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time out for military service during World War II, he completed his Bachelor
of Arts degree in 1948. He withdrew from graduate school to become a full-time
writer in 1950 and has been at it ever since. He is one of the few sf authors
to have made writing his sole occupation.
Both training and natural inclination have made Dickson unusually attentive
to matters of literary craftsmanship, not only in his own work, but in the sf
field as a whole. He works tirelessly to upgrade performance standards through
lectures, convention appearances, and even private conversations. His
dedication to deliberate craft and philosophical argument combines what he
calls the "consciously thematic novel"-the adventure story with a moral. As
the author himself explains: "The action of the thematic novel is in no way
loaded . . . with a bias towards proving the author's point. . . . The aim is
to make the theme such an integral part of the novel that it can be effective
on the reader without ever having to be stated explicitly."
Dickson has a compelling interest in the theory as well as the practice of
artistic creativity. He studies-and writes about- issues like creative
overdrive, performance under stress, interactions between different skills,
and the social impact of gifted individuals. This stems from his conviction
that man's proper destiny is to grow ever more creative. He sees unlimited
Page 89
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
potential for achievement in man and all other intelligent beings.
The highest and clearest expression of Dickson's views is found in his Childe
Cycle. When complete, the Cycle will dramatize humanity's coming of age from
the fourteenth century to the twenty-fourth in a series of twelve novels-three
historical, three contemporary, and three science fictional.Dorsal!
(1959),Necromancer (1962), "Warrior" (1965),Soldier, Ask Not(1968),Tactics of
Mistake (1971), and "Brothers" (1973) have appeared so far. The last pair of
sf novels,The Final Encyclopedia andChilde, are currently in preparation. The
author expects to spend the rest of his working life completing and polishing
the Cycle.
The Cycle is a grand synthesis of Dickson's favorite themesand motifs.
(However, a few genus of these can even be found in early novels likeTime to
Teleport,1955and Mankind on the Run, 1956.) The Cycle treats the human race
like a single organism in which the condition of each individual cell affects
the health of the whole. The progressive and conservative tendencies of this
human organism, symbolized as estranged Twin Brothers, must be reconciled if
the organism is to continue growing. Specialized, sometimes tightly organized,
groups work to ease the problem but it can only be solved by the combined
efforts of the Three Prime Characters-the Men of Faith, Philosophy, and War.
When fully mature, humanity will exercise creative and responsible control
over its own evolution.
But although the Cycle is Dickson's masterpiece, not all his fiction is that
serious. (In fact,Delusion World, 1961 parodies the Cycle.) One showcase for
his broad, bouncy sense of humor is the popular Hoka series written in
collaboration with his close friend Poul Anderson. (Comedy is the only area in
which these two dissimilar authors' attitudes and writing styles coincide.) As
relatedin Earthman's Burden (1955)and Star Prince Charlie (1975), the Hokas
are cuddly, bright-eyed aliens resembling teddy bears who have a mad flair for
mimicry. They love to play at being cowboys or Foreign Legionnaires or other
human adventure heroes to the endless frustration of the human diplomat
stationed on their planet. These stories, like most of Dickson's humorous
work, are based on the plight of a rational being in a preposterously
irrational situation.
Whether he is writing seriously or humorously, Dickson makes thrifty use of
his own experiences and interests as fictional raw material. Because he was
born in Canada and has spent most of his adult life in Minneapolis, he often
uses Canadian and Midwestern settings to good effect. The quest for
authenticity works both ways. For instance, it has led him toorder a complete
suit of fourteenth century armor as a research tool for writing medieval
novels. Likewise, Dickson's fondness for literature, history, art, music,
martial arts, and physical fitness is clearly evident in his work. Since he
himself quotes Kipling, sings, composes songs, paints, and works out, so do
many of his characters. Needless to say, artistically gifted action heroes are
a novelty in sf.
The wolves, dolphins, whales, great cats, and other beasts populating
Dickson's stories reflect his fascination with animals and animal behavior.
(Appropriately, his heraldic badge in the Society for Creative Anachronism is
an otter.) This carries over into his treatment of intelligent
extraterrestrials. Beings like the Atakit inAlien from Arcturus (1956) are
directly modeled on familiar animals.
In conclusion, Dickson's work is the product of a keen, inquisitive mind
purposefully shaping ideas into art. His stories are deliberately constructed,
not casually improvised. He weaves structural and symbolic patterns into his
fictional fabric to express philosophical convictions. At its serious best,
Page 90
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
his style is efficient, austere, almost relentless, like swift-running streams
of icy water or beams of wintry northern light. C. S. Lewis's description of
Norse myth applies equally well to Dickson's writing: "cold, spacious, severe,
pale, and remote."
About this Title
This eBook was created using ReaderWorks®Publisher 2.0, produced by
OverDrive, Inc.
