I am just now reading Ellison's work and it saddens me that he has passed before I could enjoy his work in his lifetime. I find his commentary on society from 50 years ago strikingly poignant today as I am sure it was in 1974.
Harlan is our Mark Twain. It' is just that simple. He is caustic, abrasive, cranky, pushy and egomaniacal. He is also brilliant, charming, multidimensional, and iconic. He is that rare singular thing: a genuine original. And let's all give thanks for that.
Rest In Peace, Susan Ellison. You and Harlan are wherever you are now, and if you're aware of each other again, I'm relieved. For a while, you both were here, and for a while, you both mattered. End of Line.
I love this story. I heard Harlan read it at the first MadCon, and I am so pleased to have found this video of him reading it, so that I could listen to it again.
As someone who has had anger issues in the past, and has burned many a bridge because of them, this story squeezed my heart to the point of bursting. I have been lucky enough to meet the love of my life. My 'Susan.' In fact, she recommended this story to me as she drove off to work on this Labor Day... Still working hard while everyone else takes it easy... She's the only one who sees me, and she is not afraid of my 'monsters.' But I still cry, because she's so wonderful, and because I know our time is finite. It's easy to say, "Enjoy every moment" but sometimes it's just not that easy, because, y'know, life. But I try. No matter how long we're together, it will never be long enough.
Beautiful book! I scrimped and saved and bought it and it stands prominently on my bookshelf. To hear Harlan read it was a pleasure. Thanks for letting us "sit in."
I LOVE at 3:55 after he announces that his dreams had killed his first four wives - and he accents the air with his finger - "But she married him nonetheless." And he smiles a boyish smile of accomplishment and joy. RIP Susan. I met you once at Ellison Wonderland and you were beyond charming.
What an ending... I'd consider myself blessed if I had even one iota of Harlan's keen insight into the human heart. Sincerely, Every Struggling Writer that's Harangued You at Signings.
When I finally have the money to start working on obtaining the full Harlan Ellison collection for myself, Mind Fields is one of the first I hope to find. The concept let alone has fascinated me enough ever since I saw it mentioned on an interview Harlan did with Tom Snyder, but the combination of Ellison's mastery of words and Yerka's breathtaking art is simply stunning.
I would hurry if I were you. Now that the Ellisons are no longer with us, the book prices are going up. Good luck and may all your finds be in hardcover and autographed!
Harlan the writer, is somewhat different from Harlan the showman. Here, in this story telling, he is trancelike, able to fully respect his own beautful work of art, almost distantly, and revere the innate talent there, quite objectively, as if reading aloud from ANY other great author. He knows that he is an accomplished, multi awarded creator of worlds, that originated from another, isolated, private, sacred place in his craftman's mind. One common element of the two men, however, is to be provocative to an audience, to provoke shocking mindfulness in his listeners.
How do I miss someone I never met?
I am just now reading Ellison's work and it saddens me that he has passed before I could enjoy his work in his lifetime. I find his commentary on society from 50 years ago strikingly poignant today as I am sure it was in 1974.
Harlan is our Mark Twain. It' is just that simple. He is caustic, abrasive, cranky, pushy and egomaniacal. He is also brilliant, charming, multidimensional, and iconic.
He is that rare singular thing: a genuine original.
And let's all give thanks for that.
I like the both of them.
Rest In Peace, Susan Ellison. You and Harlan are wherever you are now, and if you're aware of each other again, I'm relieved. For a while, you both were here, and for a while, you both mattered. End of Line.
Thank you, Clayton. Came here for my own cry on the Rim of Obscurity, that place they'll both inhabit, and not, among those of us who remember.
I love this story. I heard Harlan read it at the first MadCon, and I am so pleased to have found this video of him reading it, so that I could listen to it again.
I'm so glad I found and bought the marvelous book in hardcover. One of my prized possessions.
Me too.
I miss them both so much ❤️❤️❤️
Not only a brilliant writer, but a consummate reader of his work as well. RIP.
As someone who has had anger issues in the past, and has burned many a bridge because of them, this story squeezed my heart to the point of bursting.
I have been lucky enough to meet the love of my life. My 'Susan.' In fact, she recommended this story to me as she drove off to work on this Labor Day... Still working hard while everyone else takes it easy... She's the only one who sees me, and she is not afraid of my 'monsters.'
But I still cry, because she's so wonderful, and because I know our time is finite.
