Transcribe
Translate
The Science Fiction Fan, v. 4, issue 8, whole no. 44, March 1940
Page 6
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FAN and printers - all must eat regularly. Genius does not exclude the necessity of ingestion. There remains, as a last resort, the amateur publications. At present, and probably for a long time to come, these too must bow before the golden calf. They must have names to attract subscribers - and names mean some big shot's second, third or seventh rate material that the pulps wouldn't take, as a rule. Amateur weird magazines, at present, cannot pay. And as for paying substantial rates... Another problem rises. The author, who, unless he has another substantial form of income or is well off without his weird writings, has to rely upon checks from acceptances to keep him in food and shelter - which is probably the most he could expect from exclusive writing of weird literature. He cannot afford to spend weeks, months, years in the study of improvement of his technique, psychology, and roots of phenomena - in experimenting and dreaming of new variations and the best presentation of what he has to offer. Again the golden calf grinds the poet under its hoof. The author must do one of two things: he must become a literary whore and write reams of tripe for cheap magazines or banalities for alleged slick magazines and write his weird gems on the side. Or he must write and write and write for the weird group until he is burned out. And, unless he is a genius, he won't last long at this last. At least, not as literary weirdness goes; hacks can go on almost indefinitely, but prostitution, though well-paying when intelligently applied, ages and wreaks havoc upon one in a comparatively short time. They don't last long at the best - no matter what manner of harlots they are, But none of this is any reflection upon weird fiction in itself.
Saving...
prev
next
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FAN and printers - all must eat regularly. Genius does not exclude the necessity of ingestion. There remains, as a last resort, the amateur publications. At present, and probably for a long time to come, these too must bow before the golden calf. They must have names to attract subscribers - and names mean some big shot's second, third or seventh rate material that the pulps wouldn't take, as a rule. Amateur weird magazines, at present, cannot pay. And as for paying substantial rates... Another problem rises. The author, who, unless he has another substantial form of income or is well off without his weird writings, has to rely upon checks from acceptances to keep him in food and shelter - which is probably the most he could expect from exclusive writing of weird literature. He cannot afford to spend weeks, months, years in the study of improvement of his technique, psychology, and roots of phenomena - in experimenting and dreaming of new variations and the best presentation of what he has to offer. Again the golden calf grinds the poet under its hoof. The author must do one of two things: he must become a literary whore and write reams of tripe for cheap magazines or banalities for alleged slick magazines and write his weird gems on the side. Or he must write and write and write for the weird group until he is burned out. And, unless he is a genius, he won't last long at this last. At least, not as literary weirdness goes; hacks can go on almost indefinitely, but prostitution, though well-paying when intelligently applied, ages and wreaks havoc upon one in a comparatively short time. They don't last long at the best - no matter what manner of harlots they are, But none of this is any reflection upon weird fiction in itself.
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
