Forging an Art

Originally published thirty years ago, this collection of essays, speeches, and introductions by Ursula K. Le Guin is a must for any writer, student, teacher, or reader of science fiction and fantasy.  My political and religious views could not be more different than this great writer’s, but as one who falls into the four aforementioned categories, I agree with her in most every other way, and am grateful that she has been around to give words to so much that defines the craft.  I can do no better than to note those parts of the collection that speak to me the most closely:

Absolute freedom is absolute responsibility.  The writer’s job, as I see it, is to tell the truth.

Artists are people who are not at all interested in the facts – only in the truth.  You get the facts from the outside.  The truth you get from inside.

If you want to strike out in any new direction – you go alone.  With a machete in your hand and the fear of God in your heart.

When the genuine myth rises into consciousness, that is always its message.  You must change your life.

Fantasy is the natural, the appropriate language for the recounting of the spiritual journey and the struggle of good and evil in the soul.

It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.

There are, however, two instances in which I do not quite understand Le Guin’s stance.  Why is poetry held separate from fiction in these situations?  Maybe someone out there can offer insight:

The lovable rogue, the romantic criminal, the revolutionary Satan are essentially literary creations, not met with in daily life.  They are embodiments of desire, types of the soul; thus their vitality is immense and lasting; but they are better suited to poetry and drama than to the novel  (141).

Always the book one imagines and the book one writes are different things.  The one exists objectively, a scribbled manuscript or so many thousand printed copies.  The other exists subjectively.  It is the other’s first cause and final cause.  Toward it the written book, during its writing, continually strives, like the image in a mirror approaching the person moving toward it.  But they do not merge.  Only in poetry, which breaks all barriers, do the two ever meet, each becoming the other (140).

Infineon made for great racing last weekend – although my boy came in second, it wasn’t for lack of effort.  Kahne had a better car, end of story.  Now, second ain’t first, but Stewart, Kahne, and to be honest, the whole field put on a great show for viewers.  For those who don’t find road courses as exciting as ovals, this was for them.  August 9 – Mid-Ohio for the Indy Car series.  My daughter loves road courses and this will be her first time at a live road course race.  It was going to be her first live race, period, but I discovered that Stewart, Kahne, and Blaney are racing at Sharon on July 7, so we’re heading that way in less than two weeks.  It’s only an hour away, so, regardless of budget issues, I can’t pass it up.  The tickets are cheaper than those for last Saturday’s ARCA race.  Speaking of which . . .

“Four wide! Four wide!” My dad kept hollering, in awe of the aggression we witnessed the entire evening at Mansfield Motorsports Park on Saturday.  The Lincoln Truck race winner was Dave Jackson, and the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 winner was 18 year old Parker Kligerman, who graduated from high school the night before.  Also competing that evening was 75 year old James Harvey Hilton, who started his career as crew chief to Rex White back in ’62.  The only downside to the show was the continuous movement of attendees who weren’t watching the race, but moving around to socialize and buy vats of hot dogs.  Seriously, how many nasty racetrack hot dogs can one man eat?  The guy two rows behind us came back from the stand holding three at a time, and made at least five visits.  The drunk a row down and in front of us insisted on walking up to the fence and waving his arms around at nothing; this was particularly annoying because my dad and I were trying to take pictures.  My dad mumbled something at another man as he walked in front of my dad, who was clearly holding a camera in front of him and attempting to shoot, and when my dad returned to his seat he made a confession.  “I used the ‘f’ word.”  I shook my head in disbelief.  I have never heard my dad use that word; he doesn’t believe in swearing in front of women or children.  I know my brother has heard him, but me, that’s a different story.  “You didn’t!” I replied, shocked.  He smiled back at me.  “I called him an effing moron.”  See?  He still didn’t say it in front of me, but to admit that he had, and even to say ‘effing,’ was huge.  I felt like a grown up for a moment there.

