Scifi Watch » obit

Phyllis Gotlieb Dies at 82

David Halpert — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:22:23 +0000

One of the first science fiction novels I ever read (aside from Neuromancer, Brave New World, 1984, and the Handmaid’s Tale) was Phyllis Gotlieb’s Sunburst, for which the Canadian science fiction award, the Sunburst, is named after. The novel revolves around a group of preteens that develop superpowers after being exposed to radiation from the Three Mile Island incident. While the novel may appear a little dated by today’s standards it was way ahead of its time when it was published back in the 1960s

Simply put, Canadian science fiction would not be where it is today without Phyllis Gotlieb. Born in Toronto in 1926, Gotlieb graduated from the University of Toronto with degrees in literature in 1948 (BA) and 1950 (MA). While it was not uncommon to see women writers in the science fiction field in the sixties and seventies, what was uncommon was to see a Canadian getting published by the major science fiction publishers in the US. As a result, her works have often been seen as a source of inspiration for many of today’s SF writers in Canada.

An active participant at lectures and conventions and the only Canadian there when the SFWA was formed many years ago, Phyllis Gotlieb, as Robert J. Sawyer put it only his blog, was “mother of science fiction”. There’s no doubt in my mind that she will be gravely missed. Below are some article remembering Phyllis Gotlieb.

Phyllis Gotlieb, sci-fi writer and poet, dies at 83 (cbc.ca)
Author and Poet Phyllis Gotlieb Has Died (mediabistro.com)
RIP, Phyllis Gotleib, the mother of Canadian science fiction (boingboing.net)

J.G. Ballard Dies at 78

David Halpert — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:56:36 +0000

Click Here to View the Works of J.G. Ballard on Amazon

Click Here to View the Works of J.G. Ballard on Ebay

If you hadn’t heard the news already it pains me to say that long-time British author J.G. Ballard passed away on April 19, 2009 after a long illness.

Now I started reading J.G. Ballard when I was in university with his novel, High Rise, a fantastic satire about how modern society in a high-end apartment complex slowly descends into savagery and brutality. From there my tastes progressed to Crash, probably one of his best known works, in which he depicts a number of individuals who become sexually aroused through car crashes. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece and was later adapted into a film by David Cronenberg in 1996. Since then I’ve progressed to his prolific number of short stories as well as his novels and The Crystal World. My love for J.G. Ballard’s works was largely out of a love for the New Wave movement and for quality dystopian literature.

Ballard was born on November 15, 1930 in Shanghai, China to British parents. At the age of 12 he alongside his family were interned in a World War II Japanese prison camp which would later be inspiration for his most famous novel, the fictional autobiographical Empire of the Sun, which was later turned into a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.

According to his biography, he also had many roots in Canada as well. In 1953 he joined the RAF and was posted to Saskatchewan after bouts of being a copywriter and encyclopedia salesman. His first story was published in 1956 in New Worlds after discovering science fiction magazines shortly before.

Mostly though he was known for his fiction, going on to inspire countless authors that would follow in the decades to come with his 18 novels, 20 short story collections, and dozens of published short stories. His 1966 novel The Crystal World won the 1970 Seiun Award for best foreign novel, and his 1979 novel The Unlimited Dream Company won the 1980 British SF Award.

He married Helen Mary Matthews in 1955, and they had three children before she died of pneumonia in 1964.

JG Ballard 1930 – 2009 (guardian.co.uk)
Author J.G. Ballard Dies at 78 (nytimes.com)
Crash writer JG Ballard dies (cbc.ca)
Cult author JG Ballard dies at 78 (news.bbc.co.uk)

Quill & Quire Editor Dies at 40

David Halpert — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:03:00 +0000

It is with great sadness that I have to report that the editor of the Quill & Quire, Derek Weiler, passed away over the weekend at the young age of 40. For those who don’t know the Quill & Quire it is a monthly Canadian trade publication for ourbook industry, essentially the Canadian equivalent to Publisher’s Weekly.

To me, however, it is much more than a magazine. It is a symbol of literature and our culture. Quill & Quire has also been very supportive to books in the science fiction and fantasy genres, often allowing book reviews and announcements for writers that may not have had a wide range of publicity coverage in the past or otherwise.

So when news came about this from the Toronto Star, I was a little more than reasonably upset. I actually had the good fortune of meeting Derek last year when he came to speak with us at one of our book and magazine publication classes when I was attending Centennial College last year.

Weiler joined the staff of the Quill & Quire in 1999 as a writer and was promoted to editor five years later. According to the Toronto Star article, Weiler had been in ill-health for the past several months due to a long-term heart condition and died suddenly in his home on April 12^th in Toronto. The publishing community mourns as one of its most influential spokespersons on behalf of Canadian literature is laid to rest. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Weiler family and friends. He leaves his wife, Sari Morrison, his parents, Gerald and Marie Weiler, and a sister Marcy Hespeler.

To read the obituary in the Toronto Star click here.

Literary critic, magazine editor Derek Weiler dies (cbc.ca)

Actor Andy Hallet Dies at 33

David Halpert — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:49:23 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Fans of the beloved Joss Whedon series Angel were stunned to hear that actor Andy Hallet died last week at the age of 33 due to a heart condition. Hallet played the green-skinned demon known as ‘The Host’ (or Lorne) and appeared in 76 episodes in the series. According to his agent and long time friend, Hallet knew of his condition for the past five years. He died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles on Sunday after having problems breathing.

Saying goodbye to Angel’s Lorne, Andy Hallett – VIDEO (tvsquad.com)
Angel star Hallett dies aged 33 (news.bbc.co.uk)
Angel actor Andy Hallett dies at 33 (cbc.ca)
Andy Hallett, TV Actor, Dies at 33 (nytimes.com)

Scifi Watch » obit

Phyllis Gotlieb Dies at 82

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J.G. Ballard Dies at 78

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Quill & Quire Editor Dies at 40

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