paulmelko ([info]paulmelko) wrote,
@ 2008-02-07 17:08:00
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Entry tags:sfwa

SFWA Grand Master
Who deserves it and why?

Current List of GrandMasters.


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[info]sarah_prineas
2008-02-07 10:36 pm UTC (link)
Connie Willis (obvious)

C.J. Cherryh (long career, awards, writes both sf and fantasy, etc)

JK Rowling (just because the discussion of this on the Lounge was sooooo interesting)

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-07 10:50 pm UTC (link)
I'm thinking suggesting JK for GM will result in impeachment. But the other two are good.

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[info]sarah_prineas
2008-02-07 10:56 pm UTC (link)
Oh, here's another one. Lois McMaster Bujold. She has, after all, created the BEST character ever in the history of the world.

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-08 12:05 pm UTC (link)
Yep, another good one.

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[info]gregvaneekhout
2008-02-07 10:43 pm UTC (link)
Connie Willis (ditto SarahP for why)

Roger Zelazny (surprised not to find him on the list already)

Sandra McDonald (because her list of pubs is longer than yours)

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-07 10:50 pm UTC (link)
I believe you have to be alive to receive the GM. And I can't argue with Sandra.

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[info]jeffreyab
2008-02-07 10:58 pm UTC (link)
Samuel R. Delany original writer and commentator, awards, diversity

Larry Niven awards, classic big ideas writer

Joe Haldeman awards, original

Gene Wolfe original, awards



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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-08 12:05 pm UTC (link)
Yep, definitely on the shortlist.

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[info]flaggerx
2008-02-07 11:44 pm UTC (link)
Agreed:

Joe Haldemann

Larry Niven

Gene Wolfe

If they don't get in no one deserves to.

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-08 12:06 pm UTC (link)
Who deserves it more, is the question.

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[info]asphalteden
2008-02-08 12:14 am UTC (link)
So many of my picks are dead. Just to reiterate some others' choices with my own picks:

Harry Harrison
Gene Wolfe
Larry Niven
Kate Wilhelm
Joe Haldeman

I'm on the fence about Chip Delany, to be honest.

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-08 12:06 pm UTC (link)
Yep, Harry and Kate are good choices.

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[info]james_nicoll
2008-02-13 06:26 pm UTC (link)
What about Brian Stableford?

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[info]scottedelman
2008-02-08 01:38 am UTC (link)
Chip Delany.

Michael Moorcock.

Gene Wolfe.

Octavia Butler had been on my list the last time I considered this question, but sadly, she slipped away before she could be honored.

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[info]patrick___
2008-02-08 02:02 am UTC (link)
An obvious missing person: John Campbell

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-08 12:07 pm UTC (link)
We'd have to reanimate him first. Pass me the tears of a newborn. ;)

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[info]patrick___
2008-02-08 03:58 pm UTC (link)
Ahhh, so only the living are allowed to be chosen. I see how it is.

Then I guess I have to agree with the lists everyone else has already come up with too. *sigh* ;-)

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[info]patrick___
2008-02-08 04:43 pm UTC (link)
And maybe throw in Jerry Pournelle to be different. ;-)

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Wow - Hopefully I don't post twice
[info]bjcooper
2008-02-09 02:33 am UTC (link)
First choice Larry Niven. Yeah, I'm biased since he helped me get started, but he's helped a lot of us. And he's a brilliant writer and pure sf.

Next choice, Kate Wilhelm. Same as Larry - excellent writer and she's helped others. Of course, since it's the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master award, that's either a really sweet idea or in really bad taste. Someone closer to the award would know.

Both of these people have contributed to the field in a number of ways for a long time.

Next picks would include Connie Willis and Nancy Kress, but they don't have as many years in the field (as far as I know). Both grand writers and grand people, though.



Edited at 2008-02-09 02:33 am UTC

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Re: Wow - Hopefully I don't post twice
[info]james_nicoll
2008-02-13 05:59 pm UTC (link)
I'm pretty sure I read something by Willis in Galileo magazine so that must have been the late 1970s, thirty years ago.

How about David Drake? He's been around since platform shoes and I think one could argue that he had a big effect on the form MilSF took.


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Re: Wow - Hopefully I don't post twice
[info]paulmelko
2008-02-14 10:35 pm UTC (link)
Willis is a definite candidate based on her influence and awards. I've sent in my recommendations to the SFWA president. He'll send out ballots to the board and the past presidents.

