How Precious Was That while: An Autobiography FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Piers Anthony continues his own life story with How Precious Was That While, a volume that is sure to intrigue and entertain his many fans - and infuriate his critics. The book begins with a review of the author's early years, revealing new and telling details about his upbringing at the hands of two brilliant but often careless parents, including a riveting section about their harrowing experiences as expatriates in Spain just before the Second World War." "Anthony chronicles his lonely and isolated childhood in New England, where his parents moved after the war. He acknowledges the social awkwardness, learning problems, and recurring depression that clouded those years, before his gift for storytelling at last became his salvation. He tells of his early loves, his courtship and marriage to his wife, the birth of their daughters, and his struggle to fit into the conformist society of postwar America. And he narrates in detail his slow, steady progress toward personal and commercial success as a writer, from his early achievements as an innovator in science fiction to the creation of the magical land of Xanth, which has become his most celebrated accomplishment, placing him on the New York Times bestseller lists more than twenty times."--BOOK JACKET.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In this autobiographical sequel to 1988's Bio of an Ogre, Anthony tacitly and emphatically acknowledges that his readers mean more to him than critics, publishers or editors. Anthony, a renowned fantasy writer, creator of the Xanth series, dedicates a chapter called "The Early Part of Dying" to his fans and their sometimes highly personal correspondence, sharing their "inner agonies" (often he spends two full days a week answering letters). Some controversial segments focusing on the intricacies of the publishing industry might be applauded if they weren't so terribly black-and-white. Seemingly defensive, Anthony accuses the review industry of housing unqualified, subjective reviewers: "In a general way, many reviewers have a bias against success, so they try to bring down the most successful fiction while promoting the least successful." Discussing his novelizations of movies (e.g., Total Recall), he opines, "Novelizations are sneered at by critics, but of course it seems that everything that's interesting is panned by critics." His vitriol isn't reserved for the publishing biz: he hates Dallas, for instance, because JFK was assassinated there; based on that long-ago event, he's decided that Dallas's entire police force is still incompetent. His thoughts on his craft, not his focus on sales figures, make for the most interesting passages. "A writer who waits for inspiration may wait forever" is far more illuminating than "Do you ever wonder why the latest Stephen King novel is in every store?... To [publishers], books are just a product, and King sells better than Brand X." (Sept.) Forecast: Anthony has a ready-made audience. With print advertising in sci-fi and fantasy publications,this will have no trouble reaching them. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Sequel to the prolific fantasy writer's previous autobiography, Bio of an Ogre (not reviewed). After the usual biographical details (a summary of the previous book; a childhood spent in England and Spain, and on to America, where he developed from a child considered subnormal into a superior college student), Anthony emphasizes the determination and persistence necessary to break into print (a workaholic, he considers "writer's block" merely an excuse for not getting on with the job). With his straightforward, honest approach, Anthony has earned a certain notoriety in the publishing world: he never backs down when threatened by bullies, nor backs off when the facts are on his side (and, since he checks very carefully, mostly they are). He's dedicated to his readers and spends two days a week answering fan mail. From this correspondence-the fans often pour their hearts out to him-he estimates that one in three or four girls suffer some form of sexual abuse: an appalling statistic, representative or not. Puzzled and resigned, he details the truly disgraceful behavior of most publishers-the current one not excepted-ranging from malevolent incompetence through outright fraud. His fellow SF/fantasy writers evince similarly complex conduct: Isaac Asimov (courageous, but in person a compulsive grabber of female breasts and buttocks); Keith Laumer (a snake in the grass, even before the stroke that tipped him over the edge); Gordon R. Dickson (a drunk who never fulfilled his potential); the irascible Harlan Ellison (a personality clash if ever there was one); the talented, tragic John Brunner. Editors get the treatment, too, from the meddlesome Lester Del Rey to the witty host of thefamous Milford Writers' Conferences, Damon Knight, who allows personal remarks as the basis for critical judgments. This unsparingly forthright second memoir should ruffle some feathers that badly need ruffling.
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