Author of the Year 2011: Carol Emshwiller

It's a bit early for end of the year wrap-ups, but given my effusive reviews, I'm going to go ahead and call it — Carol Emswhiller for the Sensorium's author of the year 2011!

In May, I attended my first WisCon and two panels with Carol Emshwiller that focused on reading from and discussing her work. It included a 90th birthday celebration for her. We all wore party hats. It was all very exciting and inspiring. Emswiller's Carmen Dog is, after all, according to Small Beer Press, "...the funny feminist classic that inspired writers Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler to create the James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award."

There was just one problem, for me. I had not read many of Emshwiller's works (only The Secret City a Burning Man read in 2010, along with Pat Murphy's The City, Not Long After, to go along with that year's theme Metropolis, The Life of Cities).

I had to fix that. At WisCon, I saw The Collected Stories of Carol Emshwiller for sale, but I didn't buy it just then. A mistake, perhaps, as my review of the book says:

"Go read this, do! It's a fantastic collection of 89 weird and wonderful very short stories in 572 pages. Each story starts out strange and winds its way into even more experimental, experiential territory." and ends, "Still, here? Goodness, dear, go read Emshwiller!"

I started with The Mount.

"Brilliant! Brilliant! But what is this book about?

How we treat our pets? Specieism and animal rights? Democracy? A utopia where the slaves revolt and create their society in the hills? What happens after an alien invasion? Classism? Are we the ruling class or the revolutionists? Are we the ones who can't walk or the ones who can't see? Cultural conditioning. The dangers of adaptation. Privilege. What it means to be free. Balance of power? A coming of age story: falling in love? Familial love? Kindness. Friendship. Finding your voice?

And what are these alien creatures? Horses? Dogs? Humans? Primates. Monkeys? Muppets? Could I draw a picture of Charley or Little Master? Would it look the same as yours?

A strange, subversive little book. Question everything. Enjoy!"

And then read Carmen Dog, at last.

"A delightful, playful, artful exploration of what it means to be human and how we treat animals, women, and mothers — fantasy with philosophical underpinnings.

The story begins in a world in which women are turning into a variety of animals (wolverine, swan, snapping turtle, pig) and animals (including many pets: dogs, cats, guinea pigs) are turning into women. It follows the journey of a Setter named Pooch who is becoming a nubile young women and desires to be a opera star. She loves Carmen. It starts with Pooch and her family as they cope with the changes and, then, as Pooch enters the world at large it shows how society is faring. The tight, compact set up of the story blossoms.

At the beginning of Chapter 19, Emswhiller quotes Nietzsche, "And I say unto you: one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." As the story progresses, there is chaos within Carmen Dog — antagonists switch sides and allegiances become more ambiguous. It ends with dramatic scenes and circus acts."

I find Emshwiller eminently quoteable and have referenced her often in the extra sensory section of numerous posts on this blog.

From Carmen Dog comes what may be my favorite literary quote of all time:

"She tips back her head and howls: Mooooowwn! Oh wonderful moooooowwwwwyyyn!"

I've now read many of The Collected Short Stories of Carol Emshwiller and am still reading the stories. I don't want to hurry. I'm savoring. I love these stories and their enticing first lines.

"The person you care about the most has just told you you're no good." — "Joy in Our Cause"

"I am the woman of the year, or so it seems so far." — "Verging on the Pertinent"

"In the beginning there was a goddess from whom all things flawed flowed." — "If Not Forever, When?"

"We have always yearned for great men." — "The Promise of Undying Love"

"She is eighty-two and in love." — "There Is No Evil Angel But Love"

"Grandma used to be a woman of action. She wore tights. She had big boobs, but a teeny-weeny bra." — "Grandma"

I may be late to the Emshwiller party, but I made it. I love, love, love these works and I'm having a great time reading them. Her Western, Ledoyt, is next on my reading list.

Also, notable in reading this year: 

• I filled another reading gap and read Joyce Carol Oates: Sourland stories, A Widow's Story: A Memoir, and Zombie and saw her at Seattle Arts & Lectures. I added Black Water to my to-read list. 
• I read Marta Randall's Islands. It deals with some of the same themes as my current work in progress and leads me to this writer's law: At some point during your project, you will read the book that does what you are trying to do — but better. You must finish your project anyway.
•  Geoff Ryman's Air and Matt Ruff's Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls — much respect
• Helen Merrick's The Secret Feminist Cabal (Aqueduct Press, 2009) 
• Margaret Cavendish's The Blazing World