It's easy to say, "Enjoy every moment" but sometimes it's just not that easy, because, y'know, life. But I try. No matter how long we're together, it will never be long enough.
I hope it’s still going absolutely well for you! I’m a year late but this made me smile! I’m happy for you two. 😊
Nobody reads Ellison as well as Ellison, and hearing/seeing this is one of the most Romantic Experiences I have ever had.
That was a beautiful story. It literally brought a tear to my eye.
Took me a few years, but i received my signed copy today. Such a beautiful piece and masterwork. Rest in peace Harlan.
Beautiful book! I scrimped and saved and bought it and it stands prominently on my bookshelf. To hear Harlan read it was a pleasure. Thanks for letting us "sit in."
Don't forget to cover the dust cover in brodart and keep it out of the sun.
The resonance of truth is unmistakable.
I LOVE at 3:55 after he announces that his dreams had killed his first four wives - and he accents the air with his finger - "But she married him nonetheless." And he smiles a boyish smile of accomplishment and joy. RIP Susan. I met you once at Ellison Wonderland and you were beyond charming.
I really miss him,,,
What an ending... I'd consider myself blessed if I had even one iota of Harlan's keen insight into the human heart. Sincerely, Every Struggling Writer that's Harangued You at Signings.
I have this book and it is as wonderful as HE described. “Susan” is a beautiful heartbreaking Valentine
When I finally have the money to start working on obtaining the full Harlan Ellison collection for myself, Mind Fields is one of the first I hope to find. The concept let alone has fascinated me enough ever since I saw it mentioned on an interview Harlan did with Tom Snyder, but the combination of Ellison's mastery of words and Yerka's breathtaking art is simply stunning.
I would hurry if I were you. Now that the Ellisons are no longer with us, the book prices are going up. Good luck and may all your finds be in hardcover and autographed!
John Turner at Scott Community College uses this book in his contemporary literature class. It is a book full of great art and stories.
This is amazing
Fantastic.
Lovely
Harlan the writer, is somewhat different from Harlan the showman. Here, in this story telling, he is trancelike, able to fully respect his own beautful work of art, almost distantly, and revere the innate talent there, quite objectively, as if reading aloud from ANY other great author. He knows that he is an accomplished, multi awarded creator of worlds, that originated from another, isolated, private, sacred place in his craftman's mind. One common element of the two men, however, is to be provocative to an audience, to provoke shocking mindfulness in his listeners.
Unless he lives to be 120.
Autobiographical?
Perhaps his finest collection of stores, Harlan Ellison introduces his book, Mind Fields, with art by Jacek Yerka
Voice to text does not include punctuation, and gets a lot of proper names wrong. I hope this helps those who rely on closed captioning.
©1993 The Kilimanjaro Corp. All rights reserved
Transcript
Harlan Ellison
A man came to me with fabulous paintings. Jim Cowen the publisher at Morpheus, for whom I had done an introduction to the HR Giger book, came to me and he said come upon a little polish artist named Jacek Yerka. Lives with his family in the woods. He paints and they're wonderful paintings and I'm going to do a book of them thirty of them. Will you do the introduction? And I said I'm up to here with doing introductions. I'm really tired of it. And then I said let me look at the paintings. And he let me look at them and they took my breath away. They seemed to me to be an astonishing meld of Magritte and Dali and dreamers and Surrealists down through the years. And I said to Jim Cowen, No I won't do an introduction but I will write one story around each painting. One of these little paintings I called Susan and I wrote it about my wife and about my marriage I'm going to read you a story the story is from Mind Fields you'll see the illustration around which I wrote the story and the story like my wife's name is called “Susan.”
**** at this point read Harlan Ellison story about his wife. They were married in 1986 , he was 52 years old, she was 26. Susan Toth Ellison passed away unexpectedly in her sleep 0n August 3rd, 2020 from cardiopulmonary disease in the home she lived in for over three decades with her husband, author Harlan Ellison, and then for two more years after his death in 2018.
so when people talk about food in there book ,it piss me off because it make me spin money and also makes me fat ..
Not sure it was effective to read his own story. Sounds bad.
No, it doesn't, your comment does.
"You are not entitled to your opinion;
you are entitled to your INFORMED opinion."
--- Harlan Ellison
@@Master_Blackthorne.
A more appropriate comment might be:
Degustubus non desputatum
Not only a brilliant writer, but a consummate reader of his work as well. RIP.