cian> --- Kendall Clark <kendall at monkeyfist.com> wrote:
>> You haven't read any Samuel R. Delany, apparently. Rather a
>> careful marxist (at least, compared to the, in my view,
>> clumsiness of Asimov on that count), he's written space opera,
>> sword & sorcery, tons of engaging non-fiction, much of which
>> handles human sexual relations with amazing sensitivity and grace
>> and wit. Highly recommended.
cian> He's gay and black (or bi maybe), which may have something to
cian> do with it.
What does his race or sexual orientation have to do with it? Really, that seems rather an odd response if it's meant to be explanatory of my claim, and not simply offering further information about Delany. I avoid putting the 'black gay' thing upfront when I talk about him because I think it tends to distract people from the quality of his gifts and accomplishments, which are considerable.
(And Delany identifies himself as gay, not bi, as far as I know, though he says in one of his memoir/autobio's, The Motion of Light On Water, that he thought of himself as bi at one time, in early to mid-60s, while he was married to the poet, Marilyn Hacker.)
Are gay black men renowned for being incredibly smart about human sexuality?
cian> Heinlein, or Asimov, would be insulting). The Soft SF of the
cian> 70s produced a far more interesting collection of writers.
Including lots of very good feminist scifi: Joanna Russ, Ursula Le Guin, Pamela Sargent, Sherri Teppler, Suzette Elgin, ...
Best, Kendall Clark Monkeyfist.com