« Afterthoughts »

Fritz Leiber

{ n a v i g a t i o n   m e n u }

psychiatrist who had darn well better remain nameless here once confided to me that if a man and his wife can't finish a fifth of whiskey between them in an evening, there's something wrong with their marriage. CINVENTIONeers, even unrelated ones, largely proved themselves to be unneurotic by this test.

Sales of the supernatural horror story haven't boomed along with those of science fiction. That's to be expected. The tale of spectral horror is a narrower genre, largely devoted to the awakening of the feeling of supernatural fear. Science-fiction, on the contrary, has the universe for its subject, and especially the future. It perfectly fits the modern temper of exploring the consequences of all actions, of experimenting before committing oneself, of using imagination to the full and for practical purposes. It can work a great change in all fiction, art, and ways of thought. It remains to be seen whether its practitioners will fully grasp this opportunity.

Science-fiction started as a kind of juvenile writing, often designed to impart scientific information in sugar-coated form. It has never fully shaken off this kindergarten involvement, but the growing distinction made between juvenile and adult science-fiction is encouraging.

If some of the big publishing houses would reprint less science-fiction and devote the same dough to financing the writing of adult science-fiction novels, the results might be profitable all around.

Suggestions for future CONS and VENTIONS: Mikes that can't be talked around, swayed from, or otherwise evaded; well-stocked private cellars to get the hangoverish through liquorless Sundays and holidays; rocket transport to Portland; more Miss Science-Fictions, more Femmes, more fans, more everything; a MOONVENTION by 1960! a MARSCON by 1970! ...and on to the asteroids!

{ t o p   o f   p a g e }

URL: http://www.cfg.org/history/cinvention/mb/leiber_2.htm All material © Cincinnati Fantasy Group, unless otherwise credited.   Last updated: Monday, August 25, 2008     Created for the CFG by Scott Street (scottst@ix.netcom.com).       Maintained by the author. Comments, questions & broken link reports: (webgeek@cfg.org).