Venus on the Half-Shell and Others
Encyclopedia
Venus on the Half-Shell and Others (ISBN 978-1-59606-128-6) is a collection mostly of science fiction
author
Philip José Farmer
's pseudonymous fictional-author literary works, edited by Christopher Paul Carey and published in 2008
. Farmer describes a fictional-author story as "a tale supposedly written by an author who is a character in fiction." Carey, who had access to Farmer's correspondence while editing the book, reveals in his introduction that in the early to mid-1970s Farmer planned to edit an anthology of fictional-author stories by other writers. Farmer solicited fictional-author stories from authors such as Arthur Jean Cox, Philip K. Dick
, Leslie Fiedler
, Ron Goulart
, Howard Waldrop
, and Gene Wolfe
, urging them to submit their stories to venues such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Only Cox, Waldrop, and Wolfe completed their stories and had them published, although Philip K. Dick's never realized fictional-author story "A Man for No Countries" as by Hawthorne Abendsen is said to have led Dick to write his posthumous novel Radio Free Albemuth
. In the end, Farmer's fictional-author anthology never materialized.
called Kukuanafan, although there has been some debate as to whether the name Tom Wode Bellman is itself a fictional-author pseudonym. The July 2008 issue of Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer
published a Guest of Honor speech which Farmer presented at the science fiction convention Balticon 11 that only adds to the Bellman mystery. In the speech, Farmer states that he planned to write a novel about the science fiction community featuring a protagonist named Tom Wode Bellman. However, an essay accompanying the speech, purportedly by Bellman, claims that Farmer merely used Bellman's name for the character as a joke.
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...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
's pseudonymous fictional-author literary works, edited by Christopher Paul Carey and published in 2008
2008 in literature
The year 2008 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 1 - In the 2008 New Year Honours, Hanif Kureishi , Jenny Uglow , Peter Vansittart and Debjani Chatterjee are all rewarded for "services to literature".*June 15 - Gore Vidal, asked in a New York Times...
. Farmer describes a fictional-author story as "a tale supposedly written by an author who is a character in fiction." Carey, who had access to Farmer's correspondence while editing the book, reveals in his introduction that in the early to mid-1970s Farmer planned to edit an anthology of fictional-author stories by other writers. Farmer solicited fictional-author stories from authors such as Arthur Jean Cox, Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
, Leslie Fiedler
Leslie Fiedler
Leslie Aaron Fiedler was a Jewish-American literary critic, known for his interest in mythography and his championing of genre fiction. His work also involves application of psychological theories to American literature. He was in practical terms one of the early postmodernist critics working...
, Ron Goulart
Ron Goulart
Ron Goulart is an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy and science fiction author.The prolific Goulart wrote many novelizations and other routine work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson , Con Steffanson , Chad Calhoun, R.T...
, Howard Waldrop
Howard Waldrop
Howard Waldrop is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction.Waldrop's stories combine elements such as alternate history, American popular culture, the American South, old movies , classical mythology, and rock 'n' roll music. His style is sometimes obscure or elliptical...
, and Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
, urging them to submit their stories to venues such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Only Cox, Waldrop, and Wolfe completed their stories and had them published, although Philip K. Dick's never realized fictional-author story "A Man for No Countries" as by Hawthorne Abendsen is said to have led Dick to write his posthumous novel Radio Free Albemuth
Radio Free Albemuth
Radio Free Albemuth is a novel by Philip K. Dick, written in 1976 and published posthumously in 1985. Originally titled VALISystem A, it was his first attempt to deal in fiction with his experiences of early 1974. When his publishers at Bantam requested extensive rewrites he canned the project and...
. In the end, Farmer's fictional-author anthology never materialized.
The Tom Wode Bellman Controversy
The Foreword by Tom Wode Bellman in Venus on the Half-Shell and Others states that Bellman was also solicited by Farmer to write a fictional-author story entitled "The Wee Weepers of Mu" as by Gabriel Weltstein, which was reputedly published in 1976 in a fanzineFanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
called Kukuanafan, although there has been some debate as to whether the name Tom Wode Bellman is itself a fictional-author pseudonym. The July 2008 issue of Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer
Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer
Farmerphile: The Magazine of Philip José Farmer was a quarterly digest-sized magazine which published fiction and non-fiction by and about science fiction and fantasy author Philip José Farmer. Over its first ten issues, the magazine serialized the first-time publication of Farmer's novel Up from...
published a Guest of Honor speech which Farmer presented at the science fiction convention Balticon 11 that only adds to the Bellman mystery. In the speech, Farmer states that he planned to write a novel about the science fiction community featuring a protagonist named Tom Wode Bellman. However, an essay accompanying the speech, purportedly by Bellman, claims that Farmer merely used Bellman's name for the character as a joke.
Contents
- "ForewordForewordA foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
" by Tom Wode Bellman - "Introduction: More Real Than Life Itself: Philip José Farmer's Fictional-Author Period" by Christopher Paul Carey
- "Why and How I Became Kilgore Trout"
- Venus on the Half-ShellVenus on the Half-ShellVenus on the Half-Shell is a science fiction novel attributed to the fictional author Kilgore Trout but actually written by Philip José Farmer. Kilgore Trout is a recurring character of many of the novels of Kurt Vonnegut and this book was first mentioned as a fictional work in his novel God Bless...
(a novel originally published under the byline Kilgore TroutKilgore TroutKilgore Trout is a fictional character created by author Kurt Vonnegut. He was originally created as a fictionalized version of author Theodore Sturgeon , although Trout's consistent presence in Vonnegut's works has also led critics to view him as the author's own alter ego...
) - "The Obscure Life and Times of Kilgore Trout"
- "The Jungle Rot Kid on the Nod"
- "The Problem of the Sore Bridge--Among Others" as by Harry MandersBunny MandersHarry Manders is a character in the popular series of Raffles novels by E.W. Hornung. He is the faithful companion of Raffles, a cricketer and gentleman thief, who makes a living robbing the rich in late Victorian British High Society.Whereas Raffles is sharp-witted and cynical, the younger Bunny...
- "The Volcano" (originally published under the byline Paul ChapinThe League of Frightened MenThe League of Frightened Men is the second Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout. The story was serialized in six issues of The Saturday Evening Post under the title The Frightened Men. The novel was published in 1935 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc...
) - "Osiris on Crutches" as by Leo Queequeg Tincrowdor
- "The Phantom of the Sewers" (originally published as "It's the Queen of Darkness, Pal" by Rod ReenThe Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 is a novel by Richard Brautigan first published in 1971 by Simon and Schuster. In subsequent printings the title is often shortened to simply The Abortion.-Plot summary:...
) - "A Hole in Hell" as by Dane Helstrom
- "The Last Rise of Nick Adams" (originally published as "The Impotency of Bad Karma" under the byline Cordwainer Bird)
- The Adventure of the Peerless Peer as by John H. Watson
- "Philip José Farmer as Fictional Author: A Chronological Bibliography"
- "The Impotency of Bad Karma" (only available in the Lettered leatherbound edition)