Recently, we ran a two-part interview (Part I & Part II) with science fiction/fantasy author and editor David Lee Summers. Here below is just one more question that was rolling around my head after finishing his recent novel Owl Dance. David was gracious enough to indulge us here at Dork Central…I mean Darkcargo. Enjoy!
In Owl Dance, your most recent steampunkish novel that takes place in the American Southwest, I really enjoyed how the two main characters, a Mexican-American sheriff and a Persian healer, are non-Caucasians. As a writer, was that the intention from the beginning, or was this merely the muse at work? In general, do you see the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy as a great place to reflect back the larger world, as more than just a bunch of white dudes running around with laser blasters and magical swords?
I didn’t really make an overt, conscious decision to make the protagonists in Owl Dance non-white. What I did want to do from the outset was realistically reflect the diverse cultures that have always been part of the Southwest. My mom grew up in a small New Mexico town in the 1930s and 40s. The fact that her neighbors had browner skin than she did and spoke Spanish was a non-issue. It wasn’t until she moved to Texas in the 1950s that she met people who were discriminated against because of race.
So really, Ramon Morales started out as a reflection of real lawmen like Elfego Baca and Francisco Chavez who I hadn’t seen represented well in the Westerns I watched growing up. Furthermore, while researching the period of the novel, I came across accounts of the early days of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths from Persia. I discovered the story of Tahirih, a poet and earlier follower of the Bab, who was executed for her beliefs. I was touched by her story and reminded of strong Persian and Arab women I’ve known. These influences came together in Fatemeh.
In general, yes, I think science fiction and fantasy can be used to great effect to reflect on the world at large. We can consider such things as culture and how it can be used both as a bridge and a barrier. We can imagine the benefits of getting along and the consequences of not. Even though it wasn’t an overt and conscious decision to make the protagonists of Owl Dance non-Caucasian, I hope that by doing so, I get people to see that the issue of “multiculturalism” in the United States is not a new one, that we have made great progress in some areas, and that we still have a ways to go in others.
