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A Lit Fuse, The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison
An unguarded, uncensored, unquiet tour of the life of Harlan Ellison.
In late 2011 Harlan Ellison—the multi-award-winning writer of speculative fiction and famously litigious personality—did two uncharacteristic things. First, he asked biographer Nat Segaloff if he'd be interested in writing his life story. Second, he gave Segaloff full control. The result is the long-anticipated A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, an Exploration. The expansive biography, which is the first such project in which Ellison has permitted large portions of his varied works to appear, is published by NESFA Press.
Segaloff conducted exhaustive interviews with Ellison over the course of five years and also spoke with many of his friends and enemies in an effort to get inside the man and pin down the best-known "Harlan stories." Their wide-ranging discussions cover his bullied boyhood, his storied marriages, his fabled lawsuits, and his compulsive writing process with more depth and detail than has ever before appeared in print. But it also delves deeply into the man's deeply held principles, his fears, and the demons that have driven him all of his 82 (so far) years. Friends, colleagues, and admirers such as Neil Gaiman, Patton Oswalt, Peter David, Robert Sawyer, Michael Scott, Edward Asner, Leonard Nimoy, Ed Bryant, Alan Brennert, Robert Silverberg, and many other notables add their voices.
Along the way the reader is treated to an analysis of the Connie Willis controversy, the infamous dead gopher story, allegedly pushing a fan down an elevator shaft, and the final word on The Last Dangerous Visions. What emerges is a rich portrait of a man who has spent his life doing battle with his times and himself, always challenging his readers to reach for a higher plane and goading himself to get them there. It's funny, wise, shocking, and—well, it's Harlan.
In late 2011 Harlan Ellison—the multi-award-winning writer of speculative fiction and famously litigious personality—did two uncharacteristic things. First, he asked biographer Nat Segaloff if he'd be interested in writing his life story. Second, he gave Segaloff full control. The result is the long-anticipated A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, an Exploration. The expansive biography, which is the first such project in which Ellison has permitted large portions of his varied works to appear, is published by NESFA Press.
Segaloff conducted exhaustive interviews with Ellison over the course of five years and also spoke with many of his friends and enemies in an effort to get inside the man and pin down the best-known "Harlan stories." Their wide-ranging discussions cover his bullied boyhood, his storied marriages, his fabled lawsuits, and his compulsive writing process with more depth and detail than has ever before appeared in print. But it also delves deeply into the man's deeply held principles, his fears, and the demons that have driven him all of his 82 (so far) years. Friends, colleagues, and admirers such as Neil Gaiman, Patton Oswalt, Peter David, Robert Sawyer, Michael Scott, Edward Asner, Leonard Nimoy, Ed Bryant, Alan Brennert, Robert Silverberg, and many other notables add their voices.
Along the way the reader is treated to an analysis of the Connie Willis controversy, the infamous dead gopher story, allegedly pushing a fan down an elevator shaft, and the final word on The Last Dangerous Visions. What emerges is a rich portrait of a man who has spent his life doing battle with his times and himself, always challenging his readers to reach for a higher plane and goading himself to get them there. It's funny, wise, shocking, and—well, it's Harlan.
450 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2017
22 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Nat Segaloff
65 books53 followersNat Segaloff is a writer-producer-journalist. He covered the film industry for The Boston Herald, but has also variously been a studio publicist (Fox, UA, Columbia), college teacher (Boston University, Boston College), and broadcaster (Group W, CBS, Storer). He is the author of twenty books including Hurricane Billy: The Stormy Life and Films of William Friedkin, Arthur Penn: American Director and Final Cuts: The Last Films of 50 Great Directors in addition to career monographs on Stirling Silliphant, Walon Green, Paul Mazursky and John Milius. His writing has appeared in such varied periodicals as Film Comment, Written By, International Documentary, Animation Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, Time Out (US), MacWorld and American Movie Classics Magazine. He was also senior reviewer for AudiobookCafe.com and contributing writer to Moving Pictures magazine.
In 1996 he formed the multi-media production company Alien Voices with actors Leonard Nimoy and actor John de Lancie and produced five best-selling, fully dramatized audio plays for Simon & Schuster: The Time Machine, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Lost World, The Invisible Man and The First Men in the Moon, all of which feature Star Trek casts.
In 1996 he formed the multi-media production company Alien Voices with actors Leonard Nimoy and actor John de Lancie and produced five best-selling, fully dramatized audio plays for Simon & Schuster: The Time Machine, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Lost World, The Invisible Man and The First Men in the Moon, all of which feature Star Trek casts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 21, 2017
One thing that it's important to remember when offering comments about a non-fiction book, particularly a biography, is that one is considering the book itself and not the subject. I think that's particularly true when the subject is one about which people feel passionately, such as Ellison, because I think it's fair to say that almost all old-time sf fans have a strong opinion about him, probably equally split between those who love him and those who hate him. Members of both camps will surely agree that he was one of the universal figures of the field for decades; I've attended sf conventions for forty-five years and I don't think I've ever been to one where I didn't hear people trading Ellison stories. One of the good things about this book is that it broadens the view to encompass all of the other things that Ellison did, and doesn't just focus on his career in the sf field. I was a little disappointed at some of the things I would have liked to read more about (the St. Louis Worldcon in '69, his disputes with offutt and Sturgeon, etc., etc.), but it strikes me that what was left out tells a story just as does what was included, and that the material that was deemed necessary for inclusion was important for the full and well-rounded picture and some of the other events were petty in comparison.
