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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!pwa-b!utah-gr!donn
From: donn@utah-gr.UUCP (Donn Seeley)
Newsgroups: net.books
Subject: Re: Silverberg, Tiptree, and author's sex.
Message-ID: <1582@utah-gr.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Sep-85 16:44:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: utah-gr.1582
Posted: Sun Sep  8 16:44:27 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 07:00:21 EDT
References: <3533@dartvax.UUCP> <311@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
Lines: 31

I still really fail to see why everyone got so excited when Alice
Sheldon was revealed to be writing as 'James Tiptree, Jr.'.  After
reading through the commentary I had to laugh; I couldn't (and can't)
imagine why it should make any difference to the STORIES whether the
real author was Alice Sheldon or Doris Lessing or Richard Nixon or Mr.
Spock.  In fact (is a ;-) necessary here?) Sheldon herself makes this
very point whenever someone brings up the topic.

I have to admit that I was rather delighted to find out that Alice
Sheldon is such an interesting person...  The controversy over her
gender tended to conceal the fact that Sheldon is a unique human being,
a person who consists of more than hormones.  I recommend that you read
the Tiptree/Sheldon interview in Charles Platt's DREAM MAKERS if you
are at all curious about the subject.  There is also a too-short
interview in the September LOCUS (its main attraction is that it
mentions Tiptree/Sheldon's forthcoming books, three collections (BYTE
BEAUTIFUL, TALES OF THE QUINTANA ROO and THE TIPTREE OMNIBUS (a 'best
of')) plus an untitled new novel).  Sheldon turned 70 on Aug. 24th and
is still writing good stuff...  (Guess who has the lead story in the
October anniversary issue of F&SF?)

Never met a 'mail' author either,

Donn Seeley    University of Utah CS Dept    donn@utah-cs.arpa
40 46' 6"N 111 50' 34"W    (801) 581-5668    decvax!utah-cs!donn

PS -- Do you suppose that a 'mail' author is formed when huge piles
of postcards and letters begin to coalesce and acquire sentience,
much as the city of San Francisco comes to life in Leiber's OUR LADY
OF DARKNESS?  It's kind of creepy to imagine what might arise out of
accumulations of netnews...