A critical appreciation of the acclaimed science-fiction writer and his works.
Noted as a science-fiction writer who advanced the genre, Samuel R. Delany is one of a handful who in the sixties and early seventies pushed it to its limits and helped shape it into what it is today. This gay, black writer's publications include the controversial masterpiece Dhalgren and the Return to Neveryon series, a quartet of fantasy novels praised by none other than Umberto Eco. He also is the author of profoundly original and autobiographical and critical essays on sexual issues.
The continuing appreciation of Delany's works is evidenced by their proliferation in new editions, by their secure place on the shelves of bookstores, and by increasing critical attention drawn to them.
In the groundswell of popular and critical attention Delany is reveiving, this volume is the first collection of essays devoted to the author and his works. Sure to become the cornerstone for future critical work, it includes both new essays and some reprinted from academic journals. Together, they explore not only Delany's science fiction but also his autobiographical writing, his criticism and semiology, and his essays and addresses on homosexuality and psychosocial issues.