Segaloff isn't at all one-sided in his presentation; he presents events as Ellison relates them, and then presents other viewpoints that are remembered quite differently by other participants and lets the reader draw their own conclusions. Sometimes the fact that people declined to comment seems to say as much as their testimony would have said. The awards and accomplishments of Ellison speak for themselves and his body of work doesn't need anyone to hype or defend it.
One of the appendices of the book that struck me as a little odd is a list of films and teleplays that Ellison worked on that were never produced. I wondered why there was no list of ones that -were- produced. One of the odd things about Ellison's career is that his most famous book was probably The Last Dangerous Visions, which never appeared and, according to the current book, never will. The numerous books he announced but never produced during his career tend to overshadow the ones which became so popular. This biography illustrates that he was a master of showmanship and marketing, getting his legion of fans to buy into the idea that "Yes, this is great, but just wait until you see my next one!"
One such unrealized volume was Ellison's autobiography, Working Without a Net. (Apparently there was only one copy printed and it fell into a time warp and Susan on B5 owned it. Ahem.) Anyway, we have this fine book by Segaloff instead of that one, and that's okay. It teaches us to be happy with the amazing Harlan and his works that we have instead of wishing for more and better. It seems to me that the readers of this book will almost surely be sf fans, and that's something of a shame because it's an ironic highlight to the point that Ellison never managed to escape the pigeon-holing of the sf category/genre he always aspired to, as did Bradbury and Vonnegut. Nonetheless, this is far more that an sf writers' biography. It showcases the man and his talents and accomplishments and his times admirably, shows him in an honest and realistic light, and does all of this in an entertaining and engaging fashion. It's a fascinating study.
Segaloff isn't at all one-sided in his presentation; he presents events as Ellison relates them, and then presents other viewpoints that are remembered quite differently by other participants and lets the reader draw their own conclusions. Sometimes the fact that people declined to comment seems to say as much as their testimony would have said. The awards and accomplishments of Ellison speak for themselves and his body of work doesn't need anyone to hype or defend it.
One of the appendices of the book that struck me as a little odd is a list of films and teleplays that Ellison worked on that were never produced. I wondered why there was no list of ones that -were- produced. One of the odd things about Ellison's career is that his most famous book was probably The Last Dangerous Visions, which never appeared and, according to the current book, never will. The numerous books he announced but never produced during his career tend to overshadow the ones which became so popular. This biography illustrates that he was a master of showmanship and marketing, getting his legion of fans to buy into the idea that "Yes, this is great, but just wait until you see my next one!"
One such unrealized volume was Ellison's autobiography, Working Without a Net. (Apparently there was only one copy printed and it fell into a time warp and Susan on B5 owned it. Ahem.) Anyway, we have this fine book by Segaloff instead of that one, and that's okay. It teaches us to be happy with the amazing Harlan and his works that we have instead of wishing for more and better. It seems to me that the readers of this book will almost surely be sf fans, and that's something of a shame because it's an ironic highlight to the point that Ellison never managed to escape the pigeon-holing of the sf category/genre he always aspired to, as did Bradbury and Vonnegut. Nonetheless, this is far more that an sf writers' biography. It showcases the man and his talents and accomplishments and his times admirably, shows him in an honest and realistic light, and does all of this in an entertaining and engaging fashion. It's a fascinating study.
April 30, 2018
I’ve been a fan of Harlan Ellison for a long time, so I was excited to find out that this biography existed. As Robert Silverberg puts it in his quote on the back cover, “You have picked a difficult subject for a biography.” Fortunately, Nat Segaloff is up to the challenge. This book hits all the right notes, and manages both to praise without overdoing it, and to point out shortcomings without becoming a hatchet job. Segaloff was granted rare access to the man, his files, and friends. If a more complete and revealing portrait is possible, I can't even begin to imagine what that would look like.
The book is compulsively readable. I tend to have several books that I’m reading at a time, and I flip between them as my mood dictates. Once I started in on this one, though, that dictum was nearly always, “Keep reading A Lit Fuse! No, no. Finish that chapter before you eat! Bedtime is for sissies!” Segaloff has done his best to verify as many of Ellison's exploits as he can, presenting opposing views if there's some doubt, and even interviewing Ellison's detractors, or at least those who would consent to speak to him anyway. He even got Harlan to talk a bit about The Last Dangerous Visions!
I'm also impressed with the quality of the book itself. It's solidly bound, with nice, durable paper for the jacket as well as the pages. It weighs easily twice as much as the average mass market hardcover, and conveys an impression of durability. NESFA press knows how to print a quality product. I know I tend to return to this point much too often, but, if you're using an e-reader, you're not getting the full experience.
One image from the book that made me smile with joy. Reminiscing about his friend, the late Robin Williams, Ellison mentions, “Robin Williams comes and plays Transformers with me in my living room!” The thought of the two men playing like that just seems to sum up both of them so perfectly. The phrase, “Young at heart,” may be a cliche, but it seems applicable. I know that, despite appearances to the contrary, Harlan isn't going to live forever. But it cheers and comforts me for now to know that he's out there in the world, Harlan-ing as best he can. Highly recommended!
The book is compulsively readable. I tend to have several books that I’m reading at a time, and I flip between them as my mood dictates. Once I started in on this one, though, that dictum was nearly always, “Keep reading A Lit Fuse! No, no. Finish that chapter before you eat! Bedtime is for sissies!” Segaloff has done his best to verify as many of Ellison's exploits as he can, presenting opposing views if there's some doubt, and even interviewing Ellison's detractors, or at least those who would consent to speak to him anyway. He even got Harlan to talk a bit about The Last Dangerous Visions!
