John Harrison

M. John Harrison, born in 1945, is an English author and critic recognized for his significant contributions to modern fantasy and science fiction. His notable works include the Viriconium sequence, 'Climbers', and the Kefahuchi Tract trilogy. Harrison is widely regarded as a major stylist and a "genre contrarian," with critics praising his unique voice and imaginative scope. His early career involved work with 'New Worlds' magazine, where he was critical of prevailing genre fiction and helped shape the New Wave movement. Harrison's writing often delves into themes of societal collapse, existential ennui, and the search for meaning in fragmented worlds, blending elements of the bizarre and the philosophical.

Born in 1945, M. John Harrison's early life was marked by the death of his father during his teenage years, leading to feelings of alienation and boredom. His education at Dunsmore School was interrupted, but an English teacher introduced him to George Bernard Shaw, sparking an interest in polemical writing. After leaving school at 18, he worked various jobs, including as a groom and a clerk, while pursuing hobbies like playing electric guitar and writing parodies. His initial foray into publishing came in 1966 with a short story in 'Science Fantasy' magazine, which prompted his move to London. There, he connected with Michael Moorcock and the 'New Worlds' magazine, where he began reviewing and publishing fiction, eventually becoming the books editor. Harrison expressed a lifelong inclination towards the bizarre, citing influences from Dan Dare and the Absurdists to authors like Alfred Bester, Samuel Beckett, and J. G. Ballard, reflecting a 'pick 'n' mix' approach to his reading.

From 1968 to 1975, Harrison served as the literary editor for the influential 'New Wave' science fiction magazine 'New Worlds', contributing critical essays and shaping the magazine's direction. He was known for his critical stance on much of the science fiction published at the time, often using the pseudonym 'Joyce Churchill' for his reviews. His early fiction included contributions to Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius stories. Harrison's first novel, 'The Committed Men' (1971), depicted a post-apocalyptic England with societal breakdown and mutated communities, drawing comparisons to the works of Moorcock and Ballard. The same year saw the publication of 'The Pastel City', the first novel in his renowned Viriconium sequence, which he continued to develop until 1984. His 1974 novel, 'The Centauri Device', was described as a 'hippie space opera' that playfully subverted common science fiction tropes regarding protagonists, cosmic knowability, and colonialist narratives.

Relocating to Manchester, Harrison contributed to the 'New Manchester Review' in the late 1970s. His second short story collection, 'The Ice Monkey and Other Stories' (1983), was lauded for its exploration of the human condition through pathos, humor, and despair, with critic Ramsey Campbell calling Harrison a leading writer of original horror fiction. The Viriconium sequence continued with 'A Storm of Wings' (1980), a denser, more elaborate novel set decades after 'The Pastel City', featuring an insectoid invasion. 'In Viriconium' (1982) followed, portraying artistic subcultures within a city afflicted by a mysterious plague and earning a nomination for the Guardian Fiction Prize. His later works, like the Kefahuchi Tract trilogy ('Light', 'Nova Swing', 'Empty Space'), further cemented his reputation for sophisticated, genre-bending narratives that challenge conventional literary boundaries.

“I liked anything bizarre, from being about four years old. I started on Dan Dare and worked up to the Absurdists. At 15 you could catch me with a pile of books that contained an Alfred Bester, a Samuel Beckett, a Charles Williams, the two or three available J. G. Ballards, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, some Keats, some Allen Ginsberg, maybe a Thorne Smith. I've always been pick 'n' mix: now it's a philosophy.”

“I never liked that book much but at least it took the piss out of sf’s three main tenets: (1) The reader-identification character always drives the action; (2) The universe is knowable; (3) the universe is anthropocentrically structured & its riches are an appropriate prize for the colonialist people like us. TCD tried to out space opera as a kind of counterfeit pulp which had carefully cleaned itself of Saturday night appetite, vacuuming out all the concerns of real pulp fiction to keep it under the radar of the Mothers of America or whatever they called themselves. Pulp’s lust for life was replaced, if you were lucky, by a jaunty shanty & a comedy brawl. Otherwise, it was lebensraum & a cadetship in the Space Police (these days it’s primarily low-bourgeois freedom motifs & nice friendly sexual release).”