Now 66, the affable Canuck can make a reasonable claim to being the most Award-winning science fiction author in his country’s history. His office is littered with trophies: the Nebula, Le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire, the Seiun, the Aurora, the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the Galaxy.
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| Sawyer was a university student when his first works were published in the early 1980s, appearing in non-genre magazines such as Village Voice, The White Wall Review of the Ryerson Literary Society, and Leisure Ways: The Magazine of the Canadian Automotive Association. (Image via SFwriter.com) |
In the 70-year history of the Hugo Awards, only 13 novels written by Canadian-born authors have appeared on the shortlist. Nine of those were written by Sawyer.
Alongside Monica Hughes and Margaret Atwood, he is one of only three science fiction authors to have been named to the Order of Canada — the country’s highest civilian honour. Given that Monica Hughes was primarily recognized for her contributions to young adult fiction, and Margaret Atwood disdains science fiction fandom, it could be argued that Sawyer is the only fannish science fiction author to have been thus recognized.
Alongside Monica Hughes and Margaret Atwood, he is one of only three science fiction authors to have been named to the Order of Canada — the country’s highest civilian honour. Given that Monica Hughes was primarily recognized for her contributions to young adult fiction, and Margaret Atwood disdains science fiction fandom, it could be argued that Sawyer is the only fannish science fiction author to have been thus recognized.
In short: he is a big deal.
With almost two decades since his most recent appearance on the Hugo Awards shortlist (Wake, which was shortlisted for Best Novel in 2010), it is perhaps a good time to reflect on Sawyer’s contributions to the genre. Thankfully, we have a book that helps: Sawyer on Science Fiction, a collection of his essays, speeches, and other musings about science fiction, fandom, and the culture at large. It is an impressive overview, one that should get consideration for the Best Related Work Hugo.
As befits a graduate of one of Canada’s top journalism schools (then called Ryerson, but now known as Toronto Metropolitan University), Sawyer has always approached writing with the precision and clarity of a journalist. It seems to us that Sawyer approaches sentences as a tool, rather than as a goal unto themselves — achieving a spare and unsentimental style that prioritizes meaning and comprehensibility. Combined with the fact that he tackles science fiction with a focus on real-world science and some semblance of plausibility, his work hews to the pre-New-Wave traditions of writers like Frederick Pohl and Arthur C. Clarke.
In Sawyer on Science Fiction, this focus on clarity and rigour is on full display. You might take someone out of the journalism profession, but you could never take journalism out of Sawyer’s style. Over the course of 40 years — and more than 150 non-fiction articles — the tome tackles everything from the depiction of dinosaurs in science fiction to the traditions of science fiction conventions. Each article includes a short introduction that places it in the context of Sawyer’s larger career. There are articles he published in Canada’s most prominent newspaper The Globe and Mail, and articles he wrote for purely fannish publications, works for Canada’s national broadcaster, and introductions to collections he edited.
And some of these articles are real bangers, especially when he is arguing either a contrarian point of view, or making a larger philosophical point. His speech at the United States Library of Congress, “Is There A Place For Science Fiction In The 21st Century?” is a passionate and meticulously argued love letter to the genre, and one of the highlights of the book. His takedown of what he perceived as xenophobia in science fiction fandom, “When Someone Waves Hello” (written for the British Columbia Science Fiction Association newsletter in 2020) is an excellent example of fannish engagement and advocacy.
Due to the completist nature of the book — which collects every single non-fiction piece Sawyer has published — there are some repetitious elements and weaker moments. As an example, in the early 1990s, Sawyer was asked by famed publisher Mel Hurtig to write an entry on Science Fiction for the second edition of The Canadian Encyclopedia. The entry is included in Sawyer on Science Fiction, but is likely only interesting for its cultural context. Some articles written decades ago advocate for positions that are no longer popular within fandom, but it is to Sawyer’s credit that he includes everything.
With almost two decades since his most recent appearance on the Hugo Awards shortlist (Wake, which was shortlisted for Best Novel in 2010), it is perhaps a good time to reflect on Sawyer’s contributions to the genre. Thankfully, we have a book that helps: Sawyer on Science Fiction, a collection of his essays, speeches, and other musings about science fiction, fandom, and the culture at large. It is an impressive overview, one that should get consideration for the Best Related Work Hugo.
As befits a graduate of one of Canada’s top journalism schools (then called Ryerson, but now known as Toronto Metropolitan University), Sawyer has always approached writing with the precision and clarity of a journalist. It seems to us that Sawyer approaches sentences as a tool, rather than as a goal unto themselves — achieving a spare and unsentimental style that prioritizes meaning and comprehensibility. Combined with the fact that he tackles science fiction with a focus on real-world science and some semblance of plausibility, his work hews to the pre-New-Wave traditions of writers like Frederick Pohl and Arthur C. Clarke.
