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Pages From Samuel R. Delany's 1987 Short Story "The Game of Time and Pain" Now On Display In MoPOP's 'Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic'
A piece from MoPOP's permanent collection is on display for the very first time inside of Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic.
Two pages from Samuel Delany's "The Game of Time and Pain" can be found in the wizard's library tucked within the exhibition's hollow tree. The installation features the title page and first page from the 1987 short story, one of three collected in Delany's work The Bridge of Lost Desire.
Set in Nevèrÿon, a fantasy world that on the surface appears similar to many sword-and-sorcery settings, "The Game of Time and Pain" explores themes and ideas that are unusual for fantasy fare including economics, slavery, bondage, and reflections on the nature of narrative itself.
A member of MoPOP's Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, Delany is one of science fiction and fantasy's most influential authors and critics. He broke barriers as an African American and gay author at a time when the genres were dominated by white authors and heteronormative narratives, and is celebrated for pushing boundaries of the genre by exploring social issues related to race, class, sexuality, and gender — themes that remain uncommonly explored.
Recommended Samuel R. Delany Works:
- Babel-17 (1966)
- Dhalgren (1974)
- Atlantis: Three Tales (1995)
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