If you do not find all you seek within these humble pages, please, look at these other sites!
ultan's Library- Online Gene Wolfe Literary Journal
Cave Canem- Robert Borski's Excellent Website
SFBookcase- More Information on the Wolfe
Templeton Gate - A Gene Wolfe Biography
Fantastic Fiction - A Gene Wolfe Bibliography
Neil
Gaiman: “Not only can you lie in fiction, but I think Gene is the master
of lying in fiction, both directly and indirectly. Peace is built on lies.
And assume that, being who he is, Gene is pretty damn sure what the truth and
what the lies are in Peace. The rest of us have to get through that as
best we can. After three or four times through that text, you begin to be able
to say, ‘I think he’s lying about this or that.’”
Gene Wolfe: “I never lie.”
Gene Wolfe is considered the most prominent science fiction writer living. His novels include the multi-award winning tetrology "The Book of the New Sun", the Latro novels (Soldier of Arete and Soldier of the Mists), Peace, and various collections of short-stories such as The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories and Storeys of the Old Hotel.
For the purposes of this website, a full biography is not really needed. For a full biography, I have included the following links (Also on the sidebar):
Fantastic Fiction Bibliography (Warning: If you are a perspective author, or an established one, this might make you cry)
What is important to this website is good understanding of the author and how he writes. The idea is that once you know what to look for The Fifth Head of Cerberus and any other Gene Wolfe books you decide to read won't seem so alien or daunting.
So, in no particular order:
Important Things to Remember When Reading Gene Wolfe
1.Gene Wolfe is a dirty rotten liar.
Pay no attention to the quote: Gene Wolfe will lie to you six ways from Sunday. Read "V.R.T" and you can see it. Read The Shadow of the Torturer and it slaps you in the face. Gene Wolfe makes the reader feel comfortable with themselves and then pulls the rug out from under them. I think he likes doing it, as a matter of fact I know he does.
2. Names are very, very important.
The names that Gene Wolfe uses for his fiction are very important. The hidden name of the narrator of "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" is an excellent example. Another important name is the address of the brothel, 666 Saltimbanque. 666 of course refers to the Number of the Beast in Book of Revelations and to Hell. Saltimbanque, in French, means charlatan. If the meaning alludes you, see rule one.
3. Gene Wolfe knows several languages.
Realated to rule one and more important, perhaps, in other stories, it is very important to remember that Gene Wolfe knows several languages. Particularly, it is his knowledge of Greek and Latin that make him the most dangerous, as their words can easily be transformed into English looking words that easily hide the keys to understanding the text. An example from "The Fifth Head of Cerberus", is the scene in the park where Phaedria tells Number Five that all the kids call his house the "Cave Canem" or just the "Cave". In Latin, Cave Canem means "Beware of Dog". Oh, good one Gene. Other examples of linguistic trickery abound in his fiction, expecially in the Book of the New Sun.
4. Stay Vigilant!
This is perhaps the most important rule. Gene Wolfe writes fiction that is difficult to read so you, reader, probably won't catch everything in the first run of the text. Stay vigilant! Read and re-read. Or you can look online for commentary and criticism of his works, which are also very helpful. Check the sidebar or the main page for links or information about books that could help you.
