R. A. Lafferty | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lafferty in his library in 1998 | |
| Born | Raphael Aloysius Lafferty November 7, 1914 Neola, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 2002 (aged 87) Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story author |
| Genre | Science fiction, Fantasy |
| Notable works | Okla Hannali, Past Master, Nine Hundred Grandmothers |
Raphael Aloysius "R. A." Lafferty (November 7, 1914 – March 18, 2002) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure,[1] Lafferty also wrote a set of four autobiographical novels, a history book, and several novels of historical fiction.
- ^ Gene Wolfe wrote in an introduction to Episodes of the Argo that "[Lafferty may be] the most original writer in the history of literature"; Michael Swanwick has written that "if there were no Lafferty, we would lack the imagination to invent him" (quoted on the back cover of the original edition of Lafferty in Orbit); Neil Gaiman said that "[Lafferty's] stories are without precedent"; and Harlan Ellison wrote that "Lafferty defies categorization; his work is unlike anyone else's".