My Own "Generational Reading Gap"

Here's a post over at the Philippine Speculative Fiction website, My Own "Generational Reading Gap". The post's author, Rebecca Arcega (author of "The Magic Christmas Box" from the PGS Special Holiday Issue), talks about the books she read when she was young, what interests her now and why, and where they stand from a generational standpoint. An excerpt:

I grew up in a library that my father built up from scratch. Most of my literary education came from this. But I’ll have to admit, I feel like growing up with this repertoire led me to become more isolated from the readers and writers I correspond with.I know very few readers from my generation (or older) who call themselves “sci fi fans,” and at the same time know who Cordwainer Smith even IS. They may have read a little Asimov, a little Clarke, a little Philip K. Dick - but for the most part they’ve read and liked more Carl Sagan, Greg Bear, David Brin, and people who got published WAY after the “golden age,” than I ever will.

I sometimes get vibes from younger readers that run along the lines of: “Well, you’re not a real sci fi fan if you haven’t read China Mieville/Iain Banks/Stanislaw Lem” and my knee-jerk defense is to go “Yeah? To me, you’re not a real sci fi fan unless you’ve read “Doc” Smith/Theodore Sturgeon/at least one Aldous Huxley title that is NOT Brave New World.”

No, I’m not automatically resentful… and I don’t blame people for this, of course.

Full post here.

She's read Cordwainer Smith! And Theodore Sturgeon! Like many do toward Mecca everyday, I bow in your general direction. Or rather, I would, if I knew where you were right now, but since I don't, "cheers" nalang. :)