In Sawyer on Science Fiction, this focus on clarity and rigour is on full display. You might take someone out of the journalism profession, but you could never take journalism out of Sawyer’s style. Over the course of 40 years — and more than 150 non-fiction articles — the tome tackles everything from the depiction of dinosaurs in science fiction to the traditions of science fiction conventions. Each article includes a short introduction that places it in the context of Sawyer’s larger career. There are articles he published in Canada’s most prominent newspaper The Globe and Mail, and articles he wrote for purely fannish publications, works for Canada’s national broadcaster, and introductions to collections he edited.
And some of these articles are real bangers, especially when he is arguing either a contrarian point of view, or making a larger philosophical point. His speech at the United States Library of Congress, “Is There A Place For Science Fiction In The 21st Century?” is a passionate and meticulously argued love letter to the genre, and one of the highlights of the book. His takedown of what he perceived as xenophobia in science fiction fandom, “When Someone Waves Hello” (written for the British Columbia Science Fiction Association newsletter in 2020) is an excellent example of fannish engagement and advocacy.
Due to the completist nature of the book — which collects every single non-fiction piece Sawyer has published — there are some repetitious elements and weaker moments. As an example, in the early 1990s, Sawyer was asked by famed publisher Mel Hurtig to write an entry on Science Fiction for the second edition of The Canadian Encyclopedia. The entry is included in Sawyer on Science Fiction, but is likely only interesting for its cultural context. Some articles written decades ago advocate for positions that are no longer popular within fandom, but it is to Sawyer’s credit that he includes everything.
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| With more than 150 articles spanning a 40-year career, Sawyer on Science Fiction covers a lot of ground. (Image via Amazon) |
Through his evolving commentary, readers can learn about changes in the genre. As an example, he argues in a 1997 essay “A Tale Of Two Stories,” that there is little appreciable difference between Canadian Science Fiction and that of our US neighbours, but a decade later in the 2007 essay “Whither Canadian SF&F,” he muses about the fact that Canadian audiences respond to Canadian speculative fiction.
The section about Canadian science fiction, in particular, offers a running argument with himself about the nature of the country, its authors, and its fiction. Instead of platitudes or assertions, he approaches the debate from an exploratory lens.
A recurring theme in the volume is the idea that plausible and well-thought-through speculative fiction can inspire positive change in the world — in part by exploring futures that we should avoid. He has described this type of genre work as “Cassandra Screaming.” Another recurring theme is that works that engage in fact-based prognostication should be differentiated from the escapism of Star Wars … and that the latter shouldn’t be termed “science fiction.”
There’s a famous aphorism that “the golden age of science fiction is twelve.” Having been born in 1960, Sawyer turned 12 in 1972, the last year that John W. Campbell was editor of Analog. The magazine — and Campbell — was well past its days of predominant importance, but were still influential and respected in the field. In this volume, and in particular, in his earlier pieces the influence of John W. Campbell is deeply evident.
Sawyer might be the last major author whose style, career, and thinking about science fiction was as deeply influenced by the editor who once defined the field. But he is also a writer who spent much of his career avowedly rejecting the worst parts of Campbell’s legacy.
As an author who is arguably the most prominent voice for the genre in Canada, Robert J. Sawyer’s career and work in defining speculative fiction in his home country has made an impact on the field.
The section about Canadian science fiction, in particular, offers a running argument with himself about the nature of the country, its authors, and its fiction. Instead of platitudes or assertions, he approaches the debate from an exploratory lens.
A recurring theme in the volume is the idea that plausible and well-thought-through speculative fiction can inspire positive change in the world — in part by exploring futures that we should avoid. He has described this type of genre work as “Cassandra Screaming.” Another recurring theme is that works that engage in fact-based prognostication should be differentiated from the escapism of Star Wars … and that the latter shouldn’t be termed “science fiction.”
There’s a famous aphorism that “the golden age of science fiction is twelve.” Having been born in 1960, Sawyer turned 12 in 1972, the last year that John W. Campbell was editor of Analog. The magazine — and Campbell — was well past its days of predominant importance, but were still influential and respected in the field. In this volume, and in particular, in his earlier pieces the influence of John W. Campbell is deeply evident.
Sawyer might be the last major author whose style, career, and thinking about science fiction was as deeply influenced by the editor who once defined the field. But he is also a writer who spent much of his career avowedly rejecting the worst parts of Campbell’s legacy.
As an author who is arguably the most prominent voice for the genre in Canada, Robert J. Sawyer’s career and work in defining speculative fiction in his home country has made an impact on the field.
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