Larry McCaffery
Encyclopedia
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, and retired professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. His work and teaching focuses on post-modern literature, contemporary fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, but is perhaps best known for his role in helping to establish science fiction as a major literary genre.
Biography
McCaffery was born in 1946 in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He received his PhD in 1975, with a dissertation on the works of Robert Coover
Robert Coover
Robert Lowell Coover is an American author and professor in the Literary Arts program at Brown University. He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction.-Life and works:...
. He joined the Department of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
in 1976. He taught in SDSU's English Department until retiring in 2010. During his career as a professor, McCaffery took up visiting professorships at University of Nice, University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, Deep Springs College
Deep Springs College
Deep Springs is a private, all-male , alternative college in Deep Springs, California, in the United States. A two-year college, the institution currently aims for a student body size of 26, though the number is occasionally lower...
(where William T. Vollmann
William T. Vollmann
William Tanner Vollmann is an American novelist, journalist, short story writer, essayist and winner of the National Book Award...
attended), Seikei University
Seikei University
is a private university in the Kichijōji neighborhood of the city of Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. Its name derives from a passage in the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. Its campus is noted for its beautiful rows of zelkova trees.- Overview :...
in Tokyo, and was a Fulbright Lecturer at Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Foreign Studies University is the best foreign language and international studies university in China, often named "the cradle of diplomats" in the country.It is located in Weigongcun, Beijing, People's Republic of China...
during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. He and his wife currently reside in Borrego Springs, California.
Literary Career
In 1983, McCaffery published two books in the field of postmodern literary studies. The first was The Metafictional Muse: The Works of Coover, Gass, and Barthelme, which explored the emergence of the "meta-impulse" as one of the defining features of postmodern aesthetics. The second was Anything Can Happen: Interviews with Contemporary American Novelists (with Tom LeClair), which helped identify the major innovative authors associated with postmodernismPostmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
.
McCaffery went on to publish three additional collections of interviews with contemporary authors: Alive and Writing: Interviews with American Authors of the 1980s with Sinda Gregory (1986), Across the Wounded Galaxies: Interviews with Contemporary American Science Fiction Authors (1990),, and Some Other Frequency: Interviews with Innovative American Authors (1995). McCaffery explains that the interviews within these works begin orally, and, after being transcribed from tape and edited by both McCaffery and the interviewee, become "collaborative texts based on an actual conversation rather than a direct rendering of that conversation". These seminal works established "avant-prof" critic Lance Olsen
Lance Olsen
- Biography :Lance Olsen received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison , an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop , and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia...
to dub McCaffery as "Guru of the Interview"
During his career as Professor at SDSU, McCaffery played a large role as editor of literary journals. In 1983, McCaffery arranged to have the literary journal, Fiction International
Fiction International
Fiction International is a literary magazine devoted to innovative forms of fiction and non-fiction which addresses progressive political ideals. Founded in New York by Joe David Bellamyin 1973, the magazine moved to San Diego State University in 1983, where it has been "edited by Harold Jaffe and...
move to SDSU from New York, where it had been edited and published by Joe David Bellamy since 1973. McCaffery served as co-editor of FI
Fiction International
Fiction International is a literary magazine devoted to innovative forms of fiction and non-fiction which addresses progressive political ideals. Founded in New York by Joe David Bellamyin 1973, the magazine moved to San Diego State University in 1983, where it has been "edited by Harold Jaffe and...
with Harold Jaffe for the next decade, during which it became one of the leading publishers of radically innovative, politically-charged fiction. Since the early eighties, he has also been an editor of American Book Review, and executive editor of Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction. McCaffery has guest-edited several special issues of other literary magazines, including Mississippi Review's landmark "Cyberpunk Issue.
McCaffery's most important work may be Storming the Reality Studio
Storming the Reality Studio
Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook of Cyberpunk and Postmodern Science Fiction, edited by Larry McCaffery, was published by Duke University Press in 1992, though most of its contents had been featured in in 1988....
, for its role in placing science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
within the field of postmodern studies. an anthology featuring the fictional work of authors such as William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
, Samuel R. Delany
Samuel R. Delany
Samuel Ray Delany, Jr., also known as "Chip" is an American author, professor and literary critic. His work includes a number of novels, many in the science fiction genre, as well as memoir, criticism, and essays on sexuality and society.His science fiction novels include Babel-17, The Einstein...
, Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
, Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
, and Harold Jaffe, as well as non-fiction by writers such as Jean Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard was a French sociologist, philosopher, cultural theorist, political commentator, and photographer. His work is frequently associated with postmodernism and post-structuralism.-Life:...
and Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
. Other notable anthologies are Avant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream Nation
Avant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream Nation
Avant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream Nation is a Fiction Collective Two book published by in 1992 edited by Larry McCaffery. This collection of innovative fiction, graphic art, and various unclassifiable texts written by some of the most radical literary talents who McCaffery classifies as Avantpop...
