The Politics of SF

Interesting piece in The Guardian by Damien G. Walter called "The Politics of sci-fi" on the Hugos, the struggle for "literary respectability," Michael Chabon as "the secret weapon of a genre that has always craved mainstream acclaim. Very soon we will reveal his origins as a genetically engineered Super Writer, bred to infiltrate mainstream literature with high-quality genre fiction. The Margaret Atwood droid may have violated its core programming by denying its science fiction roots, but we have high hopes that Chabon will perform better."

Mention of Brasyland Ian McDonald (along with Charles Stross) as "among the hardest of hard science fiction authors." And a nice acknowledgments of Michael Moorcock's upcoming Grand Master award, with a nod to his overall importance to the field.