Silverberg Robert other spaces, other times A life spent in the future OTHER SPACES, OTHER TIMES A life spent in the future Robert Silverberg Nonstop Press • New York OTHER SPACES, OTHER TIMES A LIFE SPENT IN THE FUTURE First edition Copyright ©2009 Agberg, Ltd. Silverberg Bibliography ©2009 Nonstop Press No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher or copyright holders. For information or a free full-color newsletter/catalog contact:
[email protected] or: POB 981, Peck Slip Station, New York, NY 10272-0981 Nonstop Press www.nonstop-press.com publisher’s catalog-in-publication available upon request Nonstop editor Luis Ortiz Copy editor Beret Erway Production & Design by Nonstop Ink Special thanks to: Mike Ashley, Bob Eggleton, Alex Eisenstein, Carol Emshwiller, Jane Frank, Phoebe Gaughan, Peter Griffin, David Hartwell, Earl Kemp, Jay Kay Klein, Karan Ortiz, John Picacio, Andrew I. Porter, and Tim White ISBN-13 Cloth 978-1-933065-12-0 ISBN-13 ebook 978-1-933065-13-7 Printed in S. Korea contents introduction One: two: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . beginnings 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . on writing sf 37 three: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . autobiography 96 four: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . miscellany of a life 149 five: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . silverberg bibliography 170 list of illustrations Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 4 introduction B Y R O B E R T S I LV E R B E R G Nietzsche once wrote,“My memory says I did this, my pride says I did not. My memory yields.”That’s sufficient warning, as though we needed it, that the autobiographies of writers are not to be trusted as factual documents. Writers of fiction make stuff up.That’s what the word “fiction” means — it’s derived from the Latin verb fingere, which means “to imagine,”“to invent,”“to fabricate.” Out of fingere comes the noun fictum, meaning “that which is invented,” and out of fictum comes our English word “fiction.” Those two Latin words have some secondary meanings that are of some relevance here. Fingere also means “to arrange,” “to put in order.” And fictum can mean “a lie.” You see where I’m heading here. The fiction-writer makes things up, and also puts the things he has invented