(1993) and After Yesterday's Crash: The Avant-Pop Anthology (1997).
Awards and Honors
- Judge, Electronic Literature Organization's Fiction Contest, May 2001.
- Guest-of-Honor, Death Equinox ConferenceDeath EquinoxDeath Equinox was a series of four conventions held in Denver, Colorado in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sponsored by CyberPsychos AOD, and organized by Jasmine Sailing, they focused on alternative culture and art. An usual aspect was that they combined both the transgressive aspects of writing...
, Denver, September 1999. - Guest-of-Honor, ReaderconReaderconReadercon is an annual science fiction convention, held every July in the Boston, Massachusetts area, in Burlington, Massachusetts). It was founded by Bob Colby and statistician Eric Van in the 1980s with the goal of focusing exclusively on science fiction in the written form Readercon is an...
, Boston, April 1996. - Pioneer AwardPioneer AwardPioneer Award may refer to:*EFF Pioneer Award presented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation*SFRA Pioneer Award presented by the Science Fiction Research Association*INCOSE Pioneer Award presented by the International Council on Systems Engineering...
from Science Fiction Research Association, 1994. - National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the HumanitiesThe National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
Research Award, Tokyo, Summer 1992. Title of Project: "Japanese and American Postmodernist Interactions" - Guest-of-Honor at Volgacon 91: A Conference of Cyberpunk and Recent Soviet Science Fiction, Volgogrand, Russia, September 1991.
- Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise Award, San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, 1986, 1988, 1990. - Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
Nominee for Non-Fiction - Selected as Fulbright Lecturer to P.R. China, Beijing Foreign Studies UniversityBeijing Foreign Studies UniversityBeijing Foreign Studies University is the best foreign language and international studies university in China, often named "the cradle of diplomats" in the country.It is located in Weigongcun, Beijing, People's Republic of China...
, 1988-1990. - Fiction Judge, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 1986.
- Outstanding Young Men of America Award, 1980.
Books of Interviews
- Some Other Frequency: Interviews with Innovative American Authors (1995)
- Across the Wounded Galaxies: Interviews with Contemporary American Science Fiction Authors (1990)
- Alive and Writing: Interviews with American Authors of the 1980s with Sinda Gregory (1987)
- Anything Can Happen: Interviews with Contemporary American Novelists with Tom LeClair (1983)
Scholarly Books
- Expelled from Eden: A William T. Vollmann Reader with co-editor Michael Hemmingson (2004)
- Federman: From A to X-X-X-X - A Recyclopedic Narrative with co-editors Thomas Hartyl, and Doug Rice (1998)
- The Vineland Papers: Critical Takes on Pynchon's Novel with co-editors Geoffrey Green and Donald Greiner (1994)
- Postmodern Fiction: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide Editor (1985)
- The Metafictional Muse: The Work of Robert Coover, Donald Barthelme and William H. Gass (1982)
Fiction Anthologies
- After Yesterday's Crash: The Avant-Pop Anthology. NY: Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1997. (ISBN 978-0-14-024085-6) - Avant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream NationAvant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream NationAvant-Pop: Fiction for a Daydream Nation is a Fiction Collective Two book published by in 1992 edited by Larry McCaffery. This collection of innovative fiction, graphic art, and various unclassifiable texts written by some of the most radical literary talents who McCaffery classifies as Avantpop...
. Boulder: Black Ice Books, 1993. (ISBN 978-0-932511-72-0) - Storming the Reality StudioStorming the Reality StudioStorming the Reality Studio: A Casebook of Cyberpunk and Postmodern Science Fiction, edited by Larry McCaffery, was published by Duke University Press in 1992, though most of its contents had been featured in in 1988....
Durham: Duke University PressDuke University PressDuke University Press is an academic publisher of books and journals, and a unit of Duke University. It publishes approximately 120 books annually and more than 40 journals, as well as offering five electronic collections...
, 1991. (ISBN 978-0-8223-1168-3)
External links
- Interview with McCaffery by Alexander LaurenceAlexander LaurenceAlexander Laurence is a writer who was born in Los Angeles, California in May 1964. He attended CSULB and studied English Literature, where he graduated in 1988. He moved to San Francisco, California in 1989 and New York City in 1996. In that time, he attended classes at SF Art Institute and the...
- The 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English Language Books of Fiction, list by Larry McCaffery at ABR
- Dust Devil by Larry McCaffery
- The Unfinished by D.T. Max
- Interview excerpt from CyberPsychos AODCyberPsychos AODCyber-Psychos AOD is a book and magazine publishing venture based in Denver, Colorado, focusing on avant-garde and unusual art, culture, and writings...