I'm also impressed with the quality of the book itself. It's solidly bound, with nice, durable paper for the jacket as well as the pages. It weighs easily twice as much as the average mass market hardcover, and conveys an impression of durability. NESFA press knows how to print a quality product. I know I tend to return to this point much too often, but, if you're using an e-reader, you're not getting the full experience.
One image from the book that made me smile with joy. Reminiscing about his friend, the late Robin Williams, Ellison mentions, “Robin Williams comes and plays Transformers with me in my living room!” The thought of the two men playing like that just seems to sum up both of them so perfectly. The phrase, “Young at heart,” may be a cliche, but it seems applicable. I know that, despite appearances to the contrary, Harlan isn't going to live forever. But it cheers and comforts me for now to know that he's out there in the world, Harlan-ing as best he can. Highly recommended!
May 25, 2017
“You have picked a difficult subject for a biography,” Robert Silverberg advised Nat Segaloff, who was conducting interviews with and about the subject of A Lit Fuse, The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison.
That is true, but it was a match made in heaven. The result is a vivid portrait of the writer, told with respect and affection but also without pulling any punches. (Full disclosure: Nat Segaloff has been a friend for many years and some time collaborator. Other than introducing him to his publisher, NESFA Press, I had no role in this project.) Both Segaloff and Ellison (whom i've met on a couple of occasions) are strong writers with humorous streaks, a fierce dedication to telling the truth, and sentimental sides which they may believe they have cleverly hidden. It's no surprise they connected and that Ellison, who turns 83 on May 27, trusted Segaloff to tell his story and tell it right.
Ellison gave friends the okay to talk to Segaloff, sat for hours of interviews himself, allowed his works to be freely quoted, and had no approval over the final book. It was a grant of trust which has been amply rewarded. I've read most of Segaloff's books – including biographies of directors William Friedkin and Arthur Penn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant – and say without hesitation that this is the best thing he has ever done. I fully expect this to be on next year's Hugo ballot for “best related work,” and I'll suppress any twinge of jealousy if he wins the award I lost for Jar Jar Binks Must Die... and Other Observations about Science Fiction Movies.
What makes this so special? It is a full-bodied portrait of Ellison the writer as well as the ups and downs of his personal life. It doesn't turn away from the touchy subjects (“The City on the Edge of Forever,” the Connie Willis controversy, the never published Last Dangerous Visions), but it also celebrates not only his successes, but the way he has inspired the writers who followed him, created works of lasting value, and demonstrates that while he is, indeed, one of the giants of science fiction, he is also a writer of mysteries, of criticism, of essays, and of one of the most interesting lives in modern American letters. Even If you are not a devoted Ellison fan, it is a fascinating story, and you may find yourself eager to fill in the gaps in your own reading of Ellison.
The book is currently (May 2017) available in a numbered limited edition which I was fortunate enough to receive. It will be released in a general hardcover edition this summer with e-book and paperback versions coming down the road. Whether you're a science fiction fan, a devotee of Ellison, or simply interested in what it means to be a writer, this is an essential book.
Harlan Ellison trusted Nat Segaloff with his life, and Nat Segaloff repaid that trust with a book fully worthy of its subject.
#sfwa
That is true, but it was a match made in heaven. The result is a vivid portrait of the writer, told with respect and affection but also without pulling any punches. (Full disclosure: Nat Segaloff has been a friend for many years and some time collaborator. Other than introducing him to his publisher, NESFA Press, I had no role in this project.) Both Segaloff and Ellison (whom i've met on a couple of occasions) are strong writers with humorous streaks, a fierce dedication to telling the truth, and sentimental sides which they may believe they have cleverly hidden. It's no surprise they connected and that Ellison, who turns 83 on May 27, trusted Segaloff to tell his story and tell it right.
Ellison gave friends the okay to talk to Segaloff, sat for hours of interviews himself, allowed his works to be freely quoted, and had no approval over the final book. It was a grant of trust which has been amply rewarded. I've read most of Segaloff's books – including biographies of directors William Friedkin and Arthur Penn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant – and say without hesitation that this is the best thing he has ever done. I fully expect this to be on next year's Hugo ballot for “best related work,” and I'll suppress any twinge of jealousy if he wins the award I lost for Jar Jar Binks Must Die... and Other Observations about Science Fiction Movies.
What makes this so special? It is a full-bodied portrait of Ellison the writer as well as the ups and downs of his personal life. It doesn't turn away from the touchy subjects (“The City on the Edge of Forever,” the Connie Willis controversy, the never published Last Dangerous Visions), but it also celebrates not only his successes, but the way he has inspired the writers who followed him, created works of lasting value, and demonstrates that while he is, indeed, one of the giants of science fiction, he is also a writer of mysteries, of criticism, of essays, and of one of the most interesting lives in modern American letters. Even If you are not a devoted Ellison fan, it is a fascinating story, and you may find yourself eager to fill in the gaps in your own reading of Ellison.
The book is currently (May 2017) available in a numbered limited edition which I was fortunate enough to receive. It will be released in a general hardcover edition this summer with e-book and paperback versions coming down the road. Whether you're a science fiction fan, a devotee of Ellison, or simply interested in what it means to be a writer, this is an essential book.
Harlan Ellison trusted Nat Segaloff with his life, and Nat Segaloff repaid that trust with a book fully worthy of its subject.
#sfwa
July 6, 2018
We've all heard the stories, the tall tales, the legends. You mention Harlan Ellison and everyone has an anecdote, a bon mote, a personal experience. You hear all this and ask yourself, can it all be true? Nat Segaloff helps separate fact from fiction, wheat from chaff, and helps put the myths in some semblance of order.
