We Are Full of Shame: We Missed Robert Silverberg’s Birthday

Although there are mitigating circumstances – the end of 2014 saw illness rampaging through Gateway Towers like the proverbial bull in the (now that we stop to think about it, extremely unlikely) china shop, and thus 2015 has had a slower start than usual – we stand with heads bowed in shame. Last Thursday was Robert Silverberg‘s birthday, and we missed it.

To make matters worse, not only was January 15th the great man’s birthday – it was his 80th birthday! We can’t tell you how embarrassed we are to have missed such a landmark, but we can tell you how we mean to make amends:

Firstly, the Gateway Elves have been soundly thrashed and sent to bed without any Gernsback (no, we don’t know what that means, either, but they seemed very upset).

Secondly, we have declared this Robert Silverberg week on the SF Gateway website, with all four spotlights carrying one of his amazing works. To be honest, we could easily have filled twice as many slots. For the next week, we offer up for your reading pleasure:

The Nebula Award-winning masterpiece, A Time of Changes, not one but two novels shortlisted for both Hugo and Nebula awards in the same year (talk about competing against yourself!) – The Book of Skulls and Dying Inside – and the nearest we suspect Robert Silverberg ever got to epic fantasy, the first of his majestic Majipoor series, Hugo-shortlisted Lord Valentine’s Castle.

Read, enjoy, and please join us in saying (however tardily!):

Happy Birthday, Robert Silverberg!