by Glenn Grant
The Americans are catching up, learning an act we’ve practised for some time, as their SF writers find the boundaries with the mundane blurring, becoming frighteningly invisible, disappearing into a new landscape. They could take lessons from English-Canadian and Québécois SF writers—we know a lot about several kinds of cultural schizophrenia. Witness Albertan H. Hargreaves, whose scholarship of medieval French comes to light with his translation of Fontanelle’s conversations on the Plurality of Worlds, while the fans know him only as a British-published senior SF writer yclept Hank.
Whether or not we are good at talking about what we write, though, we are writing it. Keeping in step just enough to get published, in US pulp SF mags or Canadian literary mags, it matters little so long as there’s a chance to be read, to change the world, to make it count. Yet stepping as far outside the norms, the genre strictures, as we can, because changing the world, the changing world, is what matters most. We are reading each other’s work, across boundaries which in the reading become invisible, and we are learning that we have common preoccupations.
For instance: What for? replaces What if? as the SF question at least half the time these days. David-Suzuki-fed question: will we make it in time? We have ten years. SF-fed belief: the work we do is as important to change as is recycling, cleaning up rivers, reforestation, or going to Neptune via Voyageur. Changing people’s minds. Have we changed minds, ours or anyone’s?
Okay, that’s what we want to be doing, strobing those traditional values with a new light—sound like on-off potentiality, positive and negative, entropy and information again? The battle between good and evil, if you will? But in fact, we have no battles, nothing binary, just new vision, 20/20 for a change, telescopic even or wideangle, full-spectrum, holistic: lateral X linear = ? And “?” is our business. Our question. Our answer.
Now, just to confuse the issue, let me take this term speculative fiction which I have, with others of similar minds, adopted and which I encourage the Canadian community to adopt to distinguish our work and identify our own tradition. Let me take it and transform it yet again by saying: what fiction is not speculative? Is Anna Karenina documentary? Did Silas Marner exist? And Reil, though he certainly existed, did he speak the words Weibe gave him; did Big Bear think the thoughts likewise?
Give me a novel that is not set in a parallel universe—St. Petersburg or Manawanka—simply by virtue of being fiction. So we are not so different from mainstream swimmers after all, except that we made our worlds a little fancier—except that we like salmon moved more freely between salt water and fresh, while some like trout stayed in narrower streams. But both of us have to swim against the current to spawn, to create, to make the culture of the next generations possible. We just have more garish covers on some of ours. Think nothing of it. Like children dressed to impress grandparents, we didn’t choose our clothes.
But we are not children, and the tracks we have followed to grandparents’ houses have brought us into the dangerous realms of many forests, far from initial influences, under the yellow eyes of many wolves; like typical Canadians, we do not fight it: we map the forest, make friends with the wolves, and emerge from the woods subtly changed, having also transformed forests, wolves, and even our grandparents into something new, strange, wonderful.
All in search of new worlds, or new ways to define the old. Where did we begin? Everywhere, nowhere. By now, the beginning is lost, the change is constant, and the journey never stops.
APPENDIX
CANADIAN SF AWARDS
Canadian awards for science fiction or SF are, it seems, a complicated affair. In the early stages of compiling this anthology, the editors discovered that there is no single publication where the nominees and winners of the English-language or the French-language awards are listed. And so we set out to remedy that lack. What follows is the result of our best efforts to track down all the modern-day awards given in Canada for fiction by one or another segment of the science fiction community.
CANADIAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY AWARDS
This list was compiled by Dennis Mullen (current administrator of the Aurora Awards), Glenn Grant, Jean-Louis Trudel, Robert Runté, and Robert J. Sawyer.
THE AURORA AWARDS
Organised by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, the Auroras are Canada’s only national “people’s choice” awards. Ballots are distributed through Canadian SF specialty bookstores and periodicals. The readers nominate and then vote on the finalists (a small voting fee is levied on the second ballot), and the awards are presented at the annual national “Canvention.”
A single “lifetime achievement” award was instituted in 1980. By 1986 it was officially known as the Casper, a play on the initials CSFFA, and the award was split into three categories, honoring outstanding work in English, in French, and contributions to fandom. Three categories later became ten categories, and the Caspers were renamed the Auroras in 1991.
