John Walters

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer

Posted on January 21, 2011 by John Walters

I had planned to write a completely different blog post today, but something that I read intervened. It was a post by an editor detailing how he got started in editing and what it was like. He described the collaborative effort by writer and editor to bring a book to publication, and said that no book, even by a master writer, remained unchanged by the process.

Though I have not yet published a novel, I have encountered this writer/editor collaboration when preparing short stories for publication in magazines and anthologies – though I have to admit that several of my stories were published as-is, and the others needed minimal correcting. This may have something to do with the fact that I am a perfectionist, and proofread my stories quite a few times before I am willing to send them out.

I know there are many writers out there who can compose a story and get it off into the mail or publish it online in a single day, but that’s not how I work. When I have finished a story I might read over it again, but then I always set it aside for a minimum of a week or two, and then carefully proofread it. I realize that many writers would claim that I am sacrificing prolificacy for perfection, but I don’t see it that way. My words will never be perfect; I realize that. And there is a point when I just have to let them go. But before I do, I want them the best they can be – for you, the reader. These same writers who would deride me for my lengthy proofreading process extol the necessity of having a reader, or a number of readers, trusted advisors who can catch errors that the writer is too close to the material to see. I do not have such readers. I would like to have them, but there is no one in sight willing to do the job – or, let me qualify that – there is no one with the time to do the job. So I have to perform all the various tasks myself, of writer, then editor, then copyeditor, and so on. That’s why I distance myself from the project by time before I change hats: I want to be sure I have the objectivity to go on to the next stage of the project.

What caused me to take this so seriously was my current project: preparing the memoir of my time on the road in the mid-seventies for publication. I wrote the first draft about fifteen years ago, and since then I have been working on it – not constantly, of course, but in fits: adding new material, proofreading, proofreading again, proofreading yet again, and so on. I have finally decided to stop tinkering with it and get it into print. When it arrives (in a month or two I hope) it will not be perfect; there will still be mistakes – but they will be my mistakes, no one else’s. You’re going to get the raw, naked truth. After all, what is perfect in this world anyway? The main thing is the story.

To be honest, I catch errors in almost every book I read, even by the most well-regarded writer, even by the most esteemed publishing company. Who cares? To paraphrase Shakespeare (apologies in advance, Will): “The story’s the thing, wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the king.”

Posted in On Writing | Tagged editing, Writing | Leave a comment

Bullying as Alien Encounter

Posted on January 17, 2011 by John Walters

With the launch of my new book, “The Dragon Ticket and Other Stories”, I have been thinking a lot about the subject of alien contact. And because my youngest son has been daily coming out of the school gate in tears due to incessant bullying, I have been giving that a lot of thought too.

What is the reason my son has been getting harassed? We live in Greece, but he is half American. It is the same old story that happens around the world all the time: persecution of the different, the unknown, the alien, we might say.

All my sons got it, of course. It didn’t matter how amiable they were, how good at their subjects, how hard they tried to please. It didn’t matter whether the teachers saw it or not either, as in many cases the teachers supported the bullies. After all, where did the bullies’ attitudes come from? Parents and other authority figures, of course. The teachers regarded my sons with suspicion as well, and sometimes bullied them after their own fashion, such as blaming them for fights they didn’t start. They only managed to break out of the cycle of endless conflict as they grew older and bigger. My oldest son studied three or four or five hours a day, won a scholarship to an elite private high school where they had a more reasonable concept of discipline, and then got accepted to Princeton University and moved to the States. In addition, he worked out and became strong and fit so that anyone would think twice before messing with him. My second son devoted hours and hours to physical training, weights and Ty Kwon Do, until he had the physique of a superhero; he, too, eventually moved to the States, sensing a lack of future for himself here.

But I must interject that the problem they faced, the problem of otherness, of alienness, is universal. It happens in every country; only the victims change.

I received a lot of bullying when I was young too. My crime? I was smaller and younger than everyone else. I had had a somewhat strained relationship with my teacher in third grade, and so the school authorities and my parents thought that the solution was for me to skip the fourth grade (where she would be teaching again) and move on to the fifth. Intellectually that was no problem for me, but the social situation was another thing. I was ripped from my peers and placed with a group of larger, stronger strangers. How long did it take me to adjust? To be honest I never really did. Perhaps it had something to do with my personality; I was quiet, bookish, shy. But entering fifth grade as an alien, as a stranger among strangers, certainly didn’t help me break out of my introversion.