Before the race, Richmond’s sister Sandy spoke over the phone to thank fans and the racing series for honoring her brother, who won the Daytona ARCA 200 back in 1981, followed by 13 NASCAR races.  He was also the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, finishing ninth in the race.  A versatile and talented driver, Richmond was lost to racing and the world in 1989.  Twenty years later, it was high time to honor this driver, both as a racing phenom and as a man, and only appropriate to do so close to his hometown of Ashland, Ohio.

More racing/car pics here.

This is a real treasure – Kazan’s personal journal entries and notes taken during work on his great productions, along with the editor’s (Robert Cornfield) clarifications, letters between Kazan and those he worked with, and speeches and writings by Kazan on the art of directing make for an intense journey into the creation of the masterpiece.  Kazan is famous for his productions of Williams and Miller plays, and for his hot temper and arrogance.  Anyone who writes, acts, directs, produces, designs sets – in essence, anyone involved with creative work on the stage and screen, and even creative work in general, needs to take the time to revel in this volume.  Kazan is open, honest, and fearless in his self-evaluations, in the criticism of his actors, his family, his friends – there are no holds barred here as he offers himself to us, not for praise or acceptance, but instead, as he says at the very end, to save his own life.  The artist “must put himself and his talent and his career in mortal danger, and he will live again only as he emerges from it.” 

Kazan, who died in 2003, lives on in his creations, those explorations of humanity and relationships that are not without flaw, and not wholly accepted by viewers and critics.  His decisions, when great, are perfection; however, in A Face in the Crowd, I wonder what happened.  Andy Griffith is hideous, and while I know – from this book – that the character is meant to be a caricature – and I do not like caricatures, in film, fiction, or otherwise –  I find it too far over the top to be more than ridiculous.  Matthau and Neal are quite amazing, and Lee Remick is appallingly beautiful.  The end is not what it was meant to be, again, as I find in the book, and I think it would have been better with the original scripted ending.  Of course, I am not a director, and certainly not the great Kazan – and I say that without sarcasm – so who am I to say?

Not just for us librarians and others employed by Ohio libraries, but for library users who enjoy the materials and programs, as well as the personal assistance, computers with Internet access, and meeting rooms that libraries provide.

One of my reviewing compatriots at BSC compiled six interviews with a variety of individuals (including me) on the topic of fantasy/sci fi books – and the results, along with his comments, are here.

This is just way too fun not to share – go Brian Vickers!  What a great idea . . .  Red Bull Pit Stop.

As always, I look for ways to increase my knowledge of the American Civil War as painlessly and as memorably as possible, and being a librarian helps quite a bit.  Being a librarian for teenagers is even better – these two books came to me and I was hooked.  Lots of great information told in a way even I will remember – and more info on poor Mary Todd Lincoln, who really was quite a basket case.

I’ll Pass for Your Comrade tells the true stories of several female soldiers who were either devoted wives and girlfriends or committed patriots to the cause of their side of the fight.  Women in combat are one thing, but women used to giant hoop skirts and some sense of privacy in the midst of the ferocity of this vicious war are quite another.  It is really beyond my imagination how these women – and girls – managed on a day to day basis without the niceties we take for granted.  Now, it’s true that the men were in the worst of conditions as well, but in a world where women were coddled and petted, it is astonishing that so many of them affected disguise to offer themselves for their cause.

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker is a very close and emotional look at Mary Todd Lincoln and her dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, who survived enslavement to become a successful businesswoman.   Keckley was a proud and talented woman who believed in herself, her abilities, and her worth as a human being, in spite of the jealous and hateful opinions of others.  Mrs. Lincoln’s emotional instability is so evident in her dependence on Keckley, as well as her mood swings, which Keckley takes in stride, and ultimately, in her need for Keckley above all others when the president is murdered. 

Neither of these books should be limited to the young adult audience; anyone looking for an enjoyable way to learn about the Civil War, as well as human relationships in difficult times, could do no better than to read them.

The latest – and last – Shojo Beat just arrived and lo and behold, page 209 features vampire manga.  I already covered Chibi Vampire in my last mangakissa column, but the other five included have been unreported on my end.  Rosario + Vampire, Canon, Descendants of Darkness, Millennium Snow, and Trinity Blood are featured in the July issue, along with some tasty tidbits on vampires in manga.