—Glenn Grant
1980—Canvention 1 (HalCon 3, Halifax)
From 1980 to 1985, only one award, for work in English, was presented. A. E. Van Vogt, Lifetime Achievement
1981—Canvention 2 (V-Con, Vancouver)
Susan Wood, Lifetime Contributions to the Field of Canadian SF and Fantasy
1982—Canvention 3 (NonCon 5, Edmonton)
Phyllis Gotlieb, Lifetime Contributions to the Field, and for A Judgment of Dragons
1983—Canvention 4 (MapleCon 5, Ottawa)
Judith Merril, Lifetime Contributions to the Field
1984—No Canvention held, no awards presented
1985—Canvention 5 (HalCon, Halifax)
Eileen Kernaghan, Songs from the Drowned Lands (Ace, 1983)
1986—Canvention 6 (V-Con, Vancouver)
From 1986 through 1988, three Caspers were presented each year, one for outstanding work in English, one for outstanding work in French, and one for contribution to fandom.
Judith Merril (English), Lifetime Contributions to the Field
Daniel Sernine (Français), “Yadjine et la Mort” (Dix Nouvelles de Science-Fiction)
Garth Spencer (Fan), for editing Maple Leaf Rag
1987—Canvention 7 (Ad Astra 7, Toronto)
Guy Gavriel Kay (English), The Wandering Fire (Collins, 1986)
Élisabeth Vonarburg (Français), “La Carte du tendre” (Aimer)
Élisabeth Vonarburg (Fan), for editing Solaris
1988—Canvention 8 (KeyCon 5, Winnipeg)
Charles de Lint (English), Jack the Giant Killer (Ace, 1987)
Alain Bergernon (Français), “Les Crabes de Vénus regardent vers le ciel”
(Solaris 73)
Michael Skeet (Fan), for editing of MLR
1989—Canvention 9 (PineKone 2, Ottawa)
In 1989 the number of Awards expanded from three to nine. (Fiction nominees are listed here in alphabetical order, after the winning work. Some “Long-Form” nominees appear in successive years because novels remain eligible for a two-year period. The “Best Other Work” categories recognize anthologies, magazines, nonfiction books, and nonprint media.)
Best Long-Form Work in English (1987–88):
Mona Lisa Overdrive, William Gibson (Bantam)
Nominees:
Machine Sex and Other Stories, Candas Jane Dorsey (Porcépic)
Time Pressure, Spider Robinson (Ace)
The Silent City, Élisabeth Vonarburg (Porcépic)
Memory Wire, Robert Charles Wilson (Bantam)
Best Long-Form Work in French (1987–88):
Temps mort, Charles Montpetit (Paulines)
Nominees:
Les Gélules utopiques, Guy Bouchard (Logiques)
La Plage des songes, Stanley Péan (CIDICHA)
Le Temps des migrations, Francine Pelletier (Le Préambule)
Le Traversier, Esther Rochon (La Pleine Lune)
Best Short-Form Work in English (1988):
“Sleeping in a Box,” Candas Jane Dorsey (Machine Sex and Other Stories)
Nominees:
“The Fruit Picker,” Jo Beverly (Writers of the Future IV)
“(Learning About) Machine Sex,” Candas Jane Dorsey (Machine Sex and Other Stories)
“The Paranoid,” Spider Robinson (Pulphouse Issue 2)
“Golden Fleece,” Robert J. Sawyer (Amazing, September 1988)
Best Short-Form Work in French (1988):
“Survie sur Mars,” Joël Champetier (L’Année de la SF et du F Québécois 1987, Le Passeur)
Nominees:
“L’Intrus,” Jean Dion (imagine … 43)
“SGV,” Jean-François Dubé (Solaris 78)
“Geisha Blues,” Michel Martin (L’Année de la SF et du F Québécois 1987, Le Passeur)
“Sans titre,” Yves Meynard (Solaris 80)
Best Other Work in English: Gerry Truscott, Editor, Tesseract Books
Best Other Work in French: Luc Pomerleau, Editor, Solaris
Organisational Fan Achievement: Paul Valcour, Treasurer, PineKone I
