Ansible 189 [long]
David Langford
ANSIBLE 189
APRIL 2003
From DAVE LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AU. ISSN
0265-9816. Website: www.ansible.co.uk. E-mail: yes. Available for SAE,
quantch, pretonsuling or incoblapsimine.
[NET NOTE. Please see the last section for subscribe/unsubscribe
information: such requests should NOT be sent to my personal e-mail
address. DRL]
GRIM NEWS. Big Engine, my favourite British small press, has sadly run
out of steam. Ben Jeapes -- founder and proprietor -- explains: `I'm
sorry to break the sad news that Big Engine is going down. [] I'm seeking
insolvency as the response to two stages of reasoning. (1) BE is running
out of capital and won't be able to keep going as it is. This is not
insuperable, and it could be overcome with reinvestment and a renewed
spurt of time and energy on my part. But this brings me to (2), which is
that I don't really want to reinvest. Over the last couple of years I've
had to accept that my strengths are as a writer, not as a businessman.
I base this on the facts that my writing has (a) been more enjoyable and
(b) paid me more than Big Engine since I started in 2000. I would feel
awkward seeking reinvestment as I couldn't put my hand on my heart and
say I would do the best that could be done with the money. So, best not
to. [] All the contracted authors have been informed; all the authors who
have manuscripts in with me will be (apologies to those who read this
first). This also means that _3SF_ will be suspended, at least pro tem.
The ideal situation would be to find someone who will take on the books
and/or the magazine. I'm putting out feelers but would welcome
suggestions to b...@bigengine.co.uk.'
### THE PRODUCTIONS OF TIME ###
PAUL BARNETT has resigned his art-editorial position with Paper Tiger in
order to spend more time being John Grant and writing actual books.
ARTHUR C.CLARKE couldn't resist responding to a query about Joycean
influence on _2001_, in Roger Ebert's _Chicago Sun-Times_ `Movie Answer
Man' column (23 February): `Ashamed (?) to admit I've never read a word
of Joyce -- who I believe invented the useful name "quark". Now involved
with a much better Irish writer -- Lord Dunsany has asked me to write
intros to two of his g'father's books.' [PM]
PETER HAMILTON offers a travel tip for authors: `I was GoH at the Mecon
6 convention in Belfast [7-9 March], flying out from Stansted. Due to a
combination of forgetfulness and plain stupidity I didn't have my
passport or driver's licence with me when I checked in at the airline
desk. Official UK photographic identification of all passengers being the
security requirement these days, the lady behind the counter was
resolutely not ever going to allow the likes of me on board the plane
without it. That is until I produced a copy of the convention handbook,
with a 2cm square, somewhat blurred, B&W author's photo of me on page 5.
She let me go through. Oh, and it was a great little con, too.'
DAVID A.HARDY, our utterly famous sf and space artist, has now set his
mark on the skies: `Just heard that an asteroid has been named after me.
(13329) Davidhardy = 1998 SB32 ... Discovered 20 September 1998 by
Spacewatch at Kitt Peak. I was gobsmacked!'
DIANA WYNNE JONES was subjected to ruthless house style when attempting
to promote her new _The Merlin Conspiracy_: `Publicity for this book
seems to involve being photographed an unusual number of times -- usually
the same local photographer appearing with a different hat on and a
different book of rules. Did you know that the _Daily Mail_ insists that
all women have to be photographed in a skirt? And not in black. I had to
buy a skirt.'
J.K.ROWLING and Warner Bros. have begun legal action in Holland to
prevent the sale of Dmitry Yemets's book _The Magic Double Bass_,
featuring the character Tanya Grotter. Copyright/trademark infringement
and unfair competition are claimed. (_Publishers Lunch_, 13 March)
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO is to receive the 2003 World Horror Convention Grand
Master Award at the event itself, later this month. [L]
ZORAN ZIVKOVIC, the Serbian sf author (born 1948) who's a regular
contributor to _Interzone_, is in fact not Zoran Zivkovic the new Serbian
Prime Minister (born 1960). Though they do both live in Belgrade. [JH]
### CONDITORY ###
12-13 Apr [] UNCONVENTION 2003 (Forteana), Commonwealth Institute,
London. Pounds27.50 or Pounds17.50/day, plus 50p postage for ticket(s).
