Conversations with Octavia Butler (Literary Conversations Series) [Hardcover]

Conseula Francis (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Literary Conversations Series | Publication Date: March 15, 2010

Octavia Butler (1947-2006) spent the majority of her prolific career as the only major black female author of science fiction. Winner of both the Nebula and Hugo Awards as well as a MacArthur "genius" grant, the first for a science fiction writer, Butler created worlds that challenged notions of race, sex, gender, and humanity. Whether in the postapocalyptic future of the Parable stories, in the human inability to assimilate change and difference in the Xenogenesis books, or in the destructive sense of superiority in the Patternist series, Butler held up a mirror, reflecting what is beautiful, corrupt, worthwhile, and damning about the world we inhabit.

In interviews ranging from 1980 until just before her sudden death in 2006, Conversations with Octavia Butler reveals a writer very much aware of herself as the "rare bird" of science fiction even as she shows frustration with the constant question,"How does it feel to be the only one?" Whether discussing humanity's biological imperatives or the difference between science fiction and fantasy or the plight of the working poor in America, Butler emerges in these interviews as funny, intelligent, complicated, and intensely original.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The first collection of interviews with the Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of Kindred, Parable of the Sower, Fledgling, and Bloodchild

About the Author

Conseula Francis is associate professor of English and director of African American studies at the College of Charleston. Her work has been published in the Langston Hughes Review.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (March 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160473275X
• ISBN-13: 978-1604732757
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still thrilling me, May 24, 2010

By 

ICU2 (SF.CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conversations with Octavia Butler (Literary Conversations) (Paperback)

This is a great oppurtunity to get a first hand look at Ms. Butler. Her evolutionay growth, was very interesting. She is my all time favorite author. I was impressed with her world views and her reflection of her self. This is the kind of person I would have enjoyed spending a whole day with. I seriously felt pain in my soul when I heard this wonderfull human had passed on. Gone to soon.

ICU2
ONE

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book, January 1, 2011

By 

A. Kee (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conversations with Octavia Butler (Literary Conversations) (Paperback)

Although essays have been written about the legendary writer Octavia Butler (1947-2006), if you want to really get to know Octavia Butler you need this book. In Conversations with Octavia Butler, Conseula Francis, an associate professor of English and director of African American studies at the College of Charleston, has compiled a varied set of twenty-three interviews.

Some of the interviews were conducted for print publications, while others are transcripts of radio interviews (such as interviews that aired on NPR). While a few of the interviews are currently available online, it was quite exciting to read the first twelve interviews, which span the years from 1980 to 1998, because most of these are not freely available. Readers of her later books will also enjoy the eleven interviews from the year 2000 to 2006. The majority of the interviews are short, under ten pages, but a few are meatier at twenty pages or longer. The format of the interviews also varies, as most were written in the typical transcript style, but a handful were written as essays. Others are not one-on-one interviews at all; rather, they are write-ups of panel discussions. Regardless of the format, readers of Conversations, whether they are new to Octavia Butler's work and longtime fans, will find themselves captivated by the topics discussed in the interviews.

In all, I believe that this is a very important book, one that is particularly valuable to three audiences. First, fans like myself, who hunger to know more about the details of Octavia Butler's life and about her perspectives on her work, will be captivated. Second, scholars-from high school students who are reading one of her books for their English class to professors doing research for an article-will find much to explore. Finally, writers, both novice and professional, will appreciate the wealth of writing strategies and anecdotes on living the writerly life that Butler shares in the interviews. Her work revolutionized the science-fiction genre and inspired countless science-fiction fans, feminist writers, and writers of color. Conversations with Octavia Butler is a superb collection and a true exemplar of how her legacy can be shared.

For a longer review, see the online magazine Expanded Horizons, Volume 26.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "intimate" look at one of my favorite authors, October 7, 2010

By 

Lissa_ann (Salisbury, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conversations with Octavia Butler (Literary Conversations) (Paperback)

I say intimate in quotation marks, because Ms. Butler was intensely private, but you can find small tidbits here. You can read a little about the fire that burned her grandmother's house down, her mother's off-hand remark that she could be a writer which stuck in her head, when her mother tore up her comic books...I am loving this book!