Fanzine Achievement: Michael Skeet, MLR
Other Fan Achievement: Robert Runté, NCF Guide to Canadian SF
1990—Canvention 10 (ConVersion 7, Calgary)
Best Long-Form Work in English (1988–89):
West of January, Dave Duncan (Del Rey)
Nominees:
Barking Dogs, Terence M. Green (St. Martin’s Press)
Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light, Tanya Huff (DAW)
The Sarsen Witch, Eileen Kernaghan (Ace)
Rogue Emperor, Crawford Kilian (Del Rey)
Gypsies, Robert Charles Wilson (Bantam)
Best Long-Form Work in French (1988–89):
L’Oiseau de feu (Tome 1), Jacques Brossard (Leméac)
Nominees:
Berlin-Bangkok, Jean-Pierre April (Logiques)
L’Idole des inactifs, Denis Côté (La Courte Echelle)
Le Domaine des sans yeux, Jacques Lazure (Québec/Amérique)
Best Short-Form Work in English (1989):
“Carpe Diem,” Eileen Kernaghan (On Spec, Fall 1989)
Nominees:
“Flaw on Serendip,” J. Brian Clarke (Analog, November 1989)
“If You Go Out in the Woods,” Paula Johanson (On Spec, Fall 1989)
“A Fertile Mind,” Clélie Rich (On Spec, Fall 1989)
“Duty Free,” Rhea Rose (On Spec, Spring 1989)
Best Short-Form Work in French (1989):
“Cogito,” Élisabeth Vonarburg (imagine … 46)
Nominees:
“La Tortue sur le trottoir,” Michel Martin (C.I.N.Q., Logiques)
“Akimento,” Claude-Michel Prévost (Solaris 87)
“Pas de dum-dum pour Mister Klaus,” Claude-Michel Prévost (C.I.N.Q., Logiques)
Best Other Work in English: Copper Pig Writers’ Society, Publishers, On Spec
Best Other Work in French: Luc Pomerleau, Editor, Solaris
Organisational Fan Achievement: The Alberta Speculative Fiction Assn., ConText ’89
Fanzine Achievement: Michael Skeet, MLR
Other Fan Achievement: Robert Runté, Promotion of Canadian SF
1991—Canvention 11 (ConText 2, Edmonton)
Best Long-Form Work in English (1989–90):
Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking/Roc, 1990)
Nominees:
King of the Scepter’d Isle, Michael Coney
Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light, Tanya Huff
Golden Fleece, Robert J. Sawyer
Gypsies, Robert Charles Wilson
Best Long-Form Work in French (1989–90):
Histoire de la princesse et du dragon, Élisabeth Vonarburg
Nominees:
L’Oiseau de feu (2A), Jacques Brossard
Le Maître de Chichen Itza, Vincent Chabot
La Mer au fond du monde, Joël Champetier
L’Espace du diamant, Esther Rochon
Nuits blêmes, Daniel Sernine
Best Short-Form Work in English (1990):
“Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large,” James Alan Gardner (On Spec, April 1990)
Nominees:
“Wolfrunner,” Mary Choo
“Freewheeling,” Charles de Lint
“The Fair in Emain Macha,” Charles de Lint
“Eternity, Baby,” Andrew Weiner
Best Short-Form Work in French (1990):
“Ici, des tigres,” Élisabeth Vonarburg (Le Sabord 25)
Nominees:
“À fleur de peau,” Joël Champetier
“Coeur de fer,” Joël Champetier
“Le Vertige des prisons,” Roger Des Roches
Best Other Work in English: Copper Pig Writers’ Society, Publisher, On Spec
Best Other Work in French: Les Compagnons à temps perdu, Magazine, Solaris
Artistic Achievement: Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk, Cover Painting, On Spec
Organisational Fan Achievement: Dave Panchyk, President, SSFS; Chair, Combine 0
Fanzine Achievement: Catherine Girczyc, Neology
Other Fan Achievement: Al Betz, Column, “Ask Mr. Science”
1992—Canvention 12 (WilfCon 8, Waterloo)
Best Long-Form Work in English (1990–91):
Golden Fleece, Robert J. Sawyer (Warner, 1990)
