Diana Wynne Jones, 1934-2011

[flemmings]

"Since you, who sustained the civil tongue
In a scattering time, and were poet of all our cities,
Have for all your clever difference quietly left us,
As we might have known that you would, by that common door."

She was old enough to be my mother and I am not young, but still. Much too soon.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the ehugs. Nice to see you back. Is it deadline hell that's responsible for the radio silence even about making the Tiptree Honor List?

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

(confused) Did I send you my Chrestomanci books? Don't recall doing so, and they're still here on the shelf, so if I did you sent them back. (Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant, yes?) (Oh look, I *do* have Eight Days of Luke. Must reread, like the rest of the world today.)

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

I didn't know of this ... ... the passing of one whose worlds were so beautiful and words equally so,

I feel along with you.

*HUG*

[incandescens]

I've just been catching up online and seen this.

Damn. Damn damn damn.

(ehugs)

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Granted, DWJ is one of those 'difficult' writers who leave me scratching my head half the time. Hexwood, Archer's Goon, Fire and Hemlock-- argh. But the Chrestomanci and Howl books are pure joy.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

Oh! That's very sad! I'll have to go reread some of it.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

There's such a lot of it to reread. Just two weeks ago I was in the library and found two books of hers I'd never even heard of, both published in the last 18 months.

[kickinpants.livejournal.com]

Some of us did a toast to DWJ the weekend she passed. Her death was really sad and striking. I felt blessed to have read her work though, and to keep reading all the way until this year.

I "discovered" her though The lives of Christopher Chant by listening to it. Being legally blind meant I got to use the free library for the blind audio books, and I picked that one up because it sounded interesting. (At that time, you had to "listen" to the catalog and mark what books you wanted. Very time-consuming process.) That was a sometimes scary book to listen to, when you can't jump ahead to find out what happens. After that, I read Charmed Life, and spent a spring break in early high school plowing through everything else at the library. Time City, Homeward Bounders, Archer's Goon, Magicians of Caprona...

I'll miss her too.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

The lives of Christopher Chant would be pretty scary as an introduction, with no way of knowing what would happen and what kind of writer she is. I see why you found a sense of menace to her.