I get the impression that Poul Anderson respected Zen although he mentions it only briefly and rarely. Indeed, he respected religious traditions and cultural diversity. We have all heard of
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. I had not read it but Paul, whom I mentioned recently, lent me the sequel,
Lila, and has now lent me the first book so that I am reading the two books out of order if indeed I do read
Zen And... all the way through. This is the time of evening for non-Poul-Anderson-related reading or rereading and Pirsig competes with Stieg Larsson and
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine. But it is all one, really. Writers take us into their creative imaginations and I post to express some of our appreciation.
Anderson's Psychotechnic History has hidden depths.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Most of what I recall about Buddhism in Anderson's stories seem to be associated with Adzel, the Wodenite convert to that faith. And maybe one or two of the Time Patrol stories.
Ad astra! Sean
Buddhism is also mentioned in the mystery stories he wrote with the half-Japanese detective in San Francisco.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Yes, that is true. I forgot about the three mystery novels Anderson wrote.
One thing about mysteries set in real times and places, is how they become period pieces, giving us snapshots of what life was like at the times they were pub. That's as true of Anderson's Trygvi Yamamura stories, set in the late 1950's, as it was of Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey's novels, set in the 1920's and '30's. The California of the 1950's is very different from what it has since become!
Ad astra! Sean
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