Author Disenchantment

[Wifetheif]

I just finished "A Lit Fuse: the Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison" by Nat Segaloff. Despite the author's protestations, it veers very close to hagiography. One thing that Segaloff mentions in passing is that a fairly large number of Ellison fans and readers adore him in their teens and early adulthood and then as they age lose their interest in him and his fiction almost entirely. I read this book hoping to find a reason for my own disenchantment with Harlan Ellison. Was it just a process of growing older and taking on the responsibilities of job, mortgage, marriage, and raising kids, or is it a realization by his readers that the emperor has no clothes, that his magic tricks now show themselves as smoke, mirrors, and wires? Segaloff doesn't even try to tackle this subject, to the books serious detriment. In finishing the bio I was no closer to understanding why I went from enthralled to ice cold in a few short years. Which brings up a question for this forum. Are there writers you once adored that you now think unremarkable? It could be a famous writer or a writer here at Lit.com. In my case, I think it really was seeing the shortcomings of Ellison's prose. I am still enthralled by other authors I read at the time, so I don't think age and maturity alone explain my disphoria. Have any of you had similar experiences?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Has you interest in the subject matter changed, or just your view of Ellison? Is it genre or author specific?
I haven't had the experience you're describing.

 

[Wifetheif]

It is author specific. I still love everyone else I read back then. Only Ellison has lost his magic, in both his fiction and his person and I have no idea why. As I said I went from enthralled with his every line and adoration of his every anecdote to dispassionate disregard in only a few short years. I had a huge and valuable collection of nearly every book he ever wrote. I donated every last volume to the library of my alma mater. I no longer even wanted his books in my house. Ellison is the ONLY writer I have had that experience with. I still don`t understand it.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I think it's a simple as acknowledging that we change as we get older. Our expectations change and all it takes is one bad experience to radically alter how we see certain things. Perhaps one bad experience that you saw reflected in his work, altered your perception of him as a man and a writer. It happens all the time with celebrities. Johnnie Depp has said some rather pointed things about why he doesn't live in the U.S., many years ago. He lost a lot of fans.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Some writers of juvenile fiction have that effect. One that comes to mind is Piers Anthony - his Killobyte story was the first I'd ever read to be frank about dealing with disability, not to mention explaining the war in Lebanon way better than the news ever had. The Incarnations of Immortality was the first fantasy I'd read of such scope, even if they all followed a basic arc of male-being meets female being, love, get parted, manage to reunite despite something normally a deal-breaker, like one of them being dead, or living time backwards, etc. The first Bio of a Space Tyrant book was hugely depressing (war, despair, famine, rape, war, bit of cannabilism for light relief, war, rape, despair) but the other six in the series were great space politics and I loved them.

I never read any of the Xanth books which apparently have rather a lot of rapey scenes portrayed as fine, and this was 1993 when any of-age girl getting together with a man up to 50 was still considered perfectly normal.

Reading some of Bio and Incarnations 25 years later - they didn't stack up. I'm still fond of Killobyte, though.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Are there writers you once adored that you now think unremarkable?

This is not me, I never got into her, but many people say that you will only like Ayn Rand if you read her stuff when you're within two years of 17. Anyone over 20 (on first read) finds Rand uncompelling and unconvincing. To repeat myself, I have no personal opinion, but several people have said it.

-Rocco

 

[StillStunned]

I used to enjoy reading Raymond Feist's Midkemia novels. I never considered them the best fantasy around, either in terms of the writing or for their plot, but they were entertaining enough.

Until I realised that every chapter starts with a one-line paragraph: "The noun verbed." Every single chapter. I understand what he's doing, but it drags me out of the story and sets my teeth on edge.

 

[SimonDoom]

I tried thinking of an author I feel this way about and couldn't think of one. My reading tastes have remained remarkably stable since I started reading in earnest about 53 years ago. There are books I loved in my childhood like The Lord of the Rings that I can read now and see limits and flaws I didn't see before, but I still love all the good parts.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I cannot relate this to an author, but I certain feel that way about some musical artists. In several cases, one bad album changed my entire relationship with them. In some cases it provided a before and after dividing line, but in others I was totally out and never came back.

 

[AG31]

I've been turned off of several authors, going on a dozen, I'd guess, when it was clear that they had retired (or died?) and been replaced by a ghost. Some were just awful. The first I remember was Wilbur Smith, definitely over a decade ago. The "new" Smith was unbelievably bad.

 

[THBGato]

I used to enjoy reading Raymond Feist's Midkemia novels. I never considered them the best fantasy around, either in terms of the writing or for their plot, but they were entertaining enough.

Until I realised that every chapter starts with a one-line paragraph: "The noun verbed." Every single chapter. I understand what he's doing, but it drags me out of the story and sets my teeth on edge.

Yes! Loved these as an early teen, then went back as an adult and I was like "whaaaaat?"

However, the trio he did with Janny Wurts are still great, which I put down to her influence.

 

[OnlyHappyEndings]

Other side of the coin: I used to look down on pulp/pop writers and now I'm revisiting them with great enjoyment. Detective novels, westerns, horror-fantasy... so over the top. How can you not love it? Now that I'm writing I wish I could describe a scene like that.

