Saturday, 6 June 2026

Uldwyr And Worlds

A conversation between Chunderban Desai and his Merseian opposite number, Uldwyr, impresses me with its future historical content. However, on searching the blog, I find that I have posted about this passage several times before! See here. I have also (just now) corrected an error. In one post, I had misnamed Uldwyr as "Ydwyr." The latter is a different character.

Maybe there is one additional point to be made. Uldwyr says:

"'So many traditions, works, mysteries - so tiny a lifespan to taste them -'"
-Poul Anderson, The Day Of Their Return IN Anderson, Captain Flandry: Defender Of The Terran Empire (Riverdale, NY, February 2010), pp. 74-238 AT 3, p. 85.

Should "works" have been "worlds"?

Check another edition:

"'So many traditions, works, mysteries...'"
-Poul Anderson, The Day Of Their Return (New York, 1975), III, p. 15.

"...works..." again. But surely "worlds" would have made more sense? A very small point - but read the whole book, of course.
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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous6 June 2026 at 16:38

    Kaor, Paul!

    I checked my 1973 Nelson Doubleday copy of THE DAY OF THEIR RETURN and it too has "works" in that part of Chapter 3. I agree "worlds" would seem to make more sense. But if every copy of TDOTR we have has "works" then it strongly looks like Anderson wanted "works," not "worlds." Unless he left a note somewhere saying otherwise.

    Ad astra! Sean

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  2. S.M. Stirling6 June 2026 at 16:58

    He's referring to Meresian works.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6 June 2026 at 17:06

    Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

    I never thought of that, but it can make sense, if we think Uldwyr was referring to Merseian plots and conspiracies against the harassed Empire.

    Ad astra! Sean

    ReplyDelete