I still occasionally daydream of an alternate universe in which I had been stronger and had beaten the crap out of my tormentors.

In the long run, the bullying didn’t harm my older sons; if anything, it might have taught them empathy for the underdogs of the world. But still, it breaks my heart every day when I see my youngest son’s tears. And his crime? He is half American, a condition over which he has no control. It makes me consider alienness around the world, in other societies and under other conditions, and wish that all those prejudices would go away and we could learn to get along. It seems, however, that even as adults many of us don’t learn our lessons, and international politics is just an extension of the same principle: just one incident of bullying after another. You’d think we would learn. But we don’t.

Such considerations gave rise to many of the ideas in my book on encounters between humans and aliens.

First Postscript:

The above I wrote a few weeks ago but haven’t had a chance to post yet, and circumstances necessitate adding a postscript. I was called in to school again today to deal with an incident of anti-American behavior, this time with a twist: my son didn’t put up with it and lashed back. Some idiotic kid (high school level) made a ridiculous comment that the victims of the Twin Towers got what they deserved. As I mentioned in my “Postwar” book review, such attitudes are not uncommon throughout Europe, including here in Greece. My son smoldered until the bell rang, then sprang at the kid and began pummeling him. It took four students and the teacher to get him off him. Of course he was wrong to assault the kid right there in the classroom, but at the same time I can sympathize with why he did. One can only take so much. I might have done the same. Of course I had to go down and work things out with the principal, and in the end there was a stern warning and nothing more.

But damn, I wish so much that there were not such attitudes in this world of ours.

Second Postscript:

A further postscript, on the brighter side. When the principal of my youngest son’s school found out about the bullying, he called together the teachers and parents and let them know he would not put up with it at his school and there had better be a change. Things indeed did change, and my son is back to his bright cheerful self again when he leaves the school gates.

So if we can conquer our apathy, evil can be overcome. Sometimes, at least.

Posted in Parenting | Tagged bullying, expatriate, Parenting | Leave a comment

Book Review: Deep River by Shusaku Endo

Posted on January 13, 2011 by John Walters

While searching for the novel “Silence” by Shusaku Endo at the local library I came across one of his later novels, “Deep River”. “Silence” is better-known and considered by many to be his masterpiece; Martin Scorsese is planning to film it soon. However, since the library didn’t have “Silence” I decided to give “Deep River” a try, and I’m glad I did. It’s mainly set in India, after all, which is always a draw for me, as I spent so many years there, and it deals with disparate people seeking spiritual truth, which is another theme that interests me.

It’s a fairly short novel, and concerns five Japanese drawn for different personal reasons to Varanasi, the city on the river Ganges where Hindus come to die or dispose of their dead. It begins by giving the background of each character, highlighting the key moments of their lives that lead them to the river. Then it brings them together in a tour group as they work out their various destinies. It’s an elegant book, and what struck me about it was the writer’s courage. It’s obvious that in this novel Endo is struggling with his own inner battles, and his own attempts to reconcile the truths of the religions of Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. What I have read about his life suggests that it is shot through with autobiographical references. But even more, I was struck by his intensely personal, noncommercial method of plotting. I fear I have been too concerned with commercial fiction of late; that is, the necessity of an early hook, drawing the reader in with action, and so on. I admire Endo’s sincerity, which shines through on every page. It is something I have always aspired to but need much more of.

The only problem I had with the book was the translation, which was rudimentary and did not do justice to the elegance of the work. It was obvious in places that the translator was struggling to express what Endo had written. That aside though, I highly recommend the book.

I’m a professional writer; I make my living by my words. I’m happy to share these essays with you, but at the same time, financial support makes the words possible. If you’d like to become a patron of the arts and support my work, buy a few of my available books or available stories. Thanks!

Posted in Book Reviews, On Writing | Tagged Ganges, India, Shusaku Endo, spiritual truth, Varanasi, Writing | Leave a comment

A Slap in the Face

Posted on January 9, 2011 by John Walters

Something slapped me in the face a few days ago, and it took me a while to figure out what it was – no, I am still figuring it out. Maybe writing down my thoughts will help.

