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Algis Budrys, 1931 - 2008

  • Jun. 10th, 2008 at 3:03 PM
lion in winter dead
A scholar and a curmudgeon.

Also, responsible for me having a career as a writer, which is a good trick for an editor who never published a word I wrote.

However, he did reject an early version of  "Gone to Flowers," the first and original Jenny Casey story, from tomorrowSF in the mid 1990s. And at the end of that rejection, he wrote, "A good story but it fell apart at the end. This made me sad."

And thus was the student enlightened.

I'd never realized, before, that the editor was rooting for me.

I got to thank him in person once, at a Readercon. He had no clue who on earth I was. And that's okay.
  • Mood: sad

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[info]naamah_darling wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:01 pm (UTC)
He absolutely did root for the writer. He always gave writing workshops at our convention, when he came. I got to attend one of these. He was a curmudgeon, oh yes, but he gave genuine praise and was very helpful, and I always thought that the workshops were a wonderful and generous thing for him to do for us.

I'm sorry I didn't know him better. I am very sorry that he's gone.
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[info]ronin_kakuhito wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:03 pm (UTC)
I got to thank him in person once, at a Readercon.
That is incredibly awesome. All too often we don't get to thank the people who gave us those little pushes along the way.
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[info]commodorified wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:12 pm (UTC)
That's the kind of story I want told about me when I die.

Just for a minute you showed me this person, and why he was admirable and how he is a loss. Thank you.
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:14 pm (UTC)
You are very welcome.
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[info]suricattus wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:17 pm (UTC)
That was AJ, all over. A born teacher-editor, finestkind.

Discussions of his death on a mailing list I'm on seemed to consistently repeat the word "kind."
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[info]matociquala wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:19 pm (UTC)
Yeah.

That. Just so.
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[info]doortoriver wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:18 pm (UTC)
That's an amazing story - and incredibly encouraging. I actually needed to hear that today. Thank you for sharing it.
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[info]fledgist wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 07:41 pm (UTC)
Oh, drat. He was one of the writers I always admired and who I wished would write more (and I felt a bit disappointed that he was associated with the L. Ron Hubbard 'Writers of the Future' thingy).

Yours is an incredible story. Thanks for sharing it.
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[info]stardragonca wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 10:06 pm (UTC)
Crap. All the good cons are going to be in Heaven next year.
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[info]stardragonca wrote:
Jun. 10th, 2008 10:09 pm (UTC)
the editor was rooting for me.
I never picked up anything off the slush pile,with thinking Please don't be shit.
Can't do that job anymore(too many prayers not answered)but that was how it was.
Absent friends.
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[info]badger2305 wrote:
Jun. 11th, 2008 02:38 am (UTC)
(sigh)
Another one? I know it is the nature of the universe for this to happen, but not so quick for a while, please?

I'm not trying to be flippant - I'm just bone weary of hearing about someone good and kind making the final voyage.
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