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Re: Wow - Hopefully I don't post twice
[info]paulmelko
2008-02-14 10:34 pm UTC (link)
I've submitted my recommendations to the SFWA president. One of the cool things of being on the SFWA board is to participate in the nominations and votes.

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[info]crookedfeet
2008-02-12 05:36 pm UTC (link)
Kate Wilhelm
Samuel R. Delany
Gene Wolfe
Harry Harrison
In a few years, add Connie and Lois to the list. I'm on the fence about Niven.
(Here via Scalzi)

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-14 10:36 pm UTC (link)
I agree on all of those, including your comment on Niven.


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[info]james_nicoll
2008-02-13 02:47 pm UTC (link)
Wasn't the original idea of the Grandmaster Award kind of a Nebula for authors whose careers began well before the Nebulas? That generation is almost entirely gone now, so does SFWA still need the Grandmaster Award? Perhaps it should phased out.

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[info]paulmelko
2008-02-14 10:37 pm UTC (link)
Here's the official explanation here.

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Grandmaster Seed List
[info]dgeiser13
2008-02-14 05:17 am UTC (link)
Did a little digging on ISFDB to come up with a list of currently living SF authors who are past a certain age. Assuming ISFDB is correct about their birthdates and that they are in fact still alive then I imagine the next candidate should be chosen from this list.

1914-10-21 Martin Gardner
1920-05-09 William Tenn
1921-00-00 Carol Emshwiller
1925-03-12 Harry Harrison
1926-00-00 Hilbert Schenck
1927-08-09 Daniel Keyes
1928-06-08 Kate Wilhelm
1929-07-16 Sheri S. Tepper
1929-00-00 Neal Barrett, Jr.
1930-08-09 D. G. Compton
1930-11-15 J. G. Ballard
1931-01-09 Algis Budrys
1931-07-07 David Eddings
1931-00-00 Dean Ing
1931-07-10 Julian May
1932-11-08 Ben Bova
1932-06-07 Kit Reed
1932-07-07 T. J. Bass
1933-04-14 Boris Strugatsky
1933-00-00 Dave Duncan
1933-08-07 Jerry Pournelle
1934-08-06 Piers Anthony
1935-00-00 Jack McDevitt
1935-00-00 Sheila Finch
1937-02-22 Joanna Russ
1938-04-30 Larry Niven

Yes, I realize Martin Gardner is not a science fiction author per se but I betcha his writing informed a lot of sf authors. I don't knew enough about William Tenn to consider him a viable candidate. If it fair to say another female grandmaster should be upcoming very soon? Of these I'd say Carol Emshwiller, Harry Harrison, Kate Wilhem, J.G. Ballard and Algis Budrys come the closest to Grandmaster status. Larry Niven will get his eventually but I still think he's too young. I know everyone's been really down on Ben Bova lately but he has done a lot for science fiction as a whole, as well.

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Re: Grandmaster Seed List
[info]james_nicoll
2008-02-14 04:21 pm UTC (link)
Bass just had the two novels and some short works, right? I don't think that's enough of a track record to give him the Grandmaster.

Someone on rec.arts.sf.written tracked him down under his real name, Doctor Thomas Bassler, back in 2000 or 2001. He was apparently a bit surprised to learn that people are still talking about his books (Which I liked. I just wanted there to be more of them).

I would pay good money to see the general reaction to Piers Anthony getting the nod.

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Re: Grandmaster Seed List
[info]dgeiser13
2008-02-14 09:44 pm UTC (link)
For some strange reason I removed Gene Wolfe from my original list. Probably thinking he had been Grandmaster already. So I'll definitely add him back in to the list...

1931-05-07 Gene Wolfe

and to my short list of Grandmaster candidates...

Carol Emshwiller, Harry Harrison, Kate Wilhelm, J.G. Ballard, Algis Budrys and Gene Wolfe

I think Ben Bova and Larry Niven deserve consideration within the next 5 years.

The author emeritus list, http://www.sfwa.org/awards/author.htm, shows that Tenn, Keyes and Compton have all been honored lately.

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Re: Grandmaster Seed List
[info]paulmelko
2008-02-14 10:40 pm UTC (link)
Tenn won the Author Emeritus award in 1999.

Emeritus list is here.

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Re: Grandmaster Seed List
[info]paulmelko
2008-02-14 10:41 pm UTC (link)
Oops! You already posted the Emeritus list! Thanks.

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