From NobelPrize.org
Recordings with Literature Laureates
If you follow the links below, you will find the sound recordings in Real Player format. Next to these recordings are the speeches or lectures also found, in their full length, in text format.
Category Archives: Allegory
The Nameless, Named!
Cower in fear, for the end of the world is nigh: the unnameable has been named!
Behold, mortals, the nameless dweller in the accurst city named “The Nameless City.”
Well, actually he’s from New Mexico.
And from Columbia University:
Two Columbia scientists have discovered the fossil of a toothless crocodile relative that looks like a six-foot-long, two-legged dinosaur, but is actually a distant cousin of today’s alligators and crocodiles. Adjunct professor of earth and environmental sciences Mark Norell and his graduate student Sterling Nesbitt, both of whom also work as paleontologists at the American Museum of Natural History, have named the fossil Effigia okeeffeae.
Effigia means “ghost,” referring to the decades that the fossil remained hidden from science [and also the fact that it was found on the Ghost Ranch Dig; like, synchronicity, dude]. The species name, okeeffeae, honors the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who lived near the site in northern New Mexico where the fossil was found.
According to Wikipedia, the fossil was discovered back in 1947-1948 by Edwin H. Colbert, but was lying unclassified in the basement of the American Museum of Natural History when Norell and Nesbitt were looking for something else and the one of them went, “I say, that’s odd. Never seen anything like it. What do you say, old chap?” or something like that, and the other fellow said,
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons death may die.I should have known that the
Arabsother department heads had good reason for shunning the namelesscityfossil, thecityfossil told of in strange tales but seen by no living man, yet I defied them and went into the untroddendesertbasement with mycamelgrad student. I alone have seen it, and that is why no other face bears such hideous lines of fear as mine; why no other man shivers so horribly when thenight windair conditioning rattles thewindowsspecimen cases. When I came upon it in the ghastly stillness of unending sleep it looked at me, chilly from the rays ofa cold moonthe fluorescents amidstthe desert’sNew York’s heat. And as I returned its look I forgot my triumph at finding it, and stopped still with mycamelgrad student to wait for the dawn.
Or words to that effect.
(nb Cthulhu references get the squid tag. Makes total sense, right? Aw, shut up)
not TECHnically deadly weapons…till the next morning
From the always-reliable News of the Weird.
In 2003, News of the Weird reported that the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency had been Internet-monitoring a facility on Scotland’s Isle of Islay whose webcam was showing images suggesting a chemical weapons lab but that, after lengthy surveillance, the agency had found it to be a whiskey distillery. In February 2006, that distillery (Bruichladdich, one of the U.K.’s most adventurous) announced it is preparing to make a 92 percent-alcohol whiskey whose recommended dose is two spoonfuls. Said the managing director, “To be honest, I’m just hoping the distillery doesn’t explode.” [Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 2-26-06]
life as we know it
I really do need to get out more. Eight posts yesterday, so scroll back and enjoy? I think I actually have a sitting overuse injury.
Index of the 100 science fiction books you just have to read
At least, that’s what these people say.
Eh well, so quite a raging snotload of these books aren’t science fiction at all; it’s okay, as long as you let the fantasists claim Burroughs, Carroll and Ellison, too. Share nicely. Let us call it “A List of 100 Really Important Works of Speculative Fiction” but it can’t be the top 100, since it doesn’t contain The Lord of the Rings, ferinstance. Nor any Poe or HP Lovecraft, nor The House on the Borderland, nor any Thomas Ligotti, although I don’t expect any of you to know who that is; I think he’s imaginary. The book, were it on here, would be Songs of a Dead Dreamer.
1. Childhood’s End Written by Arthur C. Clarke YEP
2. Foundation Written by Isaac Asimov YEP
3. Dune Written by Frank Herbert NOPE
4. Man in the High Castle Written by Philip K. Dick YEP
5. Starship Troopers Written by Robert A. Heinlein NOPE
6. Valis Written by Philip K. Dick NOPE
7. Frankenstein Written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley YEP
8. Gateway Written by Frederick Pohl YEP
9. Space Merchants Written by C.M. Kornbluth & Frederick Pohl YEP I think…not sure.10. Earth Abides Written by George R. Stewart NOPE
11. Cuckoo’s Egg Written by C.J. Cherryh YEP
12. Star Surgeon Written by James White NOPE
13. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Written by Philip K. Dick YEPPERS!
14. Radix Written by A.A. Attanasio YEP
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey Written by Arthur C. Clarke YEP
16. Ringworld Written by Larry Niven NOPE
17. A Case of Conscience Written by James Blish NOPE but have read other Blish
18. Last and First Man Written by Olaf Stapledon I think so
19. The Day of the Triffids Written by John Wyndham YEP, all the Wyndham. The Trouble with Lichen is a bit more to the point lately, though. And of course, The Kraken Wakes, for Giant Squiddy goodness.
20. Way Station Written by Clifford Simak YEP
21. More Than Human Written by Theodore Sturgeon YEP
22. Gray Lensman Written by E. E. “Doc” Smith I THINK SO
23. The Gods Themselves Written by Isaac Asimov YEP
24. The Left Hand of Darkness Written by Ursula K. Le Guin YEP
25. Behold the Man Written by Michael Moorcock YEP26. Star Maker Written by Olaf Stapledon NOPE
27. The War of the Worlds Written by H.G. Wells YEP
28. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Written by Jules Verne YEP, luv me some Verne
29. Heritage of Hastur Written by Marion Zimmer Bradley NOPE: She wrote Chtulhu Mythos tales? Howcum nobody told ol’ raincoaster, eh? What do you think the Comments button is there for, eh? EH?
