The Most Secretive Woman in
the History of Science FictionThis month marks the centennial of sci-fi author James Tiptree, Jr., a man who was as fictional as his make-believe characters
by Ted Gioia
Who is the most mysterious sci-fi author of them all?
Maybe that fellow L. Ron Hubbard, who decided that a religion from outer space had a better payback than stories about outer space? Or perhaps
Philip K. Dick, who was convinced he had been possessed by the spirit of the prophet Elijah? And let’s not forget
Cordwainer Smith, who apparently believed that he lived part-time on an alien planet.
But I insist that we add James Tiptree, Jr. to this list. August 24 marks the 100th anniversary of Tiptree's birth, and it is an event well worth celebrating. One of my favorite genre writers, Tiptree earned a shelf full of major awards for short stories and novellas back in the 1970s and 1980s. And Tiptree's fame lives on posthumously. Three years ago, Tiptree was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Every year the James Tiptree, Jr. Award is given to a work of sci-fi and fantasy that explores gender roles.
But there never was a James Tiptree, Jr.
When Tiptree was a rising star of the science fiction world, any fan who tried to phone the author learned that no one by that name was listed in the directory. No author photos could be found on the jacket sleeves of Tiptree’s books. All requests for public appearances were declined. Influential sci-fi writers and editors who hoped to meet Tiptree in person found their overtures rebuffed.
David Gerrold, screenwriter for the famous "Trouble with Tribbles" screenplay on
Star Trek, even went to Tiptree's mailing address in Alexandria, Virginia, a large rambling home in a wooded area. Knocking on the door, he was greeted by a diminutive, middle-aged woman who was puzzled by her visitor’s request to meet James Tiptree, Jr. She had no idea who he was talking about.
But this absence of firsthand knowledge hardly stopped the sci-fi community from speculating about the hot new writer on the scene. Tiptree was "a man of 50 or 55, I guess, possibly unmarried, fond of outdoor life, restless in his everyday existence," speculated Robert Silverberg in his introduction to Tiptree's
Warm Worlds and Otherwise.
Silverberg mentions in passing rumors that Tiptree might be a woman, but was quick to dismiss these suggestions as "absurd"—then added: "there is something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree's writings."
Readers who wanted the inside scoop on James Tiptree, Jr. would have done better to skip Silverberg's introduction, and instead mull over the title to one of the most provocative stories in
the collection, a tale named “The Women Men Don’t See.” That describes the writer of these stories much better than any of the details in the standard author's bio. ...
http://conceptualfiction.com/james_tiptree.html