Nominees:
Blood Price, Tanya Huff (DAW, 1991)
The Difference Engine, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling (Bantam, 1991)
The Divide, Robert Charles Wilson (Bantam, 1991)
The Little Country, Charles de Lint (Morrow, 1991)
Kill the Editor, Spider Robinson (Axolotl, 1991)
Best Long-Form Work in French (1990–91):
Ailleurs et au Japon, Élisabeth Vonarburg (Québec/Amérique, 1991)
Nominees:
La Taupe et le dragon, Joël Champetier (Québec/Amérique, 1991)
Boulevard des étoiles, Daniel Sernine (Ianus, 1991)
Nuits blêmes, Daniel Sernine
À la recherche de monsieur Goodtheim, Daniel Sernine (Ianus, 1991)
Best Short-Form Work in English (1991) (tie):
“A Niche,” Peter Watts (Tesseracts3)
“Breaking Ball,” Michael Skeet (Tesseracts3)
Nominees:
“Baseball Memories,” Edo van Belkom (Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, Vol. VII, No. 1)
“The Man Who Would be Kzin,” S. M. Stirling (Man-Kzin Wars IV, Baen)
“Why I Hunt Flying Saucers,” Hugh Spencer (On Spec, Fall 91)
“Reaper,” James Alan Gardner (F&SF, February 1991)
“Raven Sings a Medicine Way, Coyote Steals the Pollen,” Charles de Lint (Author’s Choice Monthly 22)
“The Water Man,” Ursula Pflug (Tesseracts3)
Best Short-Form Work in French (1991):
“L’Enfant des Mondes Assoupis,” Yves Meynard (SOL)
Nominees:
“Rêves d’anges,” Alain Bergeron (imagine … 56)
“A’t,” Harold Côté
“Jusqu’au dernier,” Michel Lamontagne (imagine … 55)
“Hôtel Carnivalia,” Daniel Sernine (Boulevard des étoiles, Ianus)
“Les Jeux de la paix et de la guerre,” Jean-Louis Trudel (imagine … 55)
Best Other Work in English: TVOntario, Television series, Prisoners of Gravity
Best Other Work in French: Les Compagnons à temps perdu, Magazine, Solaris
Artistic Achievement: Martin Springett, Paintings
Organisational Fan Achievement: John Mansfield, Chair, Winnipeg 1994 Worldcon Bid
Fanzine Achievement: Larry Hancock, Sol Rising
Other Fan Achievement: David W. New, Horizons SF
1993—Canvention 13 (WolfCon 6, Wolfville)
Best Long-Form Work in English (published in 1991–92):
Passion Play, Sean Stewart (Beach Holme, 1992)
Nominees:
Children of the Rainbow, Terence M. Green (McClelland & Stewart, 1992)
Blood Trail, Tanya Huff (DAW, 1992)
A So
ng for Arbonne, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking, 1992)
Far-Seer, Robert J. Sawyer (Ace, 1992)
Best Long-Form Work in French (1991–92):
Chroniques du Pays des Mères, Élisabeth Vonarburg (Québec/Amérique, 1992)
Nominees:
La Taupe et le dragon, Joël Champetier (Québec/Amérique, 1991)
Chronoreg, Daniel Sernine (Québec / Amérique, 1992)
Le Cercle de Khaleb, Daniel Sernine (Héritage, 1992)
Best Short-Form Work in English (1992):
“The Toy Mill,” David Nickle and Karl Schroeder (Tesseracts4)
Nominees:
“Blue Limbo,” Terence M. Green (Ark of Ice)
“Couples,” Eileen Kernaghan (Tesseracts4)
“Farm Wife,” Nancy Kirkpatrick (Northern Frights)
“Hopscotch,” Karl Schroeder (On Spec, Spring 1992)
“Seeing,” Andrew Weiner (F&SF September 1992)
“Ants,” Allan Weiss (Tesseracts4)
Best Short-Form Work in French (1992):
“Base de négociation,” Jean Dion (Solaris 101)
Nominees:
“Revoir Nymphéa,” Alain Bergeron (Solaris 99)
“Le Projet,” Harold Côté (Solaris 101)
“Le Pierrot diffracté,” Laurent McAllister (Solaris 99)
“Pluies amères,” Daniel Sernine (Solaris 100)
“Suspends ton vol,” Élisabeth Vonarburg (Solaris 99)