From a Sept. 4, 1986, letter written by Robert Anton Wilson to Kurt Smith:
"Shea is a nice guy and a good friend, so I told him All Things Are Lights was a wonderful adventure novel. That's my official opinion. I hate the bitchiness and nastiness that infests the literary world and I try to remember never to bum-rap anybody, but especially not old friends."
Via Michael Johnson, thank you Michael! Does anyone have any context, or any other comments by RAW about Shea's novels? I liked All Things Are Lights and it was a favorite of his widow, Patricia Monaghan.
Update: In the comments, Eric Wagner writes, "Bob once sent me a Medaeval reading list. He told me he had sent a similar list to Bob Shea before he wrote All Things Are Lights." I forgot to ask Eric if he still has that list, but I'll ask now.
For the record, in the acknowledgements, Shea writes that "many people" helped him, and adds, "I would especially like to express my gratitude to Jeanne Bernkopf, Bernadette Bosky, Frances C. Bremseth, Gerald Bremseth, Ric Erickson, Christine Hayes, Dave Hickey, Dr. Joseph R. Kraft, Mary Kay Kraft, Neal Rest, Michael Erik Shea, Morrison Swift, Robert Anton Wilson, and Al Zuckerman."
3 comments:
Bob once sent me a Medaeval reading list. He told me he had sent a similar list to Bob Shea before he wrote All Things Are Lights.
It certainly doesn't sound like he was blown away by the book. But it was good to be kind to his friend.
Right? Pretty tepid endorsement.
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