Contact IFG, 9 Dallington St, London, EC1V 0BQ. 020 7687 7058.
14 Apr [] READING AT BORDERS, Oxford St, London (top floor). With Pat
Cadigan, Justina Robson, and Colin Greenland. 6:30pm.
18-21 Apr [] SEACON '03 (Eastercon), Hanover International Hotel,
Hinckley, Leics. Pounds45 reg ($68, Euro75) or Pounds22 ($35, Euro37)
supporting only. Pounds60 at the door. Day rates Pounds30 Sat or Sun,
Pounds15 Fri or Mon. Contact 8 The Orchard, Tonwell, Herts, SG12 0HR. []
_Stop Press:_ Liz Holliday can't make it to Seacon, so her writing
workshops there are cancelled.
23 Apr [] BSFA OPEN MEETING, Rising Sun pub, Cloth Fair, London, EC1. 7pm
on, fans present from 5pm. Guest speaker TBA.
27 Sep - 3 Oct [] MILFORD (UK) SF WRITER'S CONFERENCE, Hedley House
Hotel, York. Pounds15 reg plus Pounds20 deposit against Pounds40/night
B&B. Published authors only. Further workshop details from Liz Williams
(Secretary), Top Flat, 8 Bedford St, Kemp Town, Brighton, BN2 1AN.
27-8 Sep [] PHOENIX CONVENTION (P-CON), Ashling Hotel, Parkgate St,
Dublin 8. Euro25 reg, _rising to Euro30 on 21 Apr_, Euro35 at door;
Euro10 supp. Contact: Yellow Brick Road, 8 Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1,
Ireland.
4 Oct [] NEWCON2, `Roadmender' club, 1 Ladys Lane, Northampton, NN1 3AH.
11am-6pm. GoH Stephen Baxter, Dominic Harman, Ben Jeapes. Pounds8 reg
(Pounds5 students/unwaged); Pounds9 (or Pounds5) at door. Cheques to
Northampton SF Writers Group, 16 Albany Rd, Northampton, NN1 5LZ.
24-6 Oct [] THEY CAME AND SHAVED US, Fairways Hotel, Dundalk, Co. Louth,
Ireland. Pounds30/Pounds(I)45/Euro45 reg, _rising to
Pounds35/Pounds(I)55/Euro55 on 22 Apr_. Sterling to 13a Bridge Rd,
Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 2QW; punts/Euro to 123 Carnlough Rd, Cabra West,
Dublin 7, Ireland.
7-9 Nov [] NOVACON 33, Quality Hotel, Walsall. Pounds32 reg, _rising to
Pounds35 after Easter_. Contact 379 Myrtle Rd, Sheffield, S2 3HQ.
25-27 Feb 05 [] REDEMPTION 05 (_B5/B7_), Hanover International Hotel,
Hinckley. Now Pounds40 reg, _rising to Pounds45 after 21 Apr 03_,
Pounds50 after 1 Sep 04. Contact 26 Kings Meadow View, Wetherby, LS22
7FX.
4-8 Aug 05 [] INTERACTION (63rd Worldcon), SECC, Glasgow. Still
Pounds75/$115 reg, _rising to Pounds85/$135 on 1 June 03_. Various
discounts for presupporters etc. Unchanged: Pounds32/$50 child reg,
Pounds30/$45 supporting only. Contact 379 Myrtle Road, Sheffield, S2 3HQ.
In North America: PO Box 58009, Louisville, Kentucky, KY 40268-0009, USA.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
TIPTREE AWARD. This year's winners are M.John Harrison's novel _Light_
and John Kessel's story `Stories for Men' (_Asimov's_ Oct/Nov 2002). [FM]
AS OTHERS SEE US. The latest Sci-Fi Channel miniseries is adapted from
_Children of Dune_, and director Greg Yaitanes was quick to perform the
traditional Rite of Distancing: `"I looked at this as a story of a
family, not a science fiction film," says Yaitanes, a Wellesley [Mass.]
