Ellison Wonderland

Josh Olson, who will not read your f'ing script, suggests I suggest something you can read. Over at E-Reads, it is now possible to download (for a fee, of course) e-books of darn near all the published volumes of Harlan Ellison. Since I have all these as real books, I probably won't. But you might find them enjoyable…and note some irony in the fact that a man who still insists on writing on a manual typewriter has his work available in this format.

Speaking of Harlan: Many years ago, I happened to mention Dr. Seuss in his presence…and I pronounced it the way you probably pronounce it — to rhyme with "juice" or "loose." Instantly, Harlan corrected me. It's pronounced "soyce," he said, rhyming it with "voice" or "choice." And he had this on very good authority, he did. He had met the legendary Theodor Seuss Geisel and heard that pronunciation from the man's own lips.

Of this, I have no doubt. But it seems to me that somewhere along the line, the Good Doctor gave up on this, or decided that though his actual middle name was pronounced "soyce," he might as well go with the book-buying majority and accept "seuss" (rhymes with "goose") as a preferred alternate for his pen name. In every documentary, his business colleagues and family members pronounce it to rhyme with "deuce." Ellison was the last holdout. For a recent online audio (a Seuss-style paraphrase of Josh's article), he pronounced it "soyce."

We discussed it recently and I convinced him to give it up and pronounce it the way everyone else does. This, believe me, is no small achievement. I've known Harlan since 1969 and I think this is the first time I've heard him abandon a cause. Odds are good it'll be the last, as well. So enjoy it while you can.