A Window into the Fiction of Bob Leman - Introduction [Jim Rockhill] Preface Window The Tehama Industrial Complex The Pilgrimage of Clifford M. Change of Address Skirmish on Bastable Street Olida How Dobbstown Was Saved The Time of the Worm Bait Loob Unlawful Possession Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming Instructions Feesters in the Lake Cover Illustration by Allen Koszowski
Author
Robert J. Leman was, at once, wild and proper. He wrote imaginative science fiction tales, eventually compiled into a collection of short stories, "Feesters in the Lake," published in 2001. But he also adhered to his principles, dressing in Brooks Brothers oxford shirts and often, a suit and tie. In that sense, Mr. Leman paired unlikely opposites into one personality. He was a rural boy, raised on a farm in Illinois, who thirsted for Faulkner and later learned German, Latin and French. He was an ardent political conservative who, as a hobby, contributed to science fiction fanzines. He spoke little about his childhood and World War II involvement, and yet used words to describe the richest fictional scenes his mind could create. When writing, Mr. Leman used longhand and a yellow legal pad, later transferring the copy to a typewriter. He'd developed as an author chiefly by reading. As a child, he'd struggled to find happiness living with his stepmother, and used school as a refuge. Then, during World War II—he served with the 81st Field Artillery and helped liberate the Ohrdruf concentration camp—he came across a Faulkner paperback and fell in love. His two children, Nancy Leman and Frances Barnes, recall Mr. Leman's personal library, filled with thousands of books—Twain and Nabokov and Dickens. He even collected a few Faulkner originals. Mr. Leman wrote most of his science fiction short stories during the 1980s. One, titled "Window," became a finalist for the Nebula award and inspired an episode of the 2001 Fox show "Night Visions." "Feesters in the Lake" was published by Midnight House, a small publishing firm devoted to sci-fi and horror fiction. "It was a lot of dark, psychological stuff," said Ms. Barnes. "There was always an element of otherworldliness, but with real people. He could take people's fears and turn them into a story. But always with some humor thrown in." Mr. Leman, before settling in Pittsburgh, lived across the country—Tulsa, Okla., and Denver and later Rawlins, Wyo. He worked for Carter Oil, which later became a part of Exxon, helping with the legal side of land acquisition. (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06222/...)
