Stanislaw Lem: 1921-2006. Polish science-fiction giant Stanislaw Lem died this morning. He was 84. Though Lem was not as well known as Asimov or Heinlein or the other "Masters", he was just as important to the genre. Lem was not a fan of traditonal science-fiction, and in his work tried to approach futuristic themes from a more humanistic, almost psychological, perspective. (And his books are funny!) His best-known work, Solaris, was twice made into a film, most recently in 2002. [Woefully out-of-date official site.]
posted on Mar 27, 2006 - View this thread

Frank Conroy Dies at 69 The author of "Stop-Time," jazz pianist, scallop fisherman, and Iowa writers workshop guru disappears into the divine...
posted on Apr 8, 2005 - View this thread

Janet Frame , New Zealand writer, is dead at 79. More information about her life, here, and obituary notice here. Nominated for the Nobel Prize for Fiction last year, I had hoped she might yet win. RIP.
posted on Jan 29, 2004 - View this thread

As a youngen, I was very much enamored with Ken Kesey's questioning soul and his flare for the wild. His novels provided much comfort as I tried to navigate my way through those conforming years we all know as high school. May he RIP.
posted on Nov 11, 2001 - View this thread

Author Ken Kesey in critical condition in Eugene. . .He's been sort of a local celeb around here. Cuckoo's Nest is still one of the major works of the 20th Century even though he never wrote anything approaching it. I hope that he survives to write more and is seen again cruising in his Caddy convertible.
posted on Nov 9, 2001 - View this thread