Jun 6, 2015

Tanith Lee (1947 – 2015)

Drinking Sapphire Wine
I previously mentioned that Tanith Lee was one of the authors who I came to know by way of DAW Books. Lee's story "Drinking Sapphire Wine", Smith's Lensman Saga along with Clarke's The City and the Stars ignited my interest in science fiction stories that span Time on the scale of millions or billions of years.

Not satisfied with the visions of the far future that were provided by Lee, Smith or Clarke, I had to imagine for myself how thinking creatures might endure across vast periods of time: thus the Huaoshy and the Exodemic Fictional Universe came into existence.

This issue contains a profile of Lee
by Donald A. Wollheim
Lee was one of the writers who drew my attention to the boundary between fantasy and science fiction. She grew up on a diet of fairy tales while I grew up surrounded by science, so it is no surprise that Lee was at home in the fantasy genre while I am not. Still, I envy her ability to create her own literary domain at the intersection of fantasy, horror and science fiction.

The Hidden Library of Tanith Lee
In Drinking Sapphire Wine, Lee depicted humans of the far future who were essentially immortal. They could kill themselves, but then they would be automatically returned to the living state.

Lee died on May 24th at the age of 67 after a long struggle with cancer. Her vision of other worlds will live on through her writing and its influence on her many fans and readers.

Related Reading: Betsy Wollheim Remembers Tanith Lee

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