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Fantasy Fan, v. 1, issue 4, December 1933
Page 63
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December, 1933 THE FANTASY FAN 63 calling Mr. Lovecraft 'Plagiarist', and then maybe Mr. Smith (the 'Skylark') will burst in and say that HE owns the original. Let's have a contest...Just the thought of it--the original Paul illustration that I treasure would be from Smith's story, 'The City of the Singing Flame.' I don't get the connection: the Lovecraft says in print 'a very childish attack', and in his personal reply to me 'your bright and candid letter.'!?" It can be seen by the above letter that Ackerman really holds no hard feelings toward the Weird Men; just a bit of mockery and rare Ackerman wit. Just to show that we are always open to both sides, following are a couple of the fans who still chose to 'lay it on thick.' "personally, i thought that 'The Light From Beyond' was very good, and I certainly could see nothing weird about it. It was fantasy, yes, and not stf, but some of the greatest classics of so-called science fiction have been almost pure fantasy. Witness: 'The Snake Mother,' 'The Moon Pool,' 'The Time Stream' (Ackerman's objection to this was particularly obnoxious to me, as I thought it was one of the best stories ever written. Certainly it offered the most food for thought), 'The Skylark of Space' (partly fantasy), 'The Princess of Mars,' and other greats. Certainly, there should be something more to science fiction than rays, machines, villains, heroines, (composed of lipstick and legs, as Mr. Barlow rather bitterly expresses it) as has been stressed so greatly of late. There should be an element of fantasy, strong character, and [[?]] eveloped plot in addition. [[?]] those is why so many weird [[?]] like[[?]] Mr. Barlow) can [[?]] with stf. I do not blame him. I, myself, as a reader, will stop reading stf when the fantasy element is dropped completely." William Crawford (Editor of Unusual Stories) "What does this Ackerman guy know about weird and fantastic fiction? From the way he writes, he must be an unimaginative person unable to stretch his mind away from space-ships and foreign star-clusters. I get that he is an egotistical radical and one who doesn't like something that is not even intended for him. So far, in telling about his collection, he has described a sort of madhouse. However, I certainly would like to see this madhouse, as I can appreciate a thing or two that is connected with stf. AT heart, I am truly a weird and fantastic fiction fan." --F. Lee Baldwin There seems to be enough controversy in this month's discussion to bring in enough letters to fill next month's. Write in and give us your opinions on the subject. Are Smith's tales fit for Wonder Stories? Does Ackerman know what he's talking about, and are the Weird Men justified in their criticisms of him? Here's hoping to hear from you Man is in truth but cosmic dust, Which by a sudden whirling gust Of forces from unbounded space, Spread o'er this planet's tiny face. If you think that you have anything worth-while to contribute to THE FANTASY FAN send it in to us for our very serious consideration, we are always glad to get material from our readers.
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December, 1933 THE FANTASY FAN 63 calling Mr. Lovecraft 'Plagiarist', and then maybe Mr. Smith (the 'Skylark') will burst in and say that HE owns the original. Let's have a contest...Just the thought of it--the original Paul illustration that I treasure would be from Smith's story, 'The City of the Singing Flame.' I don't get the connection: the Lovecraft says in print 'a very childish attack', and in his personal reply to me 'your bright and candid letter.'!?" It can be seen by the above letter that Ackerman really holds no hard feelings toward the Weird Men; just a bit of mockery and rare Ackerman wit. Just to show that we are always open to both sides, following are a couple of the fans who still chose to 'lay it on thick.' "personally, i thought that 'The Light From Beyond' was very good, and I certainly could see nothing weird about it. It was fantasy, yes, and not stf, but some of the greatest classics of so-called science fiction have been almost pure fantasy. Witness: 'The Snake Mother,' 'The Moon Pool,' 'The Time Stream' (Ackerman's objection to this was particularly obnoxious to me, as I thought it was one of the best stories ever written. Certainly it offered the most food for thought), 'The Skylark of Space' (partly fantasy), 'The Princess of Mars,' and other greats. Certainly, there should be something more to science fiction than rays, machines, villains, heroines, (composed of lipstick and legs, as Mr. Barlow rather bitterly expresses it) as has been stressed so greatly of late. There should be an element of fantasy, strong character, and [[?]] eveloped plot in addition. [[?]] those is why so many weird [[?]] like[[?]] Mr. Barlow) can [[?]] with stf. I do not blame him. I, myself, as a reader, will stop reading stf when the fantasy element is dropped completely." William Crawford (Editor of Unusual Stories) "What does this Ackerman guy know about weird and fantastic fiction? From the way he writes, he must be an unimaginative person unable to stretch his mind away from space-ships and foreign star-clusters. I get that he is an egotistical radical and one who doesn't like something that is not even intended for him. So far, in telling about his collection, he has described a sort of madhouse. However, I certainly would like to see this madhouse, as I can appreciate a thing or two that is connected with stf. AT heart, I am truly a weird and fantastic fiction fan." --F. Lee Baldwin There seems to be enough controversy in this month's discussion to bring in enough letters to fill next month's. Write in and give us your opinions on the subject. Are Smith's tales fit for Wonder Stories? Does Ackerman know what he's talking about, and are the Weird Men justified in their criticisms of him? Here's hoping to hear from you Man is in truth but cosmic dust, Which by a sudden whirling gust Of forces from unbounded space, Spread o'er this planet's tiny face. If you think that you have anything worth-while to contribute to THE FANTASY FAN send it in to us for our very serious consideration, we are always glad to get material from our readers.
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