New Generation Gap Questionnaire.

I always love new writers and new writings. But do those new writers read works by older ones? I found an interesting topic on the Elizabeth Bear blog, which John Klima expanded on the Tor Books web site. Also I hear a lot of complaints about lack of reading habits in the younger generation, and see the Worldcon attendants getting older and older, which inspires a lot of ideas on encouraging young readers to attend, but they never succeed. Do young writers feel alienated to the traditional SF/F genre? Or don't they care at all? When I first attended the Worldcon in 1984, even those young angry turks called cyberpunks read a new Heinlein novel and discussed it. Even established writers like Ben Bova and Fred Pohl read Bruce Sterling and William Gibson. Even then, a certain gap between generations was felt and it was a famous legend that Thomas M. Disch hated new writers like George R. R. Martin and John Varley in the 70’s, criticizing them as award seekers, naming them Labor Day Group. But in these days of decline of traditional book publishing, should we feel the gap among us reading people?

On the other hand, I always feel time is changing, to quote a song I really love, how it differs from a rock. New writers are trying something new and it's alright for them to take some distance from the established writers and their writing styles, I guess.

So I asked a bunch of writers and editors about this generation thing, and featured the answers in the "Sprawl Fiction" June 2009 issue of Hayakawa's SF Magazine. The answers are very much interesting and enlightening. I'd like to share their wisdom and heartfelt feelings on this issue with you. Thanks a lot to y'all who answered to my questionnaire and gave us permission to post them here.

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