Well, one obvious thing is that I have not been working on my writing enough. I have been (contrary to copious advice) obsessing over my blog stats and the miniscule sales figures of my print and electronic short story collection and individual short stories. I intend to rectify that situation. I am preparing the memoir of my time on the road in the mid-70s for publication, and I hope it will be ready in a month or two. It’s not just a travelogue; it’s a radical piece of writing documenting my thoughts as I courted danger and diversity for the sake of art. Afterwards, there will be another short story collection, at least by summer I hope – possibly sooner. And then, we shall see.

One problem is that I have been equating sales numbers with quality. That doesn’t work. There are too many stories of great writers who were unknown in their lifetimes, or only became known near the end of their lives. I am not saying that I am great. But I am unique.

That’s another thing. Because I have not sold much or become well-known I have considered myself a fledgling. But it isn’t true. I have paid my dues. I have traveled the world and have put myself into bizarre situations, to say the least, for the sake of my art. I started writing back in the early seventies, and though there was a large gap in time during a very confusing period in my life, I have been back at the keyboard for fifteen years or so. I am not a neophyte.

Of course, I am not a success either, and that’s part of what bothers me, but it shouldn’t. Success matters little in the pursuit of truth. I’m not after quantity but quality, but I have so much I want to say that quantity shouldn’t be a problem either.

So what slapped me in the face? A reality check that said: get busy. I do have a lot to say, and less time than most. I think about my mortality often, something I am fairly sure that younger writers do not do. So be it. It’s another prod to spur me onward. I will not make any empty promises such as New Year’s resolutions, but I will get busy. Now. Today. And every day possible. Stay tuned.

Posted in On Writing, Travel | Tagged traveling, Writing | Leave a comment

Book Review: Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour by David Bianculli

Posted on January 6, 2011 by John Walters

If I had to pick a decade that was germinal for me I would probably not pick the sixties but the seventies. I was a teen in the sixties, true, but I was a late bloomer. I didn’t really absorb the sixties counterculture until the early seventies.

But I was there, and I was awake, if naïve, and I saw what was happening around me. And one thing that was happening in the late sixties was The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

The show was not my first exposure to this dynamic comedy team, though. When I was a child we had a number of their records (that’s right – old vinyl LPs) and listened to them frequently. But when their show began I was a young teen, and as their show matured and became more radical so did I along with it.

This book describes the background of the rise of the Smothers Brothers as a popular comic team, but focuses mainly on the Comedy Hour show, and the battles with the censors at CBS as the show became more and more cutting edge as far as the youth culture was concerned. It’s fast paced and well-written and researched. Actually, Tom and Dick Smothers asked the writer to do the book and cooperated fully with interviews and information, as did most of the writers and other personnel.

But the book is not just about an old TV show that ran three seasons and then was forced off the air. It epitomizes an era. It was shown Sunday nights from 9:00 to 10:00 opposite Bonanza, the old stalwart, and nobody expected it to survive in that brutal time slot. Instead it lasted from 1967 to 1969, that is, from the Summer of Love to Woodstock – a point that the writer of the book brings out. And as time passed the Smothers tried to get more and more new and fresh ideas past the obdurate narrow-minded network censors.

It was a losing battle; in the end they were fired for their trouble. But it was a temporary loss, as is related in the final chapter of the legacy of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. They have been enormously influential on entertainers that followed them.

I highly recommend this book. For one thing, it gave me a great feeling of nostalgia. As the important moments of the show were described I remembered every one of them. But even if you are too young to have seen the show way back then, it’s an exciting story about entertainers who stuck to their principles in the face of great opposition by the powers that be.

The shows are now available on DVD. At the first opportunity, I gotta have them.

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged book review, censorship, counterculture, sixties, Smothers Brothers, Summer of Love, television, Woodstock | Leave a comment

Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2011 by John Walters

I started this post this morning, and then changed it. And I think that exemplifies the coming year: there will be changes.

Things are changing rapidly, not only in politics and economics and the arts but also in my own life. My sons keep growing of course, and now most of them, I say without shame, are taller and stronger than I am. That’s as it should be.

