09-12-2010, 07:14 AM
Have any of you noticed how difficult it can be to find information about authors in this genre? I don't mean the obvious famous names everyone knows, but the dozens of writers who penned a few Gothics in the 1960s and '70s, and the one-hit wonders, some of whom may have written in other genres, and about whom it is nearly impossible to find facts.
I realize that many of these novelists may have used pseudonyms, and their real identities, long after their books have gone out of print, have never seen the light of day. Perhaps some of them don't want to be found out. I recall reading an obituary for one American author -- I think it might have been Florence Hurd -- who kept her career as a romantic suspense author secret from her family until the end of her life. One wonders: was it fear of perceived snobbery, or the perception at the time that writing such sensational stuff was risqué? Hard to imagine nowadays, when publishing a book -- any book -- is considered cause for pride.
If I like a book, I become curious about its author. My natural inclination is to want to learn something about the person in whose mind I have lately been a guest, and where I enjoyed a pleasant stay. But almost invariably I am frustrated in my search for information, even of the most basic kind! With many authors it's quite impossible to discover simply whether they are alive or dead. The internet will turn up exhaustive minutiae on just about any subject, no matter how obscure, except, it seems, writers of Gothic Romance novels. Vexing and perplexing.
I realize that many of these novelists may have used pseudonyms, and their real identities, long after their books have gone out of print, have never seen the light of day. Perhaps some of them don't want to be found out. I recall reading an obituary for one American author -- I think it might have been Florence Hurd -- who kept her career as a romantic suspense author secret from her family until the end of her life. One wonders: was it fear of perceived snobbery, or the perception at the time that writing such sensational stuff was risqué? Hard to imagine nowadays, when publishing a book -- any book -- is considered cause for pride.
If I like a book, I become curious about its author. My natural inclination is to want to learn something about the person in whose mind I have lately been a guest, and where I enjoyed a pleasant stay. But almost invariably I am frustrated in my search for information, even of the most basic kind! With many authors it's quite impossible to discover simply whether they are alive or dead. The internet will turn up exhaustive minutiae on just about any subject, no matter how obscure, except, it seems, writers of Gothic Romance novels. Vexing and perplexing.