 

[alohadave]

Some writers of juvenile fiction have that effect. One that comes to mind is Piers Anthony - his Killobyte story was the first I'd ever read to be frank about dealing with disability, not to mention explaining the war in Lebanon way better than the news ever had. The Incarnations of Immortality was the first fantasy I'd read of such scope, even if they all followed a basic arc of male-being meets female being, love, get parted, manage to reunite despite something normally a deal-breaker, like one of them being dead, or living time backwards, etc. The first Bio of a Space Tyrant book was hugely depressing (war, despair, famine, rape, war, bit of cannabilism for light relief, war, rape, despair) but the other six in the series were great space politics and I loved them.

I never read any of the Xanth books which apparently have rather a lot of rapey scenes portrayed as fine, and this was 1993 when any of-age girl getting together with a man up to 50 was still considered perfectly normal.

Reading some of Bio and Incarnations 25 years later - they didn't stack up. I'm still fond of Killobyte, though.

I read every Piers Anthony book I could get my hands on when I was a teen.

He's said that Xanth was targeted to horny 14 yo boys. He knows his audience and targets them with laser focus.

His sci-fi wasn't nearly as bad, and I enjoyed a lot of it.

But, now that I'm older and more aware, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I wonder how he'd fare writing erotica?

 

[StillStunned]

Other side of the coin: I used to look down on pulp/pop writers and now I'm revisiting them with great enjoyment. Detective novels, westerns, horror-fantasy... so over the top. How can you not love it? Now that I'm writing I wish I could describe a scene like that.

I agree. When I'm writing fantasy (and to a lesser extent sci-fi), I try to emulate RE Howard.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I agree. When I'm writing fantasy (and to a lesser extent sci-fi), I try to emulate RE Howard.

I just read something on him yesterday. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realize he committed suicide when he was only 30.
Such a loss.

 

[StillStunned]

I just read something on him yesterday. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realize he committed suicide when he was only 30.
Such a loss.

Totally. Imagine if he'd written three or four more decades of Conan, Bran Mac Morn and Solomon Kane!

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Totally. Imagine if he'd written three or four more decades of Conan, Bran Mac Morn and Solomon Kane!

Just one more...his total body of work was just 7 years. Another decade alone would have been great.

 

[Carnevil9]

This is not me, I never got into her, but many people say that you will only like Ayn Rand if you read her stuff when you're within two years of 17. Anyone over 20 (on first read) finds Rand uncompelling and unconvincing. To repeat myself, I have no personal opinion, but several people have said it.

-Rocco

I've heard people say that, too. But they are invariably people who have ideological problems with her philosophy and are trying to belittle her adherents. Personally, I never read her stuff until I was an adult, and then I loved it.

I can't think of any authors that I've lost interest in with age, other than of course those writing specifically for a juvenile audience.

 

[Areala-chan]

I wonder how he'd fare writing erotica?

If you absolutely must find this out, and I do not recommend this in the slightest, a quick run through "Firefly" will cure you of any love you ever had for his writing.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Harlan Ellison was, perhaps, the most litigious writer in all of history.

 

[alohadave]

If you absolutely must find this out, and I do not recommend this in the slightest, a quick run through "Firefly" will cure you of any love you ever had for his writing.

I read that back when it was published.

I was thinking without the pedophilia.

 

[alohadave]

Harlan Ellison was, perhaps, the most litigious writer in all of history.

"Fuck you, pay me!"

 

[lovecraft68]

I just read something on him yesterday. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realize he committed suicide when he was only 30.
Such a loss.

Interesting story, or maybe just for me. Howard was a member of Lovecraft's circle of pen pals, and before he hit it big with Conan, he wrote some mythos inspired tales. The two of them had planned to meet once, a huge deal for the reclusive HPL, but their plans fell through. Howard would commit suicide not long after. HPL would die of cancer

There's a book "Shadow's Bend" where the author puts Howard and HPL in the story as characters and actually meeting where they find they are being stalked by some sketchy and not entirely human beings. They end up escaping, but were both made ill by the presence of the beings, Howard complaining of headaches and HPL issues with his stomach, making it seem like their deaths were caused by the previous contact with agents of the old ones.

Cool concept based on a real life near miss.

Okay. I'm done being a nerd...for now.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Interesting story, or maybe just for me. Howard was a member of Lovecraft's circle of pen pals, and before he hit it big with Conan, he wrote some mythos inspired tales. The two of them had planned to meet once, a huge deal for the reclusive HPL, but their plans fell through. Howard would commit suicide not long after. HPL would die of cancer

There's a book "Shadow's Bend" where the author puts Howard and HPL in the story as characters and actually meeting where they find they are being stalked by some sketchy and not entirely human beings. They end up escaping, but were both made ill by the presence of the beings, Howard complaining of headaches and HPL issues with his stomach, making it seem like their deaths were caused by the previous contact with agents of the old ones.

Cool concept based on a real life near miss.

Okay. I'm done being a nerd...for now.

Lovecraft called him "2 Gun Bob" because of Howard's intense interest in Texas frontier history.

Reading about Howard made me realize I need to read a little more about Lovecraft as well.

 

[lovecraft68]

Lovecraft called him "2 Gun Bob" because of Howard's intense interest in Texas frontier history.

Reading about Howard made me realize I need to read a little more about Lovecraft as well.

This is a pretty good video about him. Touches on some of his early life which was full of trauma. The channel has some great stuff in general.