But it is my writing life to which I refer. A lot has happened in the last year. My first story collection is out both in print and electronic versions, and you can find links to it here. All the individual stories within are available separately online too. More books are in the works. In addition, some of my original stories appeared in 2010 in anthologies such as “Patented DNA” (Pill Hill Press) and “Warrior Wisewoman 3” (Norilana Press) and got good reviews. I also launched this blog/website near the end of last year.

There is a lot to look forward to. Publishing is changing rapidly. The percentage of e-books sold continues to rise. More and more writers are going indie, making for a lot of mediocrity, true, but also a lot of originality and freedom.

Where will it all take us? Who can say? But the world of the arts is an exciting place to be in 2011. As traditional outlets wither, creativity finds new ways to manifest itself. If people can’t write on paper they will write on walls – digital walls, that is – or find some other way to express themselves. Let’s hope that the world of Web publishing continues to be free and continues to grow, and that many more artists find in it a vehicle in which to pursue their talents.

As far as this blog is concerned, I will continue to post about writing, parenting, literature, my travels, Greece, and so on. In addition, I’m sure new subjects will present themselves. Last year, major events happened which I could in no way foresee; this year, hopefully, will surprise us all again.

As it is said: May you live in interesting times.

Happy New Year.

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Whatever Happened To Christmas?

Posted on December 27, 2010 by John Walters

For me, Christmas passed by in a haze. There were legitimate reasons, of course. I had many hours of teaching work right up until the 23rd, and so had little time to contemplate much else. Two of our sons got stranded in northern Europe in the midst of ice and snow, enroute to here, and the interim, during which we sought for ways to speed them on their ways, was exceedingly stressful – but it was more than that. What it is, I’m not sure.

I’ve always been the Christmassy sort. Not to the extreme, as some are, and I’ve never had much money to spend on it – but I look forward to it as a time of rest and peace. I even like all the garish lights on the houses; energy wastage notwithstanding, they brighten up the otherwise drab city. When I was young, growing up in a Catholic household, Christmas was a big deal indeed, with LPs of carols, stockings, a huge natural tree, piles of presents, plenty of food and drink, and of course the obligatory trips to mass that I eventually rebelled against.

Then, later, when I was on my own, details changed due to circumstances but I still retained that impression that something was special about it – and I must emphasize that that feeling had nothing to do with the commercial aspects of the holiday, which I did and do despise. I think the most important aspect of Christmas that abides for me is the feeling of family. It’s nice to get together with family at Christmas. And at times when I was far away from any other relative – for example, one Christmas when I cooled my heels in Malaysia waiting for a visa to enter Thailand – the feeling was strongest of all because the longing for companionship gave it increased poignancy.

I have a large family, my father, four brothers and three sisters, and I miss them at Christmas. They all live on the west coast of the US and here I am halfway around the world in Greece. But this year some of my sons have come from their far wanderings, and we have a tree, and a few lights outside, and a few other trimmings, and yet – Christmas passed by in a haze.

Have I outgrown it? I speak not as a Scrooge-type here. My sons and I have fun together now that they are here, but we would have had similar fun at any other time. And when I am alone, the most joyous occasions are when I am working on my latest project: that is, proofreading and formatting and preparing covers for the stories in my recent collection, to put them up online as individual e-stories.

Times change. What gives us joy this year may not do the same next year. No matter. Apart from the writing and the visits from my sons, what I most appreciate about the holiday this year is the chance to rest up and recharge my batteries for the balance of the school year yet ahead. So be it. Times change; people change.

Merry Christmas.

Posted in Parenting | Tagged Christmas, family, Parenting, Writing | Leave a comment

Book Review: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt

Posted on December 25, 2010 by John Walters

It is a measure of the worth of this book that I begin writing the review before I have even finished it. It is also a measure of the length. It is over 850 pages of small print. When I first picked it up from the library I balked, not because of the length but because the print was so small I didn’t want to strain my already very weak eyes. However, I persisted, and I’m glad I did. Tony Judt, the author, is a hell of a writer. He makes the very complex history of Europe both East and West after the Second World War read like a novel. He is erudite and his material is well-organized and he has an amazing vocabulary besides. He begins right after the war when Europe was divided; he chronicles the West’s dependence on American aid and its struggle to rebuild shattered societies and cities, and the East’s takeover by the dark shadow of the Communist USSR. He describes the amazingly rapid growth of the West, and the equally amazing stagnation and decay of the East.

