In Which Yr Hmbl Hostess Has Not Had Enough Caffeine

[rolanni]

Bruce Sterling is trying to make a point over here.  Mind you, I’m not sure what his point is.  It sorta smacks of the old assurance from A Certain Male SF Writer that his female colleagues didn’t have to write fantasy!  They could, with only a little research, learn to write science fiction, too.

Lack of caffeine, right.

Anyhow, Mr. Sterling provides a list, lifted from a Must Read SF posting at The Galaxy Express, with the note that there is not a single male author appearing.  One of the authors listed is Steve Miller, who, last time I checked — quite recently, in fact — was male.  And an author.

When this was pointed out to Mr. Sterling, he amended his editorial to exclaim that there was a male author of half a book! on the list.

Since there were three books listed by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Mr. Sterling clearly can’t do arithmetic, either.

Back to the point of the thing.

If there is only a single male author of SFRomance on the list compiled by Galaxy Express, does that mean there are no men writing SFRomance?  I confess that I can’t think of a name — ref. lack of caffeine — but perhaps someone else can?

And!  If there are “no” men writing SFRomance, does that automatically make SFRomance an Inferior Form, as Mr. Sterling’s commentary seems to suggest?

Discuss.

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[jane-barfly.livejournal.com]

Our eldest was challenged to read a romance novel by his freshman (high school) history teacher (male). He took in Local Custom and Scout's Progress, and was told that they didn't count, because they were set in space. He told the teacher that it was all about relationships, really. Other stuff was wonderful worldbuilding in the same way that Georgette Heyer used worldbuilding for Regency Romances. When asked why he didn't just read Georgette Heyer, his response was simple.
"I prefer an SF plot to a mystery plot, whether or not romance is built in."

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

was told that they didn't count, because they were set in space.

Ohfercryinoutloud.

"I prefer an SF plot to a mystery plot, whether or not romance is built in."

Well said. Did he win his point?

[jane-barfly.livejournal.com]

He did not win his point. The freshman history teacher was not willing to count anything that looked as though it involved an SF plot as romance. Ah, me.

He'll be a high-school senior this coming year, and so is studying essays he likes (Mainer E.B. White comes to mind) in prep for writing his College Application Essays and Scholarship Essays. (He says that until he's finished them, sent them in, and heard back about them, they loom with capital letters in his mind, and so they should be referred to in capital letters, preferably in a font that looms.)