Perspective: The many faces of Harlan Ellison

Few writers these days can say that they built their careers and made their reputations largely by writing short fiction. And fewer still can lay claim to a life that has included social and political activism, considerable influence on various genres, more awards and accolades than you can shake a stick at, and years of experience on the road.

Like past icons whose lives are as large as their literary output (Hemingway and Mailer come to mind), Harlan Ellison is just such a writer. So it's no surprise that this 50-year retrospective clocks in at better than 1,200 pages. And though it's a warts-and-all collection that includes some early pieces (even two serials he wrote at the age of 15 for The Cleveland News). But far from being a vanity project, this collection is a solid and vital part of the American literary canon.

In terms of genre and form, the short story content is all over the map. From the wild and comedic pseudo-SF of "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Tick Tock Man, which deals in no uncertain terms with Thoreau's belief that all good citizens should be enemies of the state (and which won Ellison both the Hugo and Nebula awards); to the serious, mainstream stories like Daniel White for the Greater Good, which deals with racism in an unlikely manner and moved Dorothy Parker to mention it prominently when reviewing one of his collections.

Ellison moves easily from horror (Corpse, The Whimper of Whipped Dogs) to mainstream (Anywhere But Here, With Anyone But You) to straight-up SF (With Virgil Oddum at the East Pole). And his willingness to push the boundaries of proper form is on ample display with The Deathbird (a 1973 story which challenges the Christian Bible's view of creation, interrupts the narrative with essays and questions and changes direction more often than vaudevillians used to change their clothes). It is also evident in The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore, a more recent effort dealing with similar themes using unconventional narrative techniques, which was included in The Best American Short Stories anthology for '93.

There are plenty of other classic stories (from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, one of the 10 most-reprinted stories in the English language, to Mefisto In Onyx, a page-turning novella dealing with telepathy, serial killers and racism), but Ellison's talents also stretch into nonfiction. His highly personal, often colloquial essays have even earned Ellison a Silver Pen Award for journalism from P.E.N., the international writers union.

Once again, Ellison's attention is drawn to a variety of subject matter: in From Alabamy, With Hate, he recounts the march on Montgomery during the civil rights movement; Valerie is a memoir of Ellison's relationship with a beautiful young woman who proceeded to rob him blind; and Xenogenesis is a guaranteed-to-make-you-flinch account of how crazy and demanding fans can be regarding their favorite writers. There are also essays on the craft of writing and even a teleplay (Ellison was the recipient of four Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on numerous television shows).

No matter what the form (short story, essay or teleplay), The Essential Ellison offers up some of the finest and most entertaining writing ever collected between two covers. Its contents reveal the heart, soul and genius of a writer who has embraced his particular art form with boundless passion.

Dorman T. Shindler is a freelancer who lives in Missouri.

THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON:

A 50-year Retrospective

By Harlan Ellison

Morpheus International, $34.95; paperback $24.95

Back to Perspective

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

From the Times
Opinion page