native who directed an episode of Sci Fi's _The Invisible Man_ three
years ago. "What's great about the film is there are empowered women in
it. Science fiction traditionally has had a male appeal to it." [] What's
more, he says, his film offers a lot more than "just hardware and
monsters and explosions. There are real human emotions, which is very,
very rare in science fiction."' (_Boston Globe_, 16 March) [DK]
R.I.P. _Sir Hardy Amies_ (1909-2003), the Queen's official dressmaker for
48 years, died on 5 March aged 93. The sf connection was his role as
wardrobe designer for _2001: A Space Odyssey_. [GD] [] _Howard Fast_
(1915-2003), US author of such historical bestsellers as _Spartacus_
(1951), who published much short sf and fantasy and was long associated
with _F&SF_, died on 12 March; he was 88. Fast's genre collections
include _The General Zapped an Angel_ (1970). [PB] [] _Fred Freiberger_
(1915-2003), US screenwriter and producer responsible for the second
season of _Space:1999_, died on 2 March aged 88. He also worked on _Star
Trek_, _The Six Million Dollar Man_, _Superboy_, and _The Wild, Wild
West_, and wrote screenplays for 13 feature films including _The Beast
From 20,000 Fathoms_ (1953). [LP] [] _Dame Thora Hird_, UK actress who
died on 15 March aged 91, inevitably played genre roles in her long
career -- e.g. in the 1955 _The Quatermass Xperiment_, whose success
kick-started the Hammer Films sf/horror tradition. [SG] [] _Monica
Hughes_ (1925-2003), Liverpool-born writer of children's sf who lived in
Canada since 1952 and won several literary awards, died on 7 March aged
77. Her best-known sf work is the Isis trilogy: _The Keeper of the Isis
Light_ (1980), _The Guardian of Isis_ (1981), and _The Isis Pedlar_
(1982). [O] [] _Harry B.Warner Jr_ (1922-2003), long-time fan, fanzine
publisher, historian of fandom and indefatigable letter-writer, died at
his fannishly famous home address -- 423 Summit Avenue, Hagerstown,
Maryland -- on 17 February (and was not found for some weeks). He was 80.
Harry's fanzines included the 1940s _Spaceways_ and the long-running
_Horizons_, published through FAPA ever since 1939; his fan histories of
the 1940s and 1950s were _All Our Yesterdays_ (1969) and _A Wealth of
Fable_ (1976), whose 1992 expansion won him a nonfiction Hugo. He also
received 1969 and 1972 Hugos as best fan writer, and was a guest of
honour at the 1971 Boston worldcon. Like so many fanzine publishers
around the world, I've lost count of the kindly, conscientious and
sometimes cranky letters of comment he sent me over the decades. As Bruce
Gillespie wrote at the start of his own memoir, `I've regarded Harry
Warner Jr for so long as the patron saint of fandom that it will be very
hard to get used to the idea of him not being there.'
OSCARS 2003. Fantasy was rewarded by the victory of Hayao Miyazaki's
_Spirited Away_ as Best Animated Feature, while _The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers_ received the small consolation prize of wins for
Achievement in Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. [SG]
THOG'S TRANSLATOR MASTERCLASS. `... there is practically no radioactivity
in the soil of this part of the galaxy.' (Stanislaw Lem, _The
Invincible_, 1976 Penguin UK translation) [EO'B]
RIGHTS OR WRONGS? James Follett put out an incandescent release about
current BBC7 digital radio repeats of his 1981-82 sf radio series
_Earthsearch_. These were apparently `authorized' by the Authors'
Licensing and Collecting Society, originally set up to collect fiddly
sums like blanket fees for academic textbook photocopying, and to
distribute the take to ALCS-registered authors. Follett writes: `The BBC
had not renewed their broadcast rights. The previous year _[2002]_,
without my knowledge, the BBC had held secret meetings with a company
called ALCS Ltd and appointed them to act as my literary agent and the
literary agent for several other writers! Furthermore, without any
reference to me, ALCS Ltd had agreed a fee scale of Pounds10 per
broadcast hour _[rather than Pounds450 per episode plus 50% for
broadcasting them twice a day, as negotiated in 1980]_ for the BBC to
repeat my work, without my consent, without my knowledge, and without the
boring necessity of the BBC having to worry about securing copyright. My
total fee for the BBC7 repeat of the entire serial would be Pounds100!
