Tanith Lee (1947-2015) : remembered by Pauline Morgan.
Over the past few years we have lost a lot of genre writers such as Iain Banks, Graham Joyce and Joel Lane. Now we have to add Tanith Lee to the list of those who will be missed.
Tanith was born on the 19th September 1947 and died from breast cancer on 24th May 2015.
‘Eustace’ was her first professionally published story appearing when she was 21 on 1968. Her first published novel was for children ‘The Dragon Hoard’ appearing on 1971 but she had problems selling adult novels in the UK. DAW published ‘The Birthgrave’ in 1975 and she began her regular output of novels and short stories amounting to well over ninety published books, including collections and compilations.
Tanith married the artist John Kaiine in 1992.
Although a largely private person with a compulsion to write, she did appear at some conventions. Throughout her all her manuscripts were typed on a manual typewriter as she never felt comfortable creating on a computer.
Her books were not, on the whole, big sellers but the range of her work was amazing. They were not always easy to read as they were packed full of ideas and exquisite prose. Anyone who is familiar with her work will probably have a favourite but some of her more recent contemporary fantasies published by Imannion Press
Pauline Morgan
July 2015
