Thursday, September 30, 2010

Autumn! Death! Leaves!

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I've been working on a very cool project which, if all goes well, I can tell you about tomorrow.  For the nonce . . .

Last year, as autumn came in, Marianne and I were talking about the season and she said that I should walk through the 'hood writing DEATH on fallen leaves and scattering them behind me.

"No, no, no," I said.  Thinking that would be a good way of starting a local witch-hysteria.  But her idea got me thinking, and that got me started on the project.

Yesterday, ignoring my original reaction, I went into the park with a pair of rubber stamps.  Some of the results are shown above and below.


And I am happy again, because . . .

I'm in print!  "Libertarian Russia" just appeared in the December issue of Asimov's Science Fiction.   The irony of the title might elude you, but it certainly didn't elude my Russian friends.  When I was researching the story and asked some of them how one would say the title in Russian, the answer was always, "No, you see, such a thing is not possible.  One cannot be Russian and a libertarian.  It's a contradiction in terms."

Well, yes, and that was why I was interested in the question.

I finaly got the answer to my question -- which I ended up not using -- by asking what the Russian would be for "Libertarian Detroit."


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3 comments:

Shawn said...

Well mike, What is russian for Libertarian Detroit? Don't keep us in suspense!
Also glad that you are back in print.
Might I assume from the name that the story is from your forthcoming novel Dancing with Bears? Either way, I am excited.
Shawn.

Unknown said...

Love the leaves!

Michael Swanwick said...

Alas, I've forgotten the phrase. I do recall that the adjective was,almost disappointingly, "libertarianski," though.

All the story has in common with DANCING WITH BEARS is that both draw heavily on my visits to Russia. Not that I have anything more than the most superficial knowledge of Russia. But it's a nation that really gets its hooks into you.