Science Fiction in the Real World

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Southern Illinois University Press, 1990 - Fiction - 234 pages

No ordinary critic, Norman Spinrad explicates, celebrates, and sometimes excoriates science fiction from the privileged perspective of an artist armed with intimate knowledge of the craft of fiction and even of the writers themselves.

In these 13 essays, Spinrad urges science fiction as a genre to reach its potential. He divides the essays--new works written specifically for this book combined with those that appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine--intofive sections: "Literature and Genre: A Critical Overview," in which Spinrad establishes his critical standards; "Alternate Media: Visual Translations," a discussion of comic books and books made into movies; "Modes of Content: Hard SF, Cyberpunk, and the Space Visionaries"; "Psychopolitics and Science Fiction: Heroes--True and Otherwise"; and "Masters of the Form: Careers in Profile," discussions of Sturgeon, Vonnegut, Ballard, and Dick.

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Contents

Critical Standards
1
Science Fiction Versus SciFi
18
Inside Outside
34
Copyright

8 other sections not shown

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About the author (1990)

Norman Spinrad is the author of "fifteen novels, about fifty short stories, and God knows how many magazine pieces." He has won the Jupiter Award and the Prix Apollo.

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