02.27.06
Rest in Peace, Octavia Butler
I couldn’t believe the news last night, though I feared it was true. One of my favorite authors — one of my favorite people — has died. I and my love met her only a short time back at a book signing. Intelligent, witty and the savviest of persons…. It’s just too much to want to think about right now.
Though she was a giant in the science-fiction world, Ms. Butler was such a private person that even her closest friends said they knew little about her. Ellison said Ms. Butler had a number of obstacles to overcome in the writing business, among them being female and being black. But Ms. Butler persevered to become one of the few well-known African-American science-fiction writers. In 1995, she won a $295,000 MacArthur Fellowship, known as the “genius grant.” In 2000, she received the Nebula Award for her novel “Parable of the Talents.” The Nebula award is science fiction’s highest prize. (Seattle Times)
The writings of Octavia E. Butler will always be insightful, beautiful, ahead of the curve. She will be very sorely missed by many.
