Finnish Fandom's Funniest Practical Joke Ever

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Worldcon 75 is coming and it will be held in Helsinki, Finland. Meanwhile, the Nobel Prizes are being announced in Stockholm, Sweden. In honor of both, I will share with you the practical joke that ran like wildfire through Finncon the year I was guest of honor there. I forget, alas, who came up with it. But if you ask a Finnish SMOF, I'm sure they'll be able to tell you.

"What we should do," the prankster said, "is next time we choose a foreign guest of honor, get a fan with a very strong Swedish accent to phone and say, "I am calling from Stockholm to inform you that you are receiving a very great honor..."

"That's funny," I said, "but what science fiction writer would possibly believe it?"

Without hesitation, the prankster said, "Stanislaw Lem!"


And later, back in the States...

I told this story to Gordon Van Gelder and he said, "Or Ursula K. Le Guin. But who would be so mean?"

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