After reading that story, I was pretty much hooked.Ĭan you give us an idea of the scope of this collection, in terms of its volume and value, and how much of it you were able to read during your fellowship? I managed to get my hands on “ Bloodchild,” an award-winning short story that came out in 1984 about aliens and male pregnancy. But I wanted to know if she had anything weirder on her backlist. I was really intrigued by the prescient nature of the novel. We read “ Parable of the Sower,” an apocalyptic novel published in 1993 but set in 21st-century America. I first read Butler’s work in a graduate course on feminist literature and theory. How did you become interested in Octavia E. In an interview, which has been edited for length and clarity, Collins explains how Butler’s boundless curiosity inspired the author’s work, and how Butler’s experiences as a Black woman drew her to “humans who must deal with the edges or ends of humanity.”īutler, who died in 2006, would have turned 75 years old on June 22, 2022. A pioneering writer in a genre long dominated by white men, her work explored power structures, shifting definitions of humanity and alternative societies. University of South Carolinaīutler, whose papers are held at the Huntington, was the first science fiction writer to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. A book that situates Butler's fiction at the junction of biocritical and genre studies, showing how Butler's experience of blackness in America led her to explore and exploit the 'messiness' of science fiction.Alyssa Collins. Because of the personal nature of the book, what we have here is anything but a dry academic exercise."-Michael Levy, coeditor of Extrapolation There's a lot of valuable analysis of how Butler's fiction ties in with her personal life. "There are great depths to Butler's work, and Canavan has given us a torch in order to better see those depths. Highly recommended."-Sherryl Vint, co-editor of Science Fiction Studies ![]() He writes with grace and passion that is equal to the stature of his subject. Canavan's thorough archival research introduces us to new aspects of Butler’s life and thought and provides the first comprehensive overview of her career. "A compelling and intimate portrait of one of the century's most important writers. Canavan's careful and even reverent handling of Butler's journals and diaries, notes, drafts, and revisions reveals a lonely woman most at home in worlds of her own making, a woman whose drive and passion were not just to write, but to sell what she wrote." - Resources for American Literary Study "Canavan delves into Butler's personal papers, housed at the Huntington Library, in order to illuminate the muses behind this groundbreaking author whose limited public persona was typically described by words such as shy and awkward. "This book deserves a place of honor on the shelf of every fan or scholar of Butler's work and should be acquired by every institution with the resources to do so, from the smallest local library to the most heavily endowed research university."- SFRA Review " intense critical biography."- Times Literary Supplement "A must-read for scholars of, Canavan's scholarship is both a work of sharply dedicated research and a loving tribute to one of most creative geniuses. "Both fans and scholars will appreciate this vivid in-depth study of an internationally acclaimed science fiction author's life and work."- Shelf Awareness Butler serves as a more-than-adequate substitute and entry into this treasure trove of Butler's writings."- Los Angeles Review of Books ![]() "For those of us who cannot make the journey to the archive, Octavia E. "A deep reading of the work of the late science-fiction master."- Kirkus Reviews "This excellent, comprehensive study sheds new light on the process and philosophy of one of the most important authors of our time."- Publishers Weekly Read it and you’ll marvel at the arguments and feel invited to develop your own." - New York Times Like all good criticism, the book is both authoritative and invitational. The best sections detail the stories Butler didn’t publish or complete, using those fragments to dive deeper into the texts that she finished. Reviews"Canavan is an excellent critic and formidable researcher, and this book, written in accessible, quick-moving prose, is rich with perspectives and ideas.
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