Needless to say, I'm not a member of ALCS and never have been. [...] To
say that my agent and I were "incandescent with rage" would be a mild
understatement. Together we would've provided a respectable firework
display except that it was the BBC doing all the celebrating. Imagine
waking up one morning to discover that an estate agent that you had not
appointed had put your house on the market without telling you and,
furthermore, was selling for 2 per cent of its 1980 value!' Further
developments are nervously awaited; I have asked the Society of Authors
to comment.
RANDOM FANDOM. _Simon Bradshaw_ now wields the power of high, middle and
low justice as Chair of the SF Foundation (elected 8 March), Farah
Mendlesohn having stepped down after two terms of office. [] _John
Foyster_ continues to publish e-fanzines despite doom-laden noises from
the medical profession: `Oh, yes, at the end of February the doctors
noted that my earlier chemotherapy drugs weren't being successful. Oh,
dear. Do you understand the meaning of "Palliative Care"?' [] _Sharon
Lewis_ (writes Jonjo) `would like to thank everyone who sent her get-well
messages during her stay in hospital for her appendectomy. She is now
feeling much better and is recovering at home.' [] _Sue Mason_ is all
agog: `A picture of mine will hang in the National Portrait Gallery from
10th April until 22nd June. Wow!' The self-portrait, of Our Sue belly-
dancing, then goes on tour: Nat Gall Cardiff, 3 July - 30 Aug; Glasgow
Gall of Modern Art, 13 Sep - 16 Nov; Manchester Art Gall, 24 Nov - 20
January 04; Ormeau Baths Gall, Belfast, Feb-Mar 04.
SAPIENT PEARWOOD. A Pratchettian moment was spotted in a press release
on safety testing from the snappily titled European Association for the
Co-ordination of Consumer Representation in Standardization: `In one
test, the luggage itself broke into the passenger compartment,
potentially threatening other occupants.' [ZB]
C.O.A. _Mary Kay & Jordin Kare_, 908 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112, USA.
_Tony Keen_, 48 Priory St, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2AN. _John Richards_
(temporary), Flat 1a, 45 Christ Church Rd, Doncaster, DN1 2QD.
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _John Brosnan_ found the grail: `In last Sunday's
_Observer Magazine_ [9 Mar] best-selling author Wilbur Smith kindly
passed on his solution to the problem of writer's block: "Even after
writing 29 novels, I hate the loneliness, the doubt. Usually halfway
through a book I have a serious depression, so I go on safari on my ranch
in South Africa, or fishing off my island in the Seychelles. When I come
back and re-read it, I think, `What was that all about, Smith? It's fine,
just get on with it.'" So there you have it. Just buy yourself a ranch
in South Africa and an island in the Seychelles and all your writing
problems will disappear. It's just so bloody obvious I'm surprised it
never occurred to me before.' [] _Richard E.Geis_ points out a
fundamental flaw in _Ansible 188_: `I see my name was not in the issue,
but I forgive you.' [] _Simon R.Green_ muses on an aside from _A188_:
`Buildings named after sf writers, hmmm; The Moorcock Bordello?'
AS OTHERS SEE US II. Further movie press-pack burblings: `In fact, it is
this very unknown aspect of the film's subject that makes _The Core_ not
just another science fiction movie. Says producer David Foster: "We've
seen sea adventures and space odysseys, but traveling into the core of
the earth is largely unexplored terrority."' Which, as groaning informant
Dan Kimmel notes, will no doubt come as a great surprise to the adapters
of Verne's _Journey to the Centre of the Earth_ and Burroughs's _At the
Earth's Core_. [] Sita Williams, producer of the sf series _The Last
Train_, explained that despite suspended animation and asteroid impact,
`It's not science fiction, it's post apocalyptic fiction.' [GH]
FANFUNDERY. The fandom.co.uk and fandom.org.uk net domains, heroically
acquired by Michael J.Lowrey in 1999 to save them from the (now fallen)
evil empire Fandom.com, and paid for by him ever since, will be auctioned
by Randy Byers at Seacon '03. Proceeds to TAFF.