But one very striking part is the section on the decay of the Communist regimes of the East, their downfall, and the opening up of the East to freedom of travel and expression. It almost brought tears to my eyes. He leads up to it masterfully, so that when it happens its inevitability is clear. I empathize with those people, so long oppressed and then suddenly free. It is truly one of the great eras of modern history.

To anyone who can handle the length I highly recommend this book. It is one of the best history books I have ever read, right up there with “The Best and the Brightest”, and “A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam” and the trilogy on Martin Luther King and his times by Taylor Branch. Of course part of its relevance to me stems from the fact that I have been living in Europe for the past twenty years or so, but that aside I think I would have enjoyed it just as much anyway, for the brilliant piece of work that it is.

The book carries the story up until 2005, and I realize that it has clarified for me many things I have noticed while living here – things I saw and sensed but didn’t fully understand.

Something that affects me personally is the ubiquitous study of the English language by the younger generation. I didn’t grasp what a continental phenomenon it was; it is one of the forces that binds the European Union. Here in Greece, for example, students are required to learn English all through primary school and high school; however, due to the mediocre level of teaching in the public schools private language schools are everywhere, in every village and on every street corner of every major city. An English language certificate is a prerequisite for many jobs, and students study for many years and often make multiple attempts to pass the tests necessary to acquire these certificates. That’s where I come in: I teach English as a second language as my day job.

Another phenomenon that is widespread across Europe is its anti-American sentiment. This, too, I have seen firsthand, in the bullying and persecution my kids have sometimes received at school. Don’t get me wrong; it is not as if it is unsafe to walk down the street if you are from the USA. Most people are polite to me as an individual, but will nevertheless have no qualms about railing against the American government. One of the main events that brought this about was Bush’s post 9/11 invasion of Iraq, which many Europeans balked at, though they reluctantly, after being strong-armed, offered their assistance. It isn’t my intention to get into a political discussion here, but merely to recount what Judt expresses is one of the triggers that has exacerbated an already prevalent mood.

In closing, I want to reiterate that I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in understanding modern Europe and how it has become the way it is. Whether you live here or not, it’s good to experience, at least vicariously, a culture other than your own. That’s one thing that drove me out of the States in the first place: despite all the material comforts, despite all the high technology, despite all the military might, I felt that the viewpoint of most of its people was overwhelmingly provincial, introverted, self-absorbed. Break out of the rut: read this book.

And then come for a visit.

Posted in Book Reviews, Travel | Tagged book review, bullying, English language, Europe, European history, Greece, Postwar, Tony Judt, travel | Leave a comment

Stranded

Posted on December 21, 2010 by John Walters

Sunday, December 19th, was one of the most stressful days my wife and I have had in a long time. As any parent knows, there is no paucity of anxiety when you are raising kids, but this situation was extreme even by parenting standards.

Two of our sons were on their way here to Greece for the holiday season, one from New Jersey and another from England. The one studying at an English university left first, at six in the morning his time, walked to his bus because there was no taxi, and managed to get to Heathrow Airport in plenty of time for his flight only to find out it was canceled due to adverse weather conditions. After cooling his heels for a long time he went to another airport in the London area where he heard there was a flight to Greece, only to find not only that it was full but that buses back to Heathrow were not running because of the snow. After they cleared the roads he finally caught a bus to Heathrow and then went into London to stay with a friend. We were trying all day to help him out by checking conditions online, looking for tickets, and so on, but then the situation began to look grim when his phone began to run out of batteries and we found out that due to antiquated laws concerning working on Sunday here in Greece we were unable to send him the extra money he needed.

My other son successfully flew from Newark to Frankfurt, Germany, but then due to snowfall about half the flights were canceled. His was not, but it was delayed several times and we were all in a state of uncertainty until finally he was able to board and travel onward after a wait of about twelve hours at the airport.

Other travelers were not so fortunate, I know; evidently hundreds of thousands have been affected by this freezing weather all across northern Europe.

