| "Jeffty Is Five" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Harlan Ellison | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Print (magazine, hardback and paperback) |
| Publication date | 1977 |
"Jeffty Is Five" is a fantasy short story by American author Harlan Ellison. It was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1977, then was included in DAW's The 1978 Annual World's Best SF in 1978 and Ellison's short story collection Shatterday two years later. According to Ellison, it was partially inspired by a fragment of conversation that he misheard at a party at the home of actor Walter Koenig: "How is Jeff?" "Jeff is fine. He's always fine," which he perceived as "Jeff is five, he's always five."[1] Ellison based the character of Jeffty on Joshua Andrew Koenig, Walter's son. He declared:
... I had been awed and delighted by Josh Koenig, and I instantly thought of just such a child who was arrested in time at the age of five. Jeffty, in no small measure, is Josh: the sweetness of Josh, the intelligence of Josh, the questioning nature of Josh.[2]