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From: judith@proper.UUCP (Judith Abrahms)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Samuel Delany
Message-ID: <201@proper.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 08:05:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: proper.201
Posted: Mon Aug 12 08:05:27 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Aug-85 20:44:57 EDT
References: <>
Reply-To: judith@proper.UUCP (judith)
Organization: Proper UNIX, Oakland CA
Lines: 28

In article <> Newman.pasa@Xerox.ARPA writes:

>RE Jim Hofmann's comments on Dahlgren: I will admit that Delaney takes
>on topics that most everyone else shies away from (most everyone - not
>everyone, and the others do it better!) but I don't really want to read
>about these topics, and I particularly don't want to read trashy writing
>on these topics. Similarly, though Delaney "divorces himself from
>standard literary style", there are others who do it better.

Most of the Delany books I've read, though shorter than _Dhalgren_, are
worse written and considerably less interesting.  (I thought Dhalgren
stylistically interesting but intolerably repetitious.)  In fact, I sold
_Nova_, _Triton_, and _Dhalgren_ so long ago that it took this discussion
to remind me the author of _Babel-17_ wrote them.

_Babel-17_ is his one good book, as far as I know.  It may be out of print;
I've never seen a new copy.  It draws extensively on his knowledge of
linguistics (that's his field), has plenty of action, and tells a good love
story about intelligent people.  Nor does it divorce itself from "standard
literary style!"  It even has a plot!

Give it a shot before you give up on him.

Judith Abrahms

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"No plan survives the shock of battle." -- Clausewitz
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