It's not easy as Harlan has lived as full a life as any man could hope. An accomplished writer, he polished his public persona to a high sheen, launching countless stories and variations on each one. But, Segaloff helps us determine which ones were real (or as close as sources could determine). I'm thrilled so many actually happened. That said, the one that besmirched his career at the end, the Connie Willlis incident, continues to take on Rashomon proportions and Segaloff tries his best to figure it out. Her unwillingness to address the author, though, may tell us something.
Anyway, Harlan laid his life bare on stage and in his brilliant introductions so Segaloff assembles them with corroborating accounts from friends and family. You watch the boy discover a world of words and pictures and grow up to add his own.
It's a fascinating story and even though this saw print last year, covering Harlan's debilitating stroke, which seemed to be an emotional body blow, it feels complete. His final months after the book ends, sound similar enough that we can feel this is complete.
If you liked hearing him at conventions as well as loved his stories, screenplays, and other works, then this is worth your time.
It's not easy as Harlan has lived as full a life as any man could hope. An accomplished writer, he polished his public persona to a high sheen, launching countless stories and variations on each one. But, Segaloff helps us determine which ones were real (or as close as sources could determine). I'm thrilled so many actually happened. That said, the one that besmirched his career at the end, the Connie Willlis incident, continues to take on Rashomon proportions and Segaloff tries his best to figure it out. Her unwillingness to address the author, though, may tell us something.
Anyway, Harlan laid his life bare on stage and in his brilliant introductions so Segaloff assembles them with corroborating accounts from friends and family. You watch the boy discover a world of words and pictures and grow up to add his own.
It's a fascinating story and even though this saw print last year, covering Harlan's debilitating stroke, which seemed to be an emotional body blow, it feels complete. His final months after the book ends, sound similar enough that we can feel this is complete.
If you liked hearing him at conventions as well as loved his stories, screenplays, and other works, then this is worth your time.
September 12, 2024
If you think the subject of the book (Harlan Ellison) is interesting, then you'll enjoy this. And vice versa.
And if this book turns you on to HE, you're in luck because it doesn't matter how you find his writing. It just matters that you do because it's terrific.
And if this book turns you on to HE, you're in luck because it doesn't matter how you find his writing. It just matters that you do because it's terrific.
June 12, 2024
A fair and balanced account of the life of writer, activist, and occasional psychopath Harlan Ellison.
February 14, 2023
Probably a 3-and-a-half stars, if such a thing were possible.
This book starts well. I was pulled along by Ellison's turbulent early life, and then he arrived in Hollywood in the early Sixties, and the book ceased taking a chronological approach to Ellison's life and switched to a thematic organization.
So the controversy about The Terminator (1984) appears before "The City on the Edge of Forever" is discussed, among other things, and that ended up driving me nuts.
I realize that with a biography of any writer, there is always a danger that the book will become "First he wrote A, and then he wrote B, and next he wrote C before writing D," etc. etc., but the downside of this book's thematic approach is that (to me) it seemed like the writing got lost. We have stories about why this TV series never got made (or was made badly), but where did the stories that Ellison wrote and made people care about him, where they came from is not really discussed.
Toward the end of the book, Ellison's agent is quoted as saying that Ellison became so possessive of his past output that it shut down his future. That seemed more insightful than many pages of this book.
This book starts well. I was pulled along by Ellison's turbulent early life, and then he arrived in Hollywood in the early Sixties, and the book ceased taking a chronological approach to Ellison's life and switched to a thematic organization.
So the controversy about The Terminator (1984) appears before "The City on the Edge of Forever" is discussed, among other things, and that ended up driving me nuts.
I realize that with a biography of any writer, there is always a danger that the book will become "First he wrote A, and then he wrote B, and next he wrote C before writing D," etc. etc., but the downside of this book's thematic approach is that (to me) it seemed like the writing got lost. We have stories about why this TV series never got made (or was made badly), but where did the stories that Ellison wrote and made people care about him, where they came from is not really discussed.
Toward the end of the book, Ellison's agent is quoted as saying that Ellison became so possessive of his past output that it shut down his future. That seemed more insightful than many pages of this book.
May 5, 2019
"Other people remember this differently."
This phrase or others like it follow lots of interesting anecdotes that Ellison related to Segloff. Which made me wonder if this should be considered a work of fiction or fact. Not that this is a hagiography, Ellison is shown with considerable warts but the Charles Platt assault incident is notable for its absence. By the way Harlan Ellison was proud that he kept grudges alive for decades, but expected everyone to cut him slack for his bad behavoir because of his well known propensity for hyperbole, like the Connie Willis incident. Harlan portrayed himself as something of a victim because Willis didn't clear his name. My own knowledge of Ms. Willis is that she would have done so if she thought he was innocent.
As for his fiction, for me, he hit a homerun or a strikeout. I cannot believe that he hadn't gotten over his self generated controversy over a Boy and His Dog. I read the story and saw the film, both were equally misogynist. He was just upset that the film show that side of him to more people.
Still I recommend this book as it does give the reader lots of information of this man's interesting
life,including his five marriage all of which were ill considered by his own analysis.
