Ron Hogan at GalleyCat asked me and a bunch of other SF pros what novels (up to five in a single volume) we’d like to see added to the Library of America’s collection, and he posted our responses yesterday.
I really enjoyed thinking about my answer. Ron had to cut it down because I was so wordy, so here’s the full one I gave him:
I would love to see a “Female Masters of SF” collection. The problem is limiting oneself to five authors. :-/ Without further research, I would likely choose novels by Andre Norton, C. J. Cherryh, Ursula K. Le Guin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Madeleine L’Engle. There are many wonderful American female writers who have made an impact on the genre, though (Carol Emshwiller, Octavia Butler, Alice Bradley Sheldon [who wrote under the name James Tiptree, Jr.], and Connie Willis, to name a few), and before I made a final selection I would take a much closer look at work by as many of them as possible.
I would love it.
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I'm a freelance copyeditor specializing in fantasy and science fiction. SF/F novels I have copyedited have been finalists for (and have sometimes won) the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, Endeavour, Golden Spur, John W. Campbell Memorial, Quill, Locus, Philip K. Dick, British Science Fiction, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy awards. In 2007 I became the first and only copyeditor ever short-listed for a World Fantasy Award.
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My list SF writers–male or female–would have Connie Willis at the top. Indeed, she is quite high on my list of favourite novelists period. I feel she could dominate any genre, and the only reason she is not as well known as, say, a John Irving is that she write SFs. She is such a well-rounded writer; her novels are so rich and such a perfect blend of comedy and tragedy. It’s really a shame that she doesn’t enjoy a wider audience. Doomsday Book would definitely be on my desert-island list.