ellen_datlow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ellen_datlow) wrote2007-09-29 02:14 am
ellen_datlow) wrote2007-09-29 02:14 am
What Stephen King thinks about the state of short story
What Ails the Short Story
I read this several days ago and immediately shot off this response to the NY Times. As they haven't contacted me, I assume they won't be running it. If they in fact do, I'll remove it from here:
To the Editor:
I’ve been editing short fiction for over twenty-five years and unlike Stephen King I’ve read (and published) many well-written, insightful, and exciting stories during that time. So I’m perplexed by Mr. King’s complaint in his essay “What Ails the Short Story” (September 30) about the contemporary short story being “showoffy rather than entertaining, self-important rather than interesting, guarded and self-conscious rather than gloriously open, and worst of all, written for editors and teachers rather than for readers.
His comments especially trouble me because nowhere does Mr. King mention the continually entertaining and fertile grounds from which he sprung—science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Yes, the short story (mainstream and genre) is suffering from a lack of visibility, but entertaining and literate short fiction is indeed being published —just check out some of the original anthologies and magazines regularly publishing literature of the fantastic, such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, Subterranean Magazine, Cemetery Dance. During the twenty years I’ve co-edited The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror I’ve read hundreds of dark fantasy and horror stories and neither I nor my fantasy co-editors have had any trouble filling our 250,000 volume with stories that excite us and our readers.
Ellen Datlow
Co-editor of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and the forthcoming Inferno.
And for those interested, here are the comments about the essay that the NY Times allowed until they reached 164. ( I added an adaptation of my letter, plus later on, under my initials--some short story writers to read). You'll see that they range (as expected from "yes, he's absolutely correct" to "no, he's wrong" to everything in between, plus nasty comments about his own writing:
comments on King essay
I read this several days ago and immediately shot off this response to the NY Times. As they haven't contacted me, I assume they won't be running it. If they in fact do, I'll remove it from here:
To the Editor:
I’ve been editing short fiction for over twenty-five years and unlike Stephen King I’ve read (and published) many well-written, insightful, and exciting stories during that time. So I’m perplexed by Mr. King’s complaint in his essay “What Ails the Short Story” (September 30) about the contemporary short story being “showoffy rather than entertaining, self-important rather than interesting, guarded and self-conscious rather than gloriously open, and worst of all, written for editors and teachers rather than for readers.
His comments especially trouble me because nowhere does Mr. King mention the continually entertaining and fertile grounds from which he sprung—science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Yes, the short story (mainstream and genre) is suffering from a lack of visibility, but entertaining and literate short fiction is indeed being published —just check out some of the original anthologies and magazines regularly publishing literature of the fantastic, such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, Subterranean Magazine, Cemetery Dance. During the twenty years I’ve co-edited The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror I’ve read hundreds of dark fantasy and horror stories and neither I nor my fantasy co-editors have had any trouble filling our 250,000 volume with stories that excite us and our readers.
Ellen Datlow
Co-editor of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and the forthcoming Inferno.
And for those interested, here are the comments about the essay that the NY Times allowed until they reached 164. ( I added an adaptation of my letter, plus later on, under my initials--some short story writers to read). You'll see that they range (as expected from "yes, he's absolutely correct" to "no, he's wrong" to everything in between, plus nasty comments about his own writing:
comments on King essay
no subject
With all the genre best of anthos one could potentially make the argument that there's no need to even put them in BASS. One could just point the reader to one of the anthos :)
But it's always context. We talk about genre. Well doesn't Romance fall into genre. Should the Romance writers be up in arms? I think the context of his article was directed toward general American short fiction and not genre (crime/fantasy/horror/mystery/romance/science fiction/and whatever else I may have omitted). And his comments about story quality pertained to what he'd read for his book.
So I don't really consider his points as being directed towards say you as an editor. Conceivably, his stylistic critique may have been directed towards some stories that you've read. So what? If both of you got together and really hammered out your decision making criteria, perhaps, you would come to an understanding and maybe to some extent agreement.
My biggest objection to his article is that it's really an advertisement. They could have left the copy "as is" but I think his publisher should have had to pay for the space.
no subject
"With all the genre best of anthos one could potentially make the argument that there's no need to even put them in BASS. One could just point the reader to one of the anthos :)"
This was just the lame excuse that Billy Abrahams who for many years edited the O'Henry Award anthology made to me when I asked him why he usually ignored the fantasy fiction genres. I asked this of him after he chose James P. Blaylock's "Unidentified Objects" from OMNI for the O'Henry Award anthology. That story, btw, appeared the same year in Terri and my YBFH. So sorry, but that just dog won't hunt.
His points reflect on everyone who reads sf/f/h not just me as an editor.
no subject
Sorry that your feelings are hurt about this. I just don't think he was taking aim at you.
I do think that for a number of years quite a few folk in the genre have been taking shots at him though.
"This was just the lame excuse..."
Just stating it. Not defending it.
It would be nice if all the fiction folk would co-habitate with one another but I think we're a ways away from that.
no subject
no subject
I do think that you or someone ought to ensure that he's aware of how this piece has been taken. And get his response.
And then get upset.
As it is who knows how many are going to pile on him perhaps unnecessarily.