[press-announce] PRESS RELEASE: Now available: The trade hardcover of "A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison”

Thu Jul 27 12:39:55 EDT 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[image: Inline image 1]

NESFA Press is proud to announce the publication of the trade hardcover
edition of:

A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, an Exploration by Nat
Segaloff.

Somerville, MA (July 17, 2017) - Delving into the life of the science
fiction icon Harlan Ellison through exclusive interviews with Ellison
himself, his colleagues, his family, his friends, and his enemies, A Lit
Fuse is now available in an unlimited trade hardcover edition. The book
includes a 32-page color photo section.

“A Lit Fuse is authorized, but that doesn’t mean it’s a hagiography,” says
Segaloff. “The first thing Harlan told me when we started our adventure was
that he wanted me to write the truth. Considering that that’s what Harlan
himself has been doing for the last sixty-five years, I had a clear
mandate.”

Tracing the fractious Ellison’s life and career – and including, for the
first time with permission, excerpts from his work –  the biography
explores his fears, his demons, and his doubts as well as his principles,
his hopes, and his triumphs. “It is, without question, the most vulnerable
and intimate he has ever allowed himself to appear in print,” Segaloff
says. “This is a portrait of the man and his intensely personal creative
process, not the usual list of lawsuits, melees, or tantrums, although
they’re in here, too.”

Those interviewed include Neil Gaiman, Patton Oswalt, Peter David, David
Gerrold, Robert Sawyer, Michael Scott, Edward Asner, Leonard Nimoy, Ed
Bryant, Alan Brennert, J. Michael Straczynski, Robert Silverberg, Paul
Krassner, and Walter Koenig.

Along the way the reader is treated to an analysis of the Connie Willis
controversy, the infamous dead gopher story, allegedly pushing a fan down
an elevator shaft, and the final word on The Last Dangerous Visions. What
emerges is a rich portrait of a man who has spent his life doing battle
with his times and himself, always challenging his readers to reach for a
higher plane and goading himself to get them there. It’s funny, wise,
shocking, and—well, it’s Harlan.

“NESFA Press is honored to be publishing A Lit Fuse,” says editor David G.
Grubbs. “So much has been written about Harlan Ellison without Harlan’s
input that we are happy to finally have the man himself on record. This
will be a revelation, even to people who know him.”

... a vivid portrait of [Harlan Ellison], told with respect and affection
but also without pulling any punches. ... I've read most of Segaloff's
books ... and say without hesitation that this is the best thing he has
ever done. I fully expect this to be on next year's Hugo ballot for "best
related work," ... Whether you're a science fiction fan, a devotee of
Ellison, or simply interested in what it means to be a writer, this is an
essential book. Harlan Ellison trusted Nat Segaloff with his life, and Nat
Segaloff repaid that trust with a book fully worthy of its subject. —
Daniel M. Kimmel, author of Jar* Jar Binks Must Die... and Other
Observations about Science Fiction Movies* and *Time on My Hands: My
Misadventures in Time Travel*

To order your copy of A Lit Fuse please visit http://www.nesfapress.org/ALit
Fuse or go to www.amazon.com.

Author

Nat Segaloff is a writer, producer, and film historian. He has written
biographies of Arthur Penn, William Friedkin, and Stirling Silliphant, and
produced documentaries on Stan Lee, John Belushi, Larry King, and Shari
Lewis & Lamb Chop. He is co-author of the play “The Waldorf Conference,”
about the origins of the Hollywood Blacklist (in which Harlan Ellison
acted) and, in addition to A Lit Fuse, has also completed a memoir, Screen
Saver.

Trade hardcover edition, dust jacketed, 448 pages (including a 32-page
photo section), 6” x 9”, ISBN: 978-1-61037-323-4, July 2017, $35.00.

Contact: NESFA Press

www.nesfapress.org

sales at nesfa.org

617-625-2311 <(617)%20625-2311>
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