(One more thing, the false memory works both way for Harlan Ellison. At Arisia 2019, I heard an anecdote about Harlan Ellison's angry confrontation with NESFA Press at a world con. According to this version, Harlan was simply told to "fuck off." I'm 99% certain this is inaccurate. According to the version that I had heard at the time, expecting this confrontation (there was a story in the collection Rediscovery of Man that was suppose to be in The Last Dangerous Version) Nesfens (yeah I'm a member ) were told not to antagonize Harlan. A polite discussion ensured after Harlan confronted the Club, no fireworks, no profanity. )
This phrase or others like it follow lots of interesting anecdotes that Ellison related to Segloff. Which made me wonder if this should be considered a work of fiction or fact. Not that this is a hagiography, Ellison is shown with considerable warts but the Charles Platt assault incident is notable for its absence. By the way Harlan Ellison was proud that he kept grudges alive for decades, but expected everyone to cut him slack for his bad behavoir because of his well known propensity for hyperbole, like the Connie Willis incident. Harlan portrayed himself as something of a victim because Willis didn't clear his name. My own knowledge of Ms. Willis is that she would have done so if she thought he was innocent.
As for his fiction, for me, he hit a homerun or a strikeout. I cannot believe that he hadn't gotten over his self generated controversy over a Boy and His Dog. I read the story and saw the film, both were equally misogynist. He was just upset that the film show that side of him to more people.
Still I recommend this book as it does give the reader lots of information of this man's interesting
life,including his five marriage all of which were ill considered by his own analysis.
(One more thing, the false memory works both way for Harlan Ellison. At Arisia 2019, I heard an anecdote about Harlan Ellison's angry confrontation with NESFA Press at a world con. According to this version, Harlan was simply told to "fuck off." I'm 99% certain this is inaccurate. According to the version that I had heard at the time, expecting this confrontation (there was a story in the collection Rediscovery of Man that was suppose to be in The Last Dangerous Version) Nesfens (yeah I'm a member ) were told not to antagonize Harlan. A polite discussion ensured after Harlan confronted the Club, no fireworks, no profanity. )
June 17, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3028475.html
(Review of extract supplied to Hugo voters)
Ellison is of course a hugely important figure in the history of sf, but this biography really tells it very much from his point of view. And he is really very capable of being a cantankerous asshole; his own account of how he sabotaged his mother's funeral, for instance, is painful reading, especially as Segaloff is desperately trying to make us sympathise with him. (Segaloff also feels the need to explain to us in a footnote that the word "teat" is "the vulgarism for breast".) I think we would have learned more from a more objective and critical approach, even though it might have risked infuriating the subject of the book.
(Review of extract supplied to Hugo voters)
Ellison is of course a hugely important figure in the history of sf, but this biography really tells it very much from his point of view. And he is really very capable of being a cantankerous asshole; his own account of how he sabotaged his mother's funeral, for instance, is painful reading, especially as Segaloff is desperately trying to make us sympathise with him. (Segaloff also feels the need to explain to us in a footnote that the word "teat" is "the vulgarism for breast".) I think we would have learned more from a more objective and critical approach, even though it might have risked infuriating the subject of the book.
February 8, 2021
Harlan Ellison was a great writer, who may have been controversial and was definitely provocative. However, over his long life he was successful and inspired a fierce loyalty in his friends and fans.
Segaloff writes with clarity and presents his information objectively to try and produce a fair interpretation of the man behind the stories and readers should be left with a fresh understanding of Ellison's body of work.
Segaloff writes with clarity and presents his information objectively to try and produce a fair interpretation of the man behind the stories and readers should be left with a fresh understanding of Ellison's body of work.
August 4, 2018
Wonderful biography, could not put it down. I was a fan from my first Harlan book and loved to watch him on talk shows. What was even better about reading this particular biography was the names dropped of his friends, acquaintances, work mates etc. were all people I particularly liked, people whose work and lives I follow in the media. This biography did not disappoint.
abandoned
April 4, 20182018 Hugo Finalist for Best Related Work
April 24, 2019
Entertaining biography of one of the greatest writers and personalities.
May 12, 2019
3.5
As close to a memoir as you'll get, seeing as a lot of it comes from interviews with Ellison and Segaloff admits he's not "objective."
As close to a memoir as you'll get, seeing as a lot of it comes from interviews with Ellison and Segaloff admits he's not "objective."
December 11, 2018
Subtitle: "The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison."
_A Lit Fuse_ is neither hagiography nor hatchet-job; it is not even a "warts-and-all" book, though that's the closest traditional biographical style I can think of. This is Ellison's authorized ... well, it's not exactly a biography. In a way, it's Ellison, through Segaloff, summing up the case in his ... well, not exactly a defense. It might be called an apologia pro vita sua, a defense of his life, except it is in no way defensive.
At one level it's a collection of "Harlan stories", with glue applied to make a continuous-ish narrative. At another, it's a recital of the facts of Ellison's life, leavened with plenty of anecdotes. Neither of these levels, nor the two of them taken as obverse and reverse, is quite a full description of what this book is.
Segaloff clearly did his homework, interviewing close to fifty persons whose lives have crossed Ellison's. Most of those people were friends of Ellison; his enemies (who are not few) mostly declined to be interviewed. In addition, he interviewed Ellison forty times over a period of five years.
The book starts in a roughly-chronological order, but this soon dissolves into chapters which focus (more or less) on various achronological topics. A typical example would be "The Cordwainer Chronicles," which concerns Ellison's nom-de-phuqueyou, "Cordwainer Bird," with which he would replace his own byline when production of his work did not meet his standards, which was mostly. Then, at the end, there are a couple of chapters on the endgame of Ellison's life up to and after his 2014 stroke.
The facts of Ellison's life are a complicated mess. A troublesome kid who ran away from home many times, he worked at a huge variety of jobs to make ends meet while he was gathering the initial mass of experiences that he would transform into his fiction (or would, at least, inform it). He ultimately managed to succeed in Hollywood despite having surprisingly little work actually produced (his one produced feature film was the notrious stinker _The Oscar_). Survivor of four bad marriages and God only knows how many relationships, he at last found True Love only after he'd decided it was unobtainable, marrying Susan Toth in 1986 and staying with her until he died this June.