ACCOLADE. Alas, the UK sf author who was the key to the 8 March
_Spectator_ crossword is no longer with us to appreciate it (or, more
likely, to blow raspberries at the _Speccy_'s far-right politics). The
puzzle contained a 50-letter unclued quotation from an article on 1960s
fashion, plus its author's forename and surname, clued without
definition: `Set about gossip? On the contrary' (6) and `Tense, in
charge? Right (6)'. This should pose no difficulty to our cosmic-minded
readers.
FILMWATCH. Described by Paul Barnett as the week's gloomiest fantasy
movie news is the _Variety_ report that John Travolta is likely to star
in a new remake of _Harvey_ (1950). In this version, presumably, the six-
foot-three rabbit is invisible to others because he's completely Clear.
SMALL PRESS. Discreetly blowing my own trumpet: Chris Priest and I have
started a tiny e-book outfit at www.ansible-editions.co.uk, with the
first titles being the unpublished John Sladek novella _Wholly Smokes_
and David I.Masson's fine 1968 collection _The Caltraps of Time_, now
expanded with three 1970s stories to comprise his complete sf. For those
who prefer print editions, we have a co-publishing deal with Cosmos
Books: _Caltraps_ is scheduled for POD release later this year. And the
new Langford title from Cosmos is _Up Through an Empty House of Stars:
Reviews and Essays 1980-2002_ -- listed on Amazon in hardback (May 2003)
and paperback (November). Help this man become a capitalist!
THE DEAD PAST. _Thirty Years Ago_, at Eastercon 1972 (OMPAcon): `The
British Sf Award was not presented this year due to popular apathy.'
(_Checkpoint 37_, April 1973) [] _Ten Years Ago_, Clarke Award
controversy raged as the Pounds1,000 cheque went to Marge Piercy for
_Body of Glass_, with Kim Stanley Robinson's _Red Mars_ as runner-up. `At
least 3 sf publishers [are] planning a future boycott after this year's
baffling result,' reported David Garnett, while Roz Kaveney tersely
described the winner as `Not awfully good.' Yet secret sources confirmed
that the decision was near-unanimous, the Piercy being the first choice
for five voting judges and second for the sixth. (_Ansible 69_, April
1993)
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Physics Dept._ `... no, affinity wasn't quite the
right word, it felt more like they were two north poles of a bipolar
magnet, each vigorously, automatically repelled by the other.' (Jo
Clayton, _Blue Magic_, 1988) [PM] [] _Dept of Anatomy._ `Ace crept back
down the corridor, her heart pounding in her neck. She swallowed, trying
to push it away, concentrate on what she was doing, but it wouldn't
shift.' (Dale Smith, _Dr Who -- Heritage_, 2002) [LC] [] _Dept of
Genealogy._ `Lord Voldemort -- who is the last remaining ancestor of
Salazar Slytherin ...' (J.K.Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets_, 1998) [AS] [] _Dept of Bunker-Busting Metaphor._ `If the
interior of the cone is lined with copper or other metal, this melts and
squirts forward with the plasma jet, giving it teeth to punch through
armour plate like a fire hose through sand.' (_New Scientist_, 8 March)
[TW] [] _Classics Dept._ `We are between the wild thoat of certainty and
the mad zitidar of fact -- we can escape neither.' (Edgar Rice Burroughs,
_The Gods of Mars_, 1918)
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
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E-ADDRESSES
[no announcements this issue]
CONVENTION E-MAIL
[] 2003
18-21 Apr, Seacon '03 (Eastercon), Hinckley, Leics,
in...@seacon03.org.uk
1-3 Aug, Finncon X -- Eurocon 2003, Turku, Finland, conit...@utu.fi
28 Aug - 1 Sep, Torcon 3 (Worldcon), Toronto, in...@torcon3.on.ca
27-8 Sep, P-Con, Dublin, phoenixc...@yahoo.co.uk
7-9 Nov, Novacon 33 (Walsall), x...@zoom.co.uk
[] 2004
9-12 Apr, Concourse (Eastercon), Blackpool, conc...@ntlworld.com
20-23 Aug, Discworld Convention IV, Hinckley, Leics, in...@dwcon.org
2-6 Sep, Noreascon 4, Boston (Worldcon), in...@mcfi.org
4 Oct, NewCon2, Northampton, igpu...@ipursey.freeserve.co.uk
[] 2005
25-27 Feb, Redemption (_B5/B7_), Hinckley, Leics,
redempt...@smof.com
4-8 Aug, Interaction (Worldcon), Glasgow,
in...@interaction.worldcon.org.uk
CONVENTION BID E-MAIL
[] 2006
Kansas City Worldcon, MidAm...@kc.rr.com
Los Angeles Worldcon, in...@scifiinc.org
[] 2007
Columbus OH Worldcon, ConCo...@yahoo.com
Japan Worldcon, in...@nippon2007.org
### ENDNOTES ###
APPARITIONS. _Ben Jeapes_ talks to the Birmingham SF Group on 11
April, 7.45pm on: Old Joint Stock (upstairs), Temple Row, Birmingham.
