thread.

From now on, we will just assume you know nothing about every topic that is posted, or person who has passed away. You need not inform us.

RIP Ms Russ

[elcreative]

Gosh, I'm impressed, I never heard of ps249...

More to the point, another leading light leaves us but we still have her legacy...

Originally Posted by ps249

never heard of her

[Prestidigitweeze]

Then rejoice, ps249, as the things of which you've never heard will likely bring you joy. If I had never heard of that many artists before, I'd be happy their galaxies of rapture and profundity awaited me.

You really should have more respect for the dead, however, and for those who must mourn their passing.

Originally Posted by ps249

never heard of her

[poohbear_nc]

Joanna Russ was a true pioneer - both in the content of her literary works, as well as in her honesty & convictions in life. One-of-a-kind!

[crich70]

In truth I had never heard of her either, though I don't think it's that surprising really. I mean there are a lot of people who write Science Fiction and Fantasy and only a few of them become the household names of their genre. Like Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, etc. And some only write a small body of work that prior to the net might not have had a wide circulation as well. Sometimes the works of an author are better known than their name as well I think.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Joanna Russ was a true pioneer - both in the content of her literary works, as well as in her honesty & convictions in life. One-of-a-kind!

What did she write? I thought that I was pretty well up on SF, but I'm afraid I have to join the ranks of those who have to admit to never having heard of her.

[poohbear_nc]

Her best known work was "The Female Man" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Female_Man) - she pioneered the examination of gender and gender roles - in futuristic settings - which was later taken up by Ursula K. LeGuin, among others.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What did she write? I thought that I was pretty well up on SF, but I'm afraid I have to join the ranks of those who have to admit to never having heard of her.

She wrote a series about a swordwoman names Alyx. (I've never read it.)

She also wrote And Chaos Died, and The Female Man both of which I read in the late '70's. I didn't like them. Her worldview and writing I didn't care for.

But that is to taste. (She once busted an IQ test, scoring 200).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Her best known work was "The Female Man" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Female_Man) - she pioneered the examination of gender and gender roles - in futuristic settings - which was later taken up by Ursula K. LeGuin, among others.

Thanks!

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

She also wrote And Chaos Died, and The Female Man both of which I read in the late '70's. I didn't like them. Her worldview and writing I didn't care for. But that is to taste. (She once busted an IQ test, scoring 200).

It sounds as if you might possibly be conservative in your leanings, which of course would make Russ's position antipodal to yours. I'd be curious to know what you thought of Samuel Delany -- a writer I grew up reading and now count as a friend, and whose style I've always admired.

Karma to you for being both honest and charitable in your assessment of Russ -- both by mentioning her IQ and in not asserting that your distaste should be shared by right-thinking individuals everywhere.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What did she write? I thought that I was pretty well up on SF, but I'm afraid I have to join the ranks of those who have to admit to never having heard of her.

Unfortunately, none of her work is currently available in any eBook format at all, and the few copies of her books that one can find are going for premiums.

I found The Female Man challenging when I read it in the 70's. But enjoyable and thought provoking in the end. And her impact on the genre goes far deeper than her limited output would suggest.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

It sounds as if you might possibly be conservative in your leanings, which of course would make Russ's position antipodal to yours. I'd be curious to know what you thought of Samuel Delany -- a writer I grew up reading and now count as a friend, and whose style I've always admired.

Karma to you for being both honest and charitable in your assessment of Russ -- both by mentioning her IQ and in not asserting that your distaste should be shared by right-thinking individuals everywhere.

As to Chip Delany's works, some I have enjoyed very much, some was so-so (to me). I am certain he can write entertaining mainstream Speculative Fiction when he chooses, I am not certain that he always chooses to do so. <Shrug> You asked for an opinion....

Fiction has style, content, and delivery. No author hits on all three all the time, no matter how popular (or not) they are.

As for Joanna Russ. The Female Man I found to be a most disturbing work. It spiraled into a hate-filled rant, over and over. Not accidentally, but carefully planned and deliberately. Since I was the target of the hate-filled rants, pardon me if I don't looked favorably upon the work.

As for my worldview, it might surprise you that I am the same person who scanned Mizora (One of the earliest US feminist Utopia novels), for Project Gutenberg (Out of my own library.)