Morgan Llywelyn

Mention Harry Harrison to any science fiction afficionado and he or she is likely to exclaim with delight "The Stainless Steel Rat!" That is the one book out of all the body of his work for which he is most likely to be remembered. (Whether it is the book he would choose for that purpose is another question.)

But when I hear Harry's name I tend to think of something else first.

Opera.

He and I share a passion for that most esoteric of musical drama. Some years ago Harry and his wife invited me to join them for the Wexford Opera Festival. There is nothing I would have loved more, but I reluctantly had to decline. I was working flat out to finish a big novel by deadline.

Maybe he'll invite me again sometime. I wouldn't be surprised, because that's the sort of man Harry Harrison is. He's a warm, generous, larger-than-life human being who has been there, done that, got the T-shirt, and separated the wheat from the chaff. That's what makes him such a good writer. He's a well-rounded human being, unlike these youthful prodigies who sell a first novel for megabucks and then vanish forever like the snows of spring.

That multi-faceted quality of Harry Harrison's has enabled him to create so many interesting fictional characters over so many years. It is the same quality which makes me love him as a person, as well as admire his work.

Happy Birthday, Harry. You're one of a kind; the best kind.

Morgan Llywelyn