One thing that comes clear is that Ms. Ellison did not thrive in Ellison's presence by having the patience of a saint; rather, she matched him in stubbornness and integrity.
Which is the theme that, perhaps, comes across more than any other in this book: Ellison's dedication to what he perceived as his integrity. There are anecdotes and facts that may lead one to think that Ellison's integrity was not all he thought it was; the hundreds of broken promises surrounding _The Last Dangerous Visions_ stand as probably the most blatant example of Ellison's failings. (One chapter dedicated to the _DV_ books discusses what happened and how, if perhaps not so much why.)
But... He at least attempted perfect integrity, which is more than most of us can claim. His idea of "integrity" may have been a little different from yours or mine, but it was coherent and he abode by it, not only to the point of accepting personal physical, emotional, and financial danger at various times, but to the point of copping to it when he failed.
This is a 2017 book, so Ellison was alive and approving of the project to its completion. It presents Ellison, we may presume, as he wished to be presented, modulo _Segaloff's_ integrity (which I take for granted). It is an enjoyable read, and redolent of Ellison's style through the frequent quotation from those five years of interviews.
It may fall to another to produce a proper, scholarly biography of Harlan Ellison. In the meanwhile, this is a satisfying substitute.
_A Lit Fuse_ is neither hagiography nor hatchet-job; it is not even a "warts-and-all" book, though that's the closest traditional biographical style I can think of. This is Ellison's authorized ... well, it's not exactly a biography. In a way, it's Ellison, through Segaloff, summing up the case in his ... well, not exactly a defense. It might be called an apologia pro vita sua, a defense of his life, except it is in no way defensive.
At one level it's a collection of "Harlan stories", with glue applied to make a continuous-ish narrative. At another, it's a recital of the facts of Ellison's life, leavened with plenty of anecdotes. Neither of these levels, nor the two of them taken as obverse and reverse, is quite a full description of what this book is.
Segaloff clearly did his homework, interviewing close to fifty persons whose lives have crossed Ellison's. Most of those people were friends of Ellison; his enemies (who are not few) mostly declined to be interviewed. In addition, he interviewed Ellison forty times over a period of five years.
The book starts in a roughly-chronological order, but this soon dissolves into chapters which focus (more or less) on various achronological topics. A typical example would be "The Cordwainer Chronicles," which concerns Ellison's nom-de-phuqueyou, "Cordwainer Bird," with which he would replace his own byline when production of his work did not meet his standards, which was mostly. Then, at the end, there are a couple of chapters on the endgame of Ellison's life up to and after his 2014 stroke.
The facts of Ellison's life are a complicated mess. A troublesome kid who ran away from home many times, he worked at a huge variety of jobs to make ends meet while he was gathering the initial mass of experiences that he would transform into his fiction (or would, at least, inform it). He ultimately managed to succeed in Hollywood despite having surprisingly little work actually produced (his one produced feature film was the notrious stinker _The Oscar_). Survivor of four bad marriages and God only knows how many relationships, he at last found True Love only after he'd decided it was unobtainable, marrying Susan Toth in 1986 and staying with her until he died this June.
One thing that comes clear is that Ms. Ellison did not thrive in Ellison's presence by having the patience of a saint; rather, she matched him in stubbornness and integrity.
Which is the theme that, perhaps, comes across more than any other in this book: Ellison's dedication to what he perceived as his integrity. There are anecdotes and facts that may lead one to think that Ellison's integrity was not all he thought it was; the hundreds of broken promises surrounding _The Last Dangerous Visions_ stand as probably the most blatant example of Ellison's failings. (One chapter dedicated to the _DV_ books discusses what happened and how, if perhaps not so much why.)
But... He at least attempted perfect integrity, which is more than most of us can claim. His idea of "integrity" may have been a little different from yours or mine, but it was coherent and he abode by it, not only to the point of accepting personal physical, emotional, and financial danger at various times, but to the point of copping to it when he failed.
This is a 2017 book, so Ellison was alive and approving of the project to its completion. It presents Ellison, we may presume, as he wished to be presented, modulo _Segaloff's_ integrity (which I take for granted). It is an enjoyable read, and redolent of Ellison's style through the frequent quotation from those five years of interviews.
It may fall to another to produce a proper, scholarly biography of Harlan Ellison. In the meanwhile, this is a satisfying substitute.
August 13, 2018
For fans of Ellison, this will be an educational and fulfilling read. The book is organized by topic, not necessarily by chronology, so there is some overlap and occasional repetition. There is not much analysis of Ellison's writing, mostly just a look at the many facets of his life such as his marriages and relationships with other writers. I found the early parts about his childhood up to young adulthood to be less interesting than the later parts when he had found his voice as a fiction writer, essayist, reviewer, raconteur, and political activist. Maybe that's because I find Ellison's writing to peak from the early to mid 1960s to the late 1980s, and that before and after that he kind of phoned it in. But wow, those 20, 25 years produced some of the most brilliant writing of the 20th Century.
The book addresses most of the lingering stories, some true, some not, that have followed Ellison over the years and tries to separate fact from fiction. To Segaloff's credit, he tried to solicit input from both Ellison's supporters and enemies. However, when in doubt, Segaloff errs on Ellison's side, so incidents such as Ellison's groping of Connie Willis ends with a metaphorical shrug.
