“Seasoning” 1981. In a letter to his agent, Kirby McCauley, Sturgeon says that this story was published in 1981 by Goldmann in Germany, but I have not been able to confirm this. Otherwise, it is previously unpublished. The ideas outlined in this story echo the “Macro Philosophy” of Thea Alexander found in her science-fiction book, 2150 A.D. There is a significant difference, however, in the idea that “entities” are creating “scripts” not just out of curiosity in order to have new experiences (as Alexander presents them), but in order to try to find universal truths, identifying which ones could form a lasting ethos by working them out in different contexts, different worlds. This is an amendment created by Jayne and Ted. (Jayne Williams, personal communication) The ethos offered here, that in the face of war, violent competition and suffering, one should and can create something good from what one has to work with, and share it, is pure Sturgeon. At the time of the writing of this story, Jayne Sturgeon was an ordained minister of the American Holistic Church, and was teaching a course in Universal Law in San Diego. The character in this story, Alice—with her long brown hair and blue eyes, her ability to wait and listen while someone worked something through, her peals of laughter—is clearly modeled on Jayne. Sturgeon dabbled in many forms of therapy and later, self-help or New Age philosophies, but never remained a proponent of any one of them. Besides the Freudian analysis described in “Baby is Three” (Volume 6), and the LSD-assisted therapy he engaged in the late 1960s with the therapist Jim Hayes (an experience influencing the story “The Beholders” in Volume 12), Sturgeon was an “auditor” during the early period of Dianetics, went through an EST workshop in the early 1980s, and, with Jayne, explored Macro Philosophy and the tenets of the American Holistic church. Despite these experiences with different philosophies, religions, and therapies, he remained most attached to the themes expressed in his own writing. On a side note, the dish the main character cooks in this story is a classic Sturgeon culinary creation; worth trying, at least once, if just for the visual presentation, which is entirely science-fictional.
“Not an Affair” Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1983. Written in 1981, and originally submitted to Playboy, but removed by Sturgeon from consideration when, according to him: “… the Playboy editors scrawled and scratched (‘Eliminate the first six pages. Make the reporter a (militant) woman.’).” F&SF editor’s teaser: “Here is a rare short story from Ted Sturgeon, whose last appearance here was in the 25th anniversary issue (October 1974). Like many Sturgeon stories, it concerns an aspect of love, but it begins with an epidemic.…”
“Black Moccasins,” 1983. Previously unpublished. In a letter written to Kirby McCauley, Sturgeon says: “Herewith short story, mainstream, prob. women’s market, Black Moccasins.” The letter is headed: “Lawrence, Kansas: On the road. July 30, 1983.” Sturgeon was in Kansas for the summer science-fiction writing course he taught for many years for the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction founded by James Gunn. It is possible the story was written during the time he was teaching the class. This story’s detailed description of ways to save money was typical of Sturgeon, and many of his letters recount such economies with excruciating good humor. For much of his life he was very poor, and yet he delighted in describing in detail how he managed to get by through methods such as gluing new soles on his shoes, eating mayonnaise sandwiches, and heating soup in a can with a soldering iron. Years of poor nutrition and skipped doctor visits surely contributed to his early death (and eating soup heated with a soldering iron very likely didn’t help).
“The Trick” (Chic, January 1984). Teaser: “They could talk about coffee; they could talk about the weather. They could talk about everything but the trick. To believe it—you had to see it.” It’s likely that this story was written earlier than its publication date of 1984, as it continues the adventures of the characters in “The Country of Afterward” (in this volume), though with a much slimmer plot. In a weird echo of the Kurt Vonnegut character, Kilgore Trout, (who was based on Sturgeon), a science-fiction writer who also wrote pornography, this foray into pornography by Sturgeon was not very successful either as story or as pornography, in my opinion. I like to think Vonnegut, who called Sturgeon “one of the best writers in America,” (see his foreword in Volume Seven), would have appreciated this irony.
“Grizzly” 1983. Not The Reader, Summer. Not the Reader was a free city weekly published in San Diego, where Sturgeon lived off and on from 1976 to 1980. His experience as a patient with diffuse interstitial pneumonitis clearly informs this piece. His condition was idiopathic; that is, the doctors were unable to determine the exact cause, usually exposure to asbestos. As a result he went through many tests. Sturgeon theorized that he had been possibly exposed from his years in the Merchant Marine (whose ships’ interiors were lined with asbestos), or from living in so many basement apartments, but his preferred culprit was his favorite Zippo butane lighter, which pulled the lighter-fluid fumes down and through a tiny asbestos filter into the pipe, and thus the lungs. (Jayne Williams, personal communication). “Grizzly” is the last story Sturgeon wrote.
ABOUT THEODORE STURGEON
Theodore Sturgeon was born on February 26, 1918 and died in Eugene, Oregon, on May 8, 1985. A resident of New York City, Woodstock, New York, Los Angeles, and Springfield, Oregon, he was the author of more than thirty novels and short story collections. He won the International Fantasy Award for his novel More Than Human; the Hugo Award and Nebula Award for his short story Slow Sculpture; the Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Society of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy for the Star Trek screenplay, “Amok Time”; and the Gaylactica/Spectrum Award for his ground-breaking story about homosexuality, “The World Well Lost.” For the influence on comic books of his short story It, he won the Inkpot Award. His idea of “bleshing” (the interaction of different individuals in a gestalt, from More Than Human) was influential for performers from The Grateful Dead to the Blue Man Group. He was known for the creation of Sturgeon’s Law (Every genre, without exception, is 90% crap) and the credo: “Ask the next question.” For his lifetime of work, he was awarded a World Fantasy Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2000.
Case and the Dreamer Page 41