For more information about ReaderWorks, please visit us on the Web
atwww.overdrive.com/readerworks
Page 91 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
time out for military service during World War II, he completed his Bachelor
of Arts degree in 1948. He withdrew from graduate school to become a full-time
writer in 1950 and has been at it ever since. He is one of the few sf authors
to have made writing his sole occupation.
Both training and natural inclination have made Dickson unusually attentive
to matters of literary craftsmanship, not only in his own work, but in the sf
field as a whole. He works tirelessly to upgrade performance standards through
lectures, convention appearances, and even private conversations. His
dedication to deliberate craft and philosophical argument combines what he
calls the "consciously thematic novel"-the adventure story with a moral. As
the author himself explains: "The action of the thematic novel is in no way
loaded . . . with a bias towards proving the author's point. . . . The aim is
to make the theme such an integral part of the novel that it can be effective
on the reader without ever having to be stated explicitly."
Dickson has a compelling interest in the theory as well as the practice of
artistic creativity. He studies-and writes about- issues like creative
overdrive, performance under stress, interactions between different skills,
and the social impact of gifted individuals. This stems from his conviction
that man's proper destiny is to grow ever more creative. He sees unlimited
Page 89
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
potential for achievement in man and all other intelligent beings.
The highest and clearest expression of Dickson's views is found in his Childe
Cycle. When complete, the Cycle will dramatize humanity's coming of age from
the fourteenth century to the twenty-fourth in a series of twelve novels-three
historical, three contemporary, and three science fictional.Dorsal!
(1959),Necromancer (1962), "Warrior" (1965),Soldier, Ask Not(1968),Tactics of
Mistake (1971), and "Brothers" (1973) have appeared so far. The last pair of
sf novels,The Final Encyclopedia andChilde, are currently in preparation. The
author expects to spend the rest of his working life completing and polishing
the Cycle.
The Cycle is a grand synthesis of Dickson's favorite themesand motifs.
(However, a few genus of these can even be found in early novels likeTime to
Teleport,1955and Mankind on the Run, 1956.) The Cycle treats the human race
like a single organism in which the condition of each individual cell affects
the health of the whole. The progressive and conservative tendencies of this
human organism, symbolized as estranged Twin Brothers, must be reconciled if
the organism is to continue growing. Specialized, sometimes tightly organized,
groups work to ease the problem but it can only be solved by the combined
efforts of the Three Prime Characters-the Men of Faith, Philosophy, and War.
When fully mature, humanity will exercise creative and responsible control
over its own evolution.
But although the Cycle is Dickson's masterpiece, not all his fiction is that
serious. (In fact,Delusion World, 1961 parodies the Cycle.) One showcase for
his broad, bouncy sense of humor is the popular Hoka series written in
collaboration with his close friend Poul Anderson. (Comedy is the only area in
which these two dissimilar authors' attitudes and writing styles coincide.) As
relatedin Earthman's Burden (1955)and Star Prince Charlie (1975), the Hokas
are cuddly, bright-eyed aliens resembling teddy bears who have a mad flair for
mimicry. They love to play at being cowboys or Foreign Legionnaires or other
human adventure heroes to the endless frustration of the human diplomat
stationed on their planet. These stories, like most of Dickson's humorous
work, are based on the plight of a rational being in a preposterously
irrational situation.
Whether he is writing seriously or humorously, Dickson makes thrifty use of
his own experiences and interests as fictional raw material. Because he was
born in Canada and has spent most of his adult life in Minneapolis, he often
uses Canadian and Midwestern settings to good effect. The quest for
authenticity works both ways. For instance, it has led him toorder a complete
suit of fourteenth century armor as a research tool for writing medieval
novels. Likewise, Dickson's fondness for literature, history, art, music,
martial arts, and physical fitness is clearly evident in his work. Since he
himself quotes Kipling, sings, composes songs, paints, and works out, so do
many of his characters. Needless to say, artistically gifted action heroes are
a novelty in sf.
The wolves, dolphins, whales, great cats, and other beasts populating
Dickson's stories reflect his fascination with animals and animal behavior.
(Appropriately, his heraldic badge in the Society for Creative Anachronism is
an otter.) This carries over into his treatment of intelligent
extraterrestrials. Beings like the Atakit inAlien from Arcturus (1956) are
directly modeled on familiar animals.
In conclusion, Dickson's work is the product of a keen, inquisitive mind
purposefully shaping ideas into art. His stories are deliberately constructed,
not casually improvised. He weaves structural and symbolic patterns into his
fictional fabric to express philosophical convictions. At its serious best,
Page 90
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
his style is efficient, austere, almost relentless, like swift-running streams
of icy water or beams of wintry northern light. C. S. Lewis's description of
Norse myth applies equally well to Dickson's writing: "cold, spacious, severe,
pale, and remote."
About this Title
This eBook was created using ReaderWorks®Publisher 2.0, produced by
OverDrive, Inc.
For more information about ReaderWorks, please visit us on the Web
atwww.overdrive.com/readerworks
Page 91 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]