One thing I strongly came away with from reading this book (and other books such as The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay) is that Ellison's opinion of his own memory was vastly overrated. I get the sense that many of his recollections evolved over time as he recounted them at conventions and lectures until he did not know what was real and what was exaggeration. Nevertheless, Ellison's life was filled with incredible events, and this book puts much of that into perspective in relation to Ellison's writing.
I doubt this book will be of much interest to non Ellison fans. This book is very much a rather unembellished, straightforward narrative, with little attempt at drilling too deep into Ellison's psyche. There are few universal truths to be gleaned, other than don't be an asshole like Ellison.
I think Segaloff could have achieved much more if he had pursued the revelation that Ellison was bipolar that only comes out in the waning pages of the book. That such a profound diagnosis is essentially glossed over left me feeling somewhat cheated, because with that as a central tenet of the book I think Segaloff could have really tied Ellison's behavior and writing together in a way to enlighten and help others.
Ellison's life was a dichotomy: he was often mean, rude, or even openly hostile to others, but yet his admirers paint a picture of a kind, generous, creative genius. That this dichotomy is not set on the backdrop of being bipolar is a missed bet.
What I would like to see now that Ellison is deceased, is Segaloff or someone else write an expanded biography that captures Ellison's spirit that he displayed at convention appearances, but also digs a little more deeply into the conflicts of Ellison's life.
The book addresses most of the lingering stories, some true, some not, that have followed Ellison over the years and tries to separate fact from fiction. To Segaloff's credit, he tried to solicit input from both Ellison's supporters and enemies. However, when in doubt, Segaloff errs on Ellison's side, so incidents such as Ellison's groping of Connie Willis ends with a metaphorical shrug.
One thing I strongly came away with from reading this book (and other books such as The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay) is that Ellison's opinion of his own memory was vastly overrated. I get the sense that many of his recollections evolved over time as he recounted them at conventions and lectures until he did not know what was real and what was exaggeration. Nevertheless, Ellison's life was filled with incredible events, and this book puts much of that into perspective in relation to Ellison's writing.
I doubt this book will be of much interest to non Ellison fans. This book is very much a rather unembellished, straightforward narrative, with little attempt at drilling too deep into Ellison's psyche. There are few universal truths to be gleaned, other than don't be an asshole like Ellison.
I think Segaloff could have achieved much more if he had pursued the revelation that Ellison was bipolar that only comes out in the waning pages of the book. That such a profound diagnosis is essentially glossed over left me feeling somewhat cheated, because with that as a central tenet of the book I think Segaloff could have really tied Ellison's behavior and writing together in a way to enlighten and help others.
Ellison's life was a dichotomy: he was often mean, rude, or even openly hostile to others, but yet his admirers paint a picture of a kind, generous, creative genius. That this dichotomy is not set on the backdrop of being bipolar is a missed bet.
What I would like to see now that Ellison is deceased, is Segaloff or someone else write an expanded biography that captures Ellison's spirit that he displayed at convention appearances, but also digs a little more deeply into the conflicts of Ellison's life.
February 20, 2018
This is an an absolutely fascinating biography of a man who was my favorite writer for nearly 25 years. The stories about Harlan Ellison are legion, and some of the most notorious are addressed in this book. Ellison was exhaustively interviewed for the text, along with many of his friends, relatives and contemporaries. This book is highly recommended, it took me back to my younger days as a stalwart Ellison fangirl. (Don’t get me started about the life highlight moment in my twenties when I got to meet Harlan- despite his prickly reputation, the man was an utter prince!)
December 3, 2017
Harlan Ellison is impossible to summarize or explain as a person or a writer but Segaloff makes an admirable attempt. He is straightforward about his own relationship with Ellison and Ellison's sometime fragile grasp of objective truths but the emotional truth of what is written rings true. If you are going to know the arc of science fiction from the "golden age" to now you have to know Harlan Ellison, both his writing and his wide ranging influence on others in the field. Reading this book gives a great start to the latter. (Read The Essential Ellison for the former.)
February 17, 2021
"If you haven't read Harlan Ellison, you haven't read." ~ Richard Halasz
January 25, 2025
“You have picked a difficult subject for a biography.” - Robert Silverberg
Love him or hate him, Harlan Ellison was one of the most prolific and awarded writers of all time and influenced many who came after him, myself included. To quote one of Harlan’s closest friends, writer Josh Olson (A History of Violence), “Harlan is the guy who made me want to become a writer.” Same here, Mr. Olson.
I found A Lit Fuse to be a wonderful companion piece to much of what I’d already known about Harlan from interviews, articles, his Sci-Fi Buzz segments, YouTube videos, and Erik Nelson’s excellent documentary, Dreams with Sharp Teeth.
There were events and experiences in Harlan’s life that author Nat Segaloff glosses over and for which details can be found elsewhere (such as in the aforementioned sources). Then there are other aspects that are more thoroughly explored in Harlan’s personal and professional lives such as the making of A Boy and His Dog, his experiences on the 1980s Twilight Zone series, writing the screenplay for I, Robot based on Isaac Asimov’s novels, the Dangerous Visions anthologies, his disastrous marriages before Susan, and the illnesses that slowed him down later in life.
If Harlan Ellison is a difficult subject for a biography, that might be partly due to his reputation as a quarrelsome and cantankerous firebrand, but it’s also because Harlan’s life was replete with so many amazing experiences that it’s nigh impossible to encapsulate all of them into anything shorter than a tome or a multi-volume series. Nevertheless, Segaloff does an admirable job of presenting the human being behind the legend.
Love him or hate him, Harlan Ellison was one of the most prolific and awarded writers of all time and influenced many who came after him, myself included. To quote one of Harlan’s closest friends, writer Josh Olson (A History of Violence), “Harlan is the guy who made me want to become a writer.” Same here, Mr. Olson.