THE GOLDFISH FACTOR, SF Foundation/BSFA free event on 5 April,
featuring both AGMs. St Bride Institute, Bride Lane, London, EC4Y 8EQ;
11am-6pm. GoH: Ian Watson, Kim Newman. To conclude with a screening of
_A Short Film About John Bolton_ by Neil Gaiman. (Listing moved down
here since the electronic _Ansible_ may arrive in time to remind you,
but the print edition won't.)
Ansible 189 Copyright (c) Dave Langford, 2003. The author in the
crossword was Angela Carter. Thanks to Zara Baxter, Lawrence Conquest,
Gordon Davie, Steve Green, Guy Haley, Jed Hartman, Dan Kimmel, Locus,
Farah Mendlesohn, Petrea Mitchell, Emmet O'Brien, Omega, Lloyd Penney,
Tanaqui Weaver, and Hero Distributors: Rog Peyton (Birmingham SF
Group), Janice Murray (North America), SCIS, and Alan Stewart (Thyme/
Australia).
4 Apr 03
Dave Langford
--
David Langford
ans...@cix.co.uk | http://www.ansible.co.uk/
Rich Lynch
> ANSIBLE 189
> APRIL 2003
>
_Harry B.Warner Jr_ (1922-2003), long-time fan, fanzine
> publisher, historian of fandom and indefatigable letter-writer, died at
> his fannishly famous home address -- 423 Summit Avenue, Hagerstown,
> Maryland -- on 17 February (and was not found for some weeks).
Actually, no. The body was found the day after he died by people who
been helping him with the routine upkeep of his home. (He had
apparently died seated in his livingroom chair, where he often
listened to classical music CDs or watched TV.) The body was then
removed to a morgue in Baltimore where it remained for more than three
weeks, until his next-door neighbor was able to get the body released
for burial (which he then paid for) by proving via some detailed
geneological research that there were no living relatives. (This was
important, because the State of Maryland would not otherwise release
the body to non-relatives.)
Meanwhile, there is great concern for the fate of Harry's large
fanzine accumulation. Correspondence exists that shows Harry had
intended the the fanzines to be given to the Eaton Collection at the
University of California-Riverside (the same place that has the
collections of Terry Carr and Bruce Pelz), and that Harry had set
aside $10,000 to cover costs of packing and shipping. Harry did leave
a will, but apparently had come to agreement with the University not
too long before he died and had not rewritten the will to include the
fanzine-related information. The letters were not attached to the
will, so they have no legal standing. The entity that, according to
the will, is bequeathed the house and its contents is aware of these
letters, and I'm optimistic that it will do the right thing. We'll
know more when the will is officially read at the end of this month.
Rich Lynch
----
MIMOSA web site: http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/
http://www.livejournal.com/~rwl
Richard Horton
wrote:
>ZORAN ZIVKOVIC, the Serbian sf author (born 1948) who's a regular
>contributor to _Interzone_, is in fact not Zoran Zivkovic the new Serbian
>Prime Minister (born 1960). Though they do both live in Belgrade. [JH]
A couple of years ago when I discovered Zivkovic the writer, I went
Googling around looking for information about him, and I found a lot
of sites about some guy who was clearly a politician. Must be this
new Prime Minister.