30. The Time Machine Written by H.G. Wells YEP LOVE ME SOME WELLS, TOO
31. The Stars My Destination Written by Alfred Bester YEP
32. Slan Written by A.E. Van Vogt NOPE but read some other stuff
33. Neuromancer Written by William Gibson YEP and met him repeatedly; such a sweet guy. I was in Book Warehouse one day and saw him browsing the SciFi section. Took a quick look, and no Gibson. I caught his eye and said, “They must have sold out.”
34. Ender’s Game Written by Orson Scott Card YEP
35. In Conquest Born Written by C.S. Friedman NOPE
36. Lord of Light Written by Roger Zelazny NOPE Can’t stand the bugger, actually
37. Eon Written by Greg Bear NOPE
38. Dragonflight Written by Anne McCaffrey NOPE
39. Journey to the Center of the Earth Written by Jules Verne YEP
40. Stranger in a Strange Land Written by Robert Heinlein YEP, adequate
41. Cosm Written by Gregory Benford NOPE
42. The Voyage of the Space Beagle Written by A.E. Van Vogt NOPE
43. Blood Music Written by Greg Bear NOPE
44. Beggars in Spain Written by Nancy Kress NOPE
45. Omnivore Written by Piers Anthony NOPE
46. I, Robot Written by Isaac Asimov YEP
47. Mission of Gravity Written by Hal Clement NOPE
48. To Your Scattered Bodies Go Written by Philip Jose Farmer YEP, although I cannot say he’s the greatest prose stylist the universe has ever seen.
49. Brave New World Written by Aldous Huxley YEP; it is slowly becoming nonfiction. E, anyone?
50. The Man Who Folded Himself Written by David Gerrold YES
51. 1984 Written by George Orwell YES; also becoming nonfiction, although only in the US so far
52. The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyl And Mr. Hyde Written by Robert Louis Stevenson YEP but I agree with his wife that Markheim was superior.
53. Snow Crash Written by Neal Stephenson YEP
54. Flesh Written by Philip Jose Farmer NOPE
55. Cities in Flight Written by James Blish NOPE
56. Shadow of the Torturer Written by Gene Wolfe NOPE
57. Startide Rising Written by David Brin NOPE
58. Triton Written by Samuel R. Delany NOPE but have read other stuff
59. Stand on Zanzibar Written by John Brunner NOPE
60. A Clockwork Orange Written by Anthony Burgess NOPE
61. Fahrenheit 451 Written by Ray Bradbury YEP
62. A Canticle For Leibowitz Written by Walter Miller NOPE but I have heard so much about it that I damn well should.
63. Flowers for Algernon Written by Daniel Keyes NOPE
64. No Blade of Grass Written by John Christopher NOPE
65. The Postman Written by David Brin NOPE
66. Dhalgren Written by Samuel Delany NOPE
67. Berserker Written by Fred Saberhagen NOPE although it sounds familiar. Then again, maybe that’s because of the crowd I hang out with?
68. Flatland Written by Edwin Abbot YEP; it should really be published on a single sheet of paper, don’t you think?
69. Planiverse Written by A.K. Dewdney NOPE
70. Dragon’s Egg Written by Robert L. Forward NOPE
71. Downbelow Station Written by C.J. Cherryh NOPE
72. Dawn Written by Octavia E. Butler YEP
73. Puppet Masters Written by Robert Heinlein YEP one of his better works
74. The Doomsday Book Written by Connie Willis NOPE
75. Forever War Written by Joe Haldeman NOT SURE
76. Deathbird Stories Written by Harlan Ellison YEP, own several copies actually. The Whimper of Whipped Dogs isn’t becoming nonfiction; it never was fiction.
77. Roadside Picnic Written by Boris Strugatsky & Arkady Strugatsky NOPE78. The Snow Queen Written by Joan Vinge YEP
79. The Martian Chronicles Written by Ray Bradbury YEP
80. Drowned World Written by J.G. Ballard NOPE
81. Cat’s Cradle Written by Kurt Vonnegut NOPE
82. Red Mars Written by Kim Stanley Robinson NOPE
83. Upanishads Written by Various NOT WHOLLY
84. Alice in Wonderland Written by Lewis Carroll YEP and have the original illustrations too
85. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Written by Douglas Adams NOPE AND QUIT BUGGING ME ABOUT IT, OKAY?
86. The Lathe of Heaven Written by Ursula K. Le Guin NOPE
87. The Midwich Cuckoos Written by John Wyndham YEP88. Mutant Written by Henry Kuttner YEP, loved it!
89. Solaris Written by Stanislaw Lem NOPE
90. Ralph 124C41+ Written by Hugo Gernsback NOPE
91. I Am Legend Written by Richard Matheson YEP
92. Timescape Written by Gregory Benford NOPE
93. The Demolished Man Written by Alfred Bester NOPE
94. War with the Newts Written by Karl Kapek NOPE
95. Mars Written by Ben Bova YEP I think, but not totally sure
96. Brain Wave Written by Poul Anderson NOPE
97. Hyperion Written by Dan Simmons NOPE, but he was a great horse.
98. The Andromeda Strain Written by Michael Crichton YEP, Crichton isn’t as bad as they say, actually. Or wasn’t.
99. Camp Concentration Written by Thomas Disch NOPE but have read plenty of other stuff
100. A Princess of Mars Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs YEP
raincoaster 