When you are going through it these experiences seem traumatic and unendurable, but in aftermath they can morph into adventures. I ought to know; I have been through plenty of extreme situations myself. Once I was turned away at the border of Iran and Turkey because they no longer issued visas at the border. I had hitchhiked there and was almost broke and had to return a day’s travel back into Turkey to get the visa. Something similar happened on another occasion at the border of Pakistan and India; at that time I was absolutely flat broke and had to raise some money in Lahore and then journey halfway across the country to Islamabad. Once my passport was stolen in a remote part of Iran and I had to return to Tehran to get a new one at the American Embassy; you can read about that in the essay “The Lost Poem”. I have any number of other stories of delayed flights and roadside ordeals in inclement weather where no one would pick me up hitchhiking. But you know what? Though sometimes it was very uncomfortable and even dangerous, for me it was always part of the adventure.

The hard part is knowing that someone you love is going through difficulties and being helpless to do much else other than wait. Many times yesterday I wished that I was the one stranded. It’s happened to me before, as I said, and I know what to do. I would gladly have taken their place, if they could only have been delivered safe and sound without all the fuss and bother.

But then – that’s not the point of it all, is it? We all, when it comes right down to it, have to experience some of these things for ourselves. I can tell about it but it’s not the same as actually going through it, and going through it is valuable. There’s nothing like the school of hard knocks.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t apply this to everyone who is stranded this holiday season. My heart especially goes out to families with young children. I have traveled long distances with three or four children at once and I know what it’s like. Alone or with other adults you can relax and eat and drink and read or whatever, but with kids in tow it’s a whole other ball game, as they say – never a dull (or restful) moment.

So if anyone reads this on your laptop while cooling your heels waiting for a flight out, or in between spells of chasing your kids around the crowded terminal, take heart. It will be over sooner or later, and you’ll look back and while sipping coffee or brandy in a warm comfortable place tell the story as an interesting interlude to your children or grandchildren who will most likely eventually have to go through the same thing themselves.

Posted in Parenting, Travel | Tagged Parenting, stranded at airport, travel | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Year’s Best Science Fiction, 26th Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois

Posted on December 17, 2010 by John Walters

I have a confession to make. Though I write a lot of science fiction and fantasy, I read very little of it. Many years ago I existed almost solely on a diet of SF and F, but not anymore. First of all, there is so much else to read: mainstream fiction, history, general nonfiction, memoirs, and so on. But apart from that, when I have read science fiction of the sort that has been published in the last decade or so, even award-winning stuff, I have been generally disappointed.

Notwithstanding, I do write it, so I figured I should have some sort of idea what is happening in the genre – that is, what sort of stories are considered the best. Gardner Dozois as both a writer and an editor I greatly admire, especially as a writer. He has an elegant writing style, every word expressed with absolute precision. So if there were anyone I would trust as a judge of what is best in the field, it would be him.

Well, I read the book and overall I was – sigh – disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. With very few exceptions the stories are well-crafted and adequate. But that is all. They are not exceptional. They are not stories that set the heart pounding and the blood coursing through the veins – stories, in other words, that change your life. They are merely good stories. The one I remember most clearly as exceptional was “The Egg Man” by Mary Rosenblum, not so much that it was original but that the setting in futuristic Mexico was very nicely portrayed. The story itself reminded me of “Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand” by Vonda McIntyre. Both stories posit super-creatures that dispense pharmaceuticals to heal disease; I have to admit, though, that it is cooler for the healing animals to be snakes rather than chickens. A couple of other stand-out stories were “The Political Prisoner” by Charles Coleman Finley, and “G-Men”, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

Here I have a further confession to make: I was spoiled by the late sixties and seventies, by the so-called “new wave” in science fiction, by Harlan Ellison and Samuel Delaney and Roger Zelazny and James Tiptree Jr and Robert Silverberg and Cordwainer Smith and other writers who wrote back then, (not to mention editors like Damon Knight and his incomparable “Orbit” series of anthologies) who thrilled me with attempts to expand the genre, to burst out of convention, to create literature and not just cheap thrills. I felt a vitality in their work that I did not feel as I read these modern stories. There’s nothing wrong with telling a good story; actually, telling a good story is vital, but I want more. I want dynamic explosions of the mind and heart. I want to be intellectually and emotionally thrilled. I want writers to attempt great things, even if they fail.

So, yes, I was disappointed. But perhaps it’s partly my fault. Perhaps I set my expectations too high. As I said, these stories were readable and entertaining. But let’s get back to life-changing, as well as world-shaping.