The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has announced that Gene Wolfe will be the recipient of the 2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.
SFWA President John Scalzi, on choosing Wolfe, “You’d have to search far and wide to find a contemporary fantasy writer who has not been directly influenced by Gene Wolfe.”
Wolfe himself on the honor, “You’d better watch your step, folks; you’re raising me to a height I would never have imagined. If you keep this up I’ll start thinking I’m a good writer.”
You can read their extended statements, along with praise from Neil Gaiman, Connie Willis, at the above link.
I love that this is happening. Gene Wolfe has to be one of the top 5 writers (any genre) in the past 50 years. I love his work.
Greatest living writer, full stop.
Awesome!
I am only surprised to learn there’s an award in the genre he hasn’t yet won. I agree with Mordicai: our greatest living writer.
Excellent – he deserves it all
One of the best writers I’ve ever read. Of course he deserves it.
I’ve tried to read him several times and have found his work unengaging and pseudo-intellectual mostly. Very simple ideas and plots told in the most convoluted and difficult way possible, almost as a distraction. The argument that “no, no – you’ll get [the symbolism, the non-sequitors] on your 2nd re-read!” does not work for me either. I get most of it the first time, but it’s not half as original as people make it out to be. To me it just seems like he’s trying to write “densely” just for the sake of it.
What I really mean is, I’d really like to enjoy or even like his books but sadly, I’ve yet to figure out how…