--
Rich Horton | Stable Email: mailto://richard...@sff.net
Home Page: http://www.sff.net/people/richard.horton
Also visit SF Site (http://www.sfsite.com) and Tangent Online (http://www.tangentonline.com)
Vlatko Juric-Kokic
<rrho...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 18:09:08 +0100, David Langford <ans...@cix.co.uk>
>wrote:
>
>>ZORAN ZIVKOVIC, the Serbian sf author (born 1948) who's a regular
>>contributor to _Interzone_, is in fact not Zoran Zivkovic the new Serbian
>>Prime Minister (born 1960). Though they do both live in Belgrade. [JH]
>
>A couple of years ago when I discovered Zivkovic the writer, I went
>Googling around looking for information about him, and I found a lot
>of sites about some guy who was clearly a politician. Must be this
>new Prime Minister.
I think I posted the info about the writer Zivkovic not being the then
Minister of Interior several months ago. The question arose in rasfw
and I asked a guy from Belgrade.
vlatko
--
http://www.niribanimeso.org/eng/
http://www.michaelswanwick.com/
vlatko.ju...@zg.hinet.hr
Daniel R. Reitman
>. . . .
>Meanwhile, there is great concern for the fate of Harry's large
>fanzine accumulation. Correspondence exists that shows Harry had
>intended the the fanzines to be given to the Eaton Collection at the
>University of California-Riverside (the same place that has the
>collections of Terry Carr and Bruce Pelz), and that Harry had set
>aside $10,000 to cover costs of packing and shipping. Harry did leave
>a will, but apparently had come to agreement with the University not
>too long before he died and had not rewritten the will to include the
>fanzine-related information. The letters were not attached to the
>will, so they have no legal standing. The entity that, according to
>the will, is bequeathed the house and its contents is aware of these
>letters, and I'm optimistic that it will do the right thing. We'll
>know more when the will is officially read at the end of this month.
If Maryland law is anything like Oregon or Washington, the university
probably can make a claim against the estate on a contract theory.
Dan, ad nauseam
Jan Vanek jr.
> ACCOLADE. Alas, the UK sf author who was the key to the 8 March
> _Spectator_ crossword is no longer with us to appreciate it (or, more
> likely, to blow raspberries at the _Speccy_'s far-right politics). The
> puzzle contained a 50-letter unclued quotation from an article on 1960s
> fashion, plus its author's forename and surname, clued without
> definition: `Set about gossip? On the contrary' (6) and `Tense, in
> charge? Right (6)'. This should pose no difficulty to our cosmic-minded
> readers.
Hm, is one supposed to include spoiler space for puzzles?
.
.
.
> The author in the crossword was Angela Carter.
Now, I have at least some general idea by what _kind_ of process one
is expected to arrive from the clue to the result (largely thanks to
reading the excerpt from _'Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8)_,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,880719,00.html). But
since I am not an Englishman, I have no chance to follow this
particular train of thought even though I know the ending (I suppose
the problem is not only the foreign language but also loss of all
necessary brain flexibility since our crossword clues are quite
straightforward synonyms). Would someone care to unpack the reasoning
for me?
Thanks,
--
Jan Vanek jr.
David Langford
OK. The actual crossword was made somewhat harder by the fact that, at the
outset, you didn't know which two of 40 clues lacked a definition part and
yielded those names. Believe me, it's difficult enough for native English
speakers.
The constructions go like this:
"Set about gossip? On the contrary" can be interpreted as a word meaning
"gossip" surrounding a word meaning "set". The former is "ana" (a back
formation from terms like Johnsoniana, oddments or gossip about Dr Johnson)
and the latter is "gel" (verb). Hence Angela.
The second clue involves sticking "t" -- an abbreviation whose meanings
include "tense" in the grammatical sense -- into "care" ("in charge") and
adding R for Right. Hence Carter.
Dave
[who just did one where "Criminal hid upholstery in compound" yielded,
after some anagrammatical pondering, "hydrosulphite".]