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A review by beccagomezfarrell
Letters to Tiptree by
5.0
I have never read a work by James Tiptree Jr / Alice Sheldon / Raccoona Sheldon. But after reading this tribute to the author, I know in my bones that when I do, I will have touched greatness.
In the letter-writing tradition of Tiptree/Sheldon, the editors of this book asked for science fiction and fantasy authors of today to write letters to that writer, to share what his/her words have meant over the decades since their prominence (1970s, mainly). The editors wisely chose also to share some of Tiptree/Sheldon's personal letters with colleagues and friends and to boost those with academic essays on the work and the author's unmasking. That the infamous letter the author wrote marking their coming out--as a female writer who had gained renown for her male pen name and the innate masculine feminism of her (his) work--closes this collection, excepting only the editors' own letters, is a very smart stroke indeed.
This is an informative, provoking, contemplative read that I'm sure will be matched by the author's own work, once I get to it. The 30+ letters that comprise the collection's bulk can, perhaps, get repetitive when read all at once. But in this age of #metoo, we have learned that sometimes it's not the uniqueness of a story that matters, but the bulk of evidence that testifies to the same experience. There is power in numbers, and too, in camaraderie. I think the case is made quite clear here that Tiptree/Sheldon represents one of the most influential contributors to the genre.
If nothing else, it can be seen in how our short story title-naming conventions in this field still, 40 decades later, pay homage to Tiptree/Sheldon's work.
In the letter-writing tradition of Tiptree/Sheldon, the editors of this book asked for science fiction and fantasy authors of today to write letters to that writer, to share what his/her words have meant over the decades since their prominence (1970s, mainly). The editors wisely chose also to share some of Tiptree/Sheldon's personal letters with colleagues and friends and to boost those with academic essays on the work and the author's unmasking. That the infamous letter the author wrote marking their coming out--as a female writer who had gained renown for her male pen name and the innate masculine feminism of her (his) work--closes this collection, excepting only the editors' own letters, is a very smart stroke indeed.
This is an informative, provoking, contemplative read that I'm sure will be matched by the author's own work, once I get to it. The 30+ letters that comprise the collection's bulk can, perhaps, get repetitive when read all at once. But in this age of #metoo, we have learned that sometimes it's not the uniqueness of a story that matters, but the bulk of evidence that testifies to the same experience. There is power in numbers, and too, in camaraderie. I think the case is made quite clear here that Tiptree/Sheldon represents one of the most influential contributors to the genre.
If nothing else, it can be seen in how our short story title-naming conventions in this field still, 40 decades later, pay homage to Tiptree/Sheldon's work.