Author of the Month: Samuel R. Delany
Selected by the Bookshop
Our Author of the Month for October 2023 is the American novelist and literary critic Samuel R. Delany. He is most celebrated for his Science Fiction novels, notably Babel-17, Nova and Dhalgren, and has been the recipient of four Nebula and three Hugo Awards. Densely imagistic and fraught with symbolism, his books explore themes of sexuality, mythology and social exclusion and have been widely admired both within and outside the Science Fiction community: Umberto Eco once wrote of him ‘I consider Delany not only one of the most important writers of the present generation, but a fascinating writer in general who has invented a new style.‘ Start with Babel-17, the intergalactic epic that catapulted him to fame, his action-packed space opera Nova or the definitive collection of his short fiction Driftglass, featuring amongst other things neutered space travellers, telepathy, Hells Angels and genetically modified amphibious workers.
Have a look at some of his titles here, or come and visit a selection of them at the Bookshop throughout October.
Recommended by Claire
‘Babel-17 is a sci-fi novel concerned with language, and specifically the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. It is serious and philosophical, but still a visually rich big space romp. Read everything you can by Sam Delaney!’
From the publisher:
In one of the most profound and bestselling science fiction novels of all time, Samuel R. Delany has produced a novel “to stand with the best American fiction of the 1970s” (Jonathan Lethem, bestselling author of Fortress…
From the publisher:
'Delany's works have become essential to the history of science fiction' New YorkerSamuel Delany is one of the most radical and influential science fiction writers of our age, who reinvented the genre with his fearless explorations of race,…
From the publisher:
The balance of galactic power in the 31st century revolves around Illyrion, the most precious energy source in the universe. Captain Lorq van Ray's varied and exotic crew know their mission is dangerous, but they have no idea of Lorq's…
From the publisher:
Distant Stars is a 1981 collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories by American writer Samuel R. Delany. Many of the stories originally appeared in the magazines The Magazine of…
From the publisher:
A novel of myth and literacy about a long-ago land on the brink of civilization. Vol 1In his four-volume series Return to Nevèrÿon, Hugo and Nebula award-winner Samuel R. Delany appropriated the conceits of sword-and-sorcery…
From the publisher:
Interplanetary war, capture and escape, diplomatic intrigues that topple worlds.In a story as exciting as any science fiction adventure written, Samuel R. Delany's 1976 SF novel, originally published as Triton, takes us on a tour of a…
From the publisher:
Winner of the Hugo Award for Non-fiction The unexpurgated edition of the award-winning autobiography Born in New York City's black ghetto Harlem at the start of World War II, Samuel R. Delany married white poet Marilyn Hacker right out of…
From the publisher:
The story of a truly galactic civilization with over 6,000 inhabited worlds.Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand is a science fiction masterpiece, an essay on the inexplicability of sexual attractiveness, and an examination of…
From the publisher:
In the fourth volume in the Why I Write series, the iconic Samuel Delany remembers fifty years of writing and shaping the world of speculative fiction"Delany's prismatic output is among the most significant, immense and innovative in…
From the publisher:
Twentieth anniversary edition of a landmark book that cataloged a vibrant but disappearing neighborhood in New York CityIn the two decades that preceded the original publication of Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, Forty-second Street,…
From the publisher:
A brilliant theorist and cultural critic on race, sexuality, science fiction, and the art of writing.In Shorter Views, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Samuel R. Delany brings his remarkable intellectual powers to bear on a wide range…
From the publisher:
A nonhuman race reimagines human mythology.The Einstein Intersection won the Nebula Award for best science fiction novel of 1967. The surface story tells of the problems a member of an alien race, Lo Lobey, has assimilating the mythology of…
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