Greg Bear: Rembrance

Gregory Dale Bear--born August 20, 1951, died November 19, 2022--is one of the great SF writers of his generation. With nearly fifty years of publication, at least thirty to forty of them would leave his colleagues envious.

The photo to the right is how I most remember Greg Bear--the broad smile, the crinkly eyes--although it probably wasn't his only or even his main expression. But this is what sticks with me. That memory lingers on his pleasant disposition says much about the man.

He was brilliant in most things he did. He told us at Clarion West: "I can talk and you can learn from me, or you can talk, and I'll learn from you."

If you were lucky enough to party at his house, his library awed all of us to silence.

Bear was a master of many fields. I gave a signed copy of Bear's novel, Darwin's Radio, to a microbiologist friend who was impressed with Bear's scientific knowledge. He felt like they were colleagues.

But Bear didn't get a PhD or even a B.S. in any scientific field but a degree in English. If you want a masterclass on creating characters, read his Hugo/Nebula winning novelette, "Blood Music," then compare that to the novel version, which deepens the characters. He takes a novelette--good enough to win awards--and makes it better. Most writers would have simply added on to what they'd done.

Here's an interview worth watching to learn about the recollections of man in his later years: