Tag Archives: Avram Davidson

Mundy and Davidson

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Just a quick birthday announcement of two great writers of the previous century who were born on this date (April 23).

Talbot Mundy

First, Talbot Mundy (1879-1940).  Mundy wrote adventure stories for the pulps.  Mundy worked in India and Africa after graduating from university, and these experiences informed much of his later fiction.  Some of his work  contains fantastic elements, but much was real world adventure fiction.  He was an influence on a number of science fiction and fantasy writers.

Much of his fiction is available in both print and electronic formats.

Avram Davidson

Second, Avram Davidson (1923-1993).  Davidson wrote his best work at short lengths, although he wrote a number of novels as well.  Davidson had a unique voice, and I once attended a panel where the moderator asked the panelists what writers they thought people would be reading in a hundred years.  Neil Gaimen was on the panel, and if memory serves, named Davidson.

Davidson isn’t light bedtime reading, but his work rewards the effort.   (It doesn’t require a great deal of effort, you slackers.)  His collection of essays, Adventures in Unhistory, is worth seeking out.

Happy Birthday, Avram Davidson

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avram_davidsonIn addition to being Talbot Munday’s birthday (see previous post), today, April 23, is also Avrm Davidson’s birthday.  Born in 1923, Avram Davidson was one of the most original and uinque writers of fantasy in the mid-20th Century.

Davidson won multiple awards in variety of genres, including the Hguo (“All the Seas with Oysters”), an Edgar Award, and three World Fantasy Awards as well as a World Fantasy Lifetime achievement Award.  He was the editor of F&SF from 1962-1964.

He wrote novels, but I’ve always thought of him as primarily a short story writer.  His work is characterized by wit and erudition.  It’s not fluff and requires concentration.  One of his books I need to revisit is Adventures in Unhistory, a collection of essays in which Davidson speculated on the origins of myths and legneds.  I’ve never read anything else quite like it.

Unfortunately in this age five, six, or more volume “trilogies”, the type of fiction he wrote is out of style and his work is largely forgotten.  This is a shame, because he was one of the most original writers the field has ever produced.  I once heard a panel on “What Writers Will We Be Reading 100 Years From Now?” in which Neil Gaiman listed Davidson.  And when I visited with Peter S. Beagle last year, he told me how he used to visit with Davidson and listen to him.  Beagle encouraged him to talk about whatever was on his mind because it would be fascinating and educational.  I must admit I was a bit jealous when he told me that.

It’s late, but tomorrow I’m going to read some of his work.  If you would like to give him a try, much of his work is available in electronic form in reasonably priced editions.

An Evening with Peter S. Beagle and The Last Unicorn

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20150415_185732If you’ve not read any of the works of Peter S. Beagle, what are you doing wasting your time reading this?  Go get some.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

If you have, then you’ll understand what a pleasure it was to visit with him and watch a screening of The Last Unicorn a couple of nights ago.  That’s him in front of the screen taking questions from the audience.  The Last Unicorn is the novel that made his reputation, but he’s written other works, especially short fiction in the last 20 years, that are all fantastic.

The Last Unicorn was published by Ballantine Books in 1968.  It wasn’t part of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, but it’s generally considered a precursor of the series, and later editions have the unicorn head colophon. Continue reading →