I found A Lit Fuse to be a wonderful companion piece to much of what I’d already known about Harlan from interviews, articles, his Sci-Fi Buzz segments, YouTube videos, and Erik Nelson’s excellent documentary, Dreams with Sharp Teeth.
There were events and experiences in Harlan’s life that author Nat Segaloff glosses over and for which details can be found elsewhere (such as in the aforementioned sources). Then there are other aspects that are more thoroughly explored in Harlan’s personal and professional lives such as the making of A Boy and His Dog, his experiences on the 1980s Twilight Zone series, writing the screenplay for I, Robot based on Isaac Asimov’s novels, the Dangerous Visions anthologies, his disastrous marriages before Susan, and the illnesses that slowed him down later in life.
If Harlan Ellison is a difficult subject for a biography, that might be partly due to his reputation as a quarrelsome and cantankerous firebrand, but it’s also because Harlan’s life was replete with so many amazing experiences that it’s nigh impossible to encapsulate all of them into anything shorter than a tome or a multi-volume series. Nevertheless, Segaloff does an admirable job of presenting the human being behind the legend.
May 11, 2018
Harlan Ellison has had one hell of a life. He once said, “Life is a series of confrontations,” and he’s had more than his share. From gangs to army thugs to mob gunmen to Hollywood producers to rampant fans.
Nat Segaloff has put together a great biography. He has dispelled myths and enhanced truths. More than his career, it is friendship that means everything to Harlan. By that he means those who are loyal; betray his trust once and you are hated more than an enemy. We’ve all been there but nobody cuts like Harlan. And nobody loves like him. He is a man of extremes.
Much like American film was revolutionised in 1967, so Harlan had a great hand in the revolutionising of writing at the same time with his anthology, Dangerous Visions. He told his writers to not be afraid to go there, to really do it and leave their stomachs on the page.
That is the way he has lived these past 84 years.
I wish I knew him.
Nat Segaloff has put together a great biography. He has dispelled myths and enhanced truths. More than his career, it is friendship that means everything to Harlan. By that he means those who are loyal; betray his trust once and you are hated more than an enemy. We’ve all been there but nobody cuts like Harlan. And nobody loves like him. He is a man of extremes.
Much like American film was revolutionised in 1967, so Harlan had a great hand in the revolutionising of writing at the same time with his anthology, Dangerous Visions. He told his writers to not be afraid to go there, to really do it and leave their stomachs on the page.
That is the way he has lived these past 84 years.
I wish I knew him.
December 19, 2017
One of the better biographies I've ever read. Ellison is candid about his faults and since this was done in an intensive interviews for the preliminary notes, it's quite layered and revealing.
Supplementary interviews were conducted with people in his life, both friend and foe, that add further perspective to a much larger-than-life character.
I suggest that once done reading this, you then view his 2008 documentary, "Dreams With Sharp Teeth", if you haven't already seen it, as Harlan live adds depth to the characterizations presented in this book. A one-two punch of a personality so vivid, you likely won't see suchlike again this lifetime.
Supplementary interviews were conducted with people in his life, both friend and foe, that add further perspective to a much larger-than-life character.
I suggest that once done reading this, you then view his 2008 documentary, "Dreams With Sharp Teeth", if you haven't already seen it, as Harlan live adds depth to the characterizations presented in this book. A one-two punch of a personality so vivid, you likely won't see suchlike again this lifetime.
February 16, 2024
Not a bad book, but a disappointing one from my perspective. The author seems to be, at critical times, incapable of contextualizing the author and the work. I'm an unabashed Ellison fan, but I know his reputation, and this book does little to explain just why Ellison was so despised that, as Neil Gaiman has said, there was literally an organized group in the 1970s who called themselves "The Enemies of Ellison" who were out to get the guy. The book also didn't really grapple effectively with Ellison's literary legacy, or why that legacy seems to be evaporating (along with those of Ballard, Tiptree, Disch, and a bunch of other contemporaries of Ellison). Its three stars are for being a repository of Ellison lore. But I fear that a proper biography of Ellison will not be forthcoming, and that too many of the people who might have made it possible are now gone.
May 29, 2017
I have been a fan of Harlan Ellison's writing since I was a teenager, and have also found the man himself quite interesting, judging by what I had read about him. This book is a fascinating look into his life, his work, his reputation, personality, etc. There are things here that I had read about before, some things that were new to me, and some things that I had read about but now see in a new light. This book (and the film "Dreams with Sharp Teeth"), are probably as close as I will ever come to meeting Harlan Ellison. Highly recommended!
July 1, 2018
Hugo 2018 reading. I read an excerpt which included the forward by David Gerrold, preface, prologue, photo plates, chapters one, five, six, ten, and sixteen. I finished the excerpt a few days after Harlan Ellison died, which made reading the last chapter, "The Flight of the Deathbird" incredibly poignant. I look forward to reading the entire book; I think the Segaloff has covered Ellison well.
July 26, 2020
An entertaining overview of a man who was his own worst enemy, with a lot of new details I didn't know about (particularly his early life). It didn't surprise me to learn that Ellison had been diagnosed bipolar. I don't mind the Ellison-friendly tone of the book, largely because Segaloff did try and track down other people to get the other side of Ellison's stories.
July 12, 2017
Fantastic book. Loved it.
October 13, 2017
Wonderful book about a wonderful writer!
November 20, 2017
If you have any interest in the man, this is essential reading. Period.
November 4, 2020
Highly entertaining, but take it with a whole shaker of salt.
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