Paul O. Williams
Encyclopedia
Paul O. Williams was an American
science fiction
writer and haiku
poet. Williams was professor emeritus of English at Principia College
in Elsah, Illinois
.
His most notable science fiction works are a series of novels, the Pelbar Cycle, set in North America
about a thousand years after a "time of fire", in which the world was nearly totally depopulated. The novels track a gradual reconnection of the human cultures which developed. Much of the action takes place in the communities of the Pelbar, along the Upper Mississippi River
— in the general vicinity of Elsah. Several cultures, including the matriarchal Pelbar, join together in the Heart River Federation. Others, especially the tyrannical Tantal and slave-raiding Tusco, fall apart after suffering defeats. The predominant characters are change agents: Jestak, Stel and his wife Ahroe Westrun. All are Pelbar. Williams won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1983.
He is also known as a writer of haiku
, senryū
, and tanka, and wrote a number of essays on the haiku form in English. In a 1975 essay, he coined the term "tontoism" to refer to the practice of writing haiku with missing articles
("the", "a", or "an"), which he claimed made the haiku sound like the stunted English of the Indian sidekick, Tonto
, in the Lone Ranger radio and television series.
Williams was the president of the Haiku Society of America
(1999) and vice president of the Tanka Society of America (2000).
Williams died from an aortic dissection
on June 2, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
writer and haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poet. Williams was professor emeritus of English at Principia College
Principia College
Principia College is a four-year private co-educational liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. The campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River between Alton and Grafton, located about thirty miles north of St. Louis. In 1934, Principia College graduated its first class as a full...
in Elsah, Illinois
Elsah, Illinois
Elsah is a village in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. census, the village had a total population of 673. Cyrus Bunting is the the village's current acting mayor.Elsah is a part of the Metro-East region and the St...
.
His most notable science fiction works are a series of novels, the Pelbar Cycle, set in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
about a thousand years after a "time of fire", in which the world was nearly totally depopulated. The novels track a gradual reconnection of the human cultures which developed. Much of the action takes place in the communities of the Pelbar, along the Upper Mississippi River
Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of Cairo, Illinois, United States. From the headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, the river flows approximately 2000 kilometers to Cairo, where it is joined by the Ohio River to form the Lower Mississippi...
— in the general vicinity of Elsah. Several cultures, including the matriarchal Pelbar, join together in the Heart River Federation. Others, especially the tyrannical Tantal and slave-raiding Tusco, fall apart after suffering defeats. The predominant characters are change agents: Jestak, Stel and his wife Ahroe Westrun. All are Pelbar. Williams won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1983.
He is also known as a writer of haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
, senryū
Senryu
is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer total morae . Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious...
, and tanka, and wrote a number of essays on the haiku form in English. In a 1975 essay, he coined the term "tontoism" to refer to the practice of writing haiku with missing articles
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
("the", "a", or "an"), which he claimed made the haiku sound like the stunted English of the Indian sidekick, Tonto
Tonto (Lone Ranger character)
Tonto is a fictional character, the Native American companion of The Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker...
, in the Lone Ranger radio and television series.
Williams was the president of the Haiku Society of America
Haiku Society of America
The Haiku Society of America is a non-profit organization composed of haiku poets, editors, critics, publishers and enthusiasts that promotes the composition and appreciation of haiku in English. It was founded in 1968 and sponsors meetings, lectures, workshops, readings and contests...
(1999) and vice president of the Tanka Society of America (2000).
Williams died from an aortic dissection
Aortic dissection
Aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the inner wall of the aorta causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and force the layers apart. The dissection typically extends anterograde, but can extend retrograde from the site of the intimal tear. Aortic dissection is a medical...
on June 2, 2009.
The Pelbar Cycle
- The Breaking of Northwall (1981)
- The Ends of the Circle (1981)
- The Dome in the Forest (1981)
- The Fall of the Shell (1982)
- An Ambush of Shadows (1983)
- Song of the Axe (1984)
- The Sword of Forbearance (1985)
- (The Pelbar Cycle was republished in 2005–2006 by the University of Nebraska PressUniversity of Nebraska PressThe University of Nebraska Press, founded in 1941, is a publisher of scholarly and popular-press books. It is the second-largest state university press in the United States and, including private institutions, ranks among the 10 largest university presses in the United States...
.)
Haiku, senryū, and tanka books
- The Edge of the Woods: 55 Haiku (1968)
- Tracks on the River (1982)
- Growing in the Rain (1991)
- Outside Robins Sing: Selected Haiku © July 1999. Brooks Books 56 pages. ISBN 0-913719-98-6
- The Nick of Time: Essays on Haiku Aesthetics by Paul O. Williams, Press Here, © 2001, ISBN 1-878798-23-5 [winner of the Haiku Society of America's 2003 Merit Award for Best Criticism]
- The Day of Strawberries, edited by Paul O. Williams (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 2004) — the companion chapbook to the Haiku Poets of Northern California’s fifteenth annual Two Autumns poetry reading series
- Paul's Shiki Monthly Kukai Entries