The Year's Best Science Fiction 11

I miss a lot. There are stories I don’t find out about till two years— or two weeks—later. And then there are the ones that get away. Usually this is for contractual reasons—exclusive rights granted elsewhere, or problems about contract provisions and prices. Sometimes the reasons are purely editorial: Anthology editors have publisher’s editors, and authors have agents and magazine and book editors) it is surprising how many people can say no.

This year there’s a new reason: Tom Lehrer doesn’t answer his mail.

Right here is where those two songs from the 1965 Lehrer album. That Was The Year That Was, would have gone, if they hadn’t gotten away. As it is, I can only urge you to go hear (or even buy) the record for yourselves. Well, maybe a little more than that.

The one I wanted to go after “The Roaches” was a catchy little calypso called “Pollution”: If you visit American city, You will find it very pretty. Just two things of which you must beware: Don’t drink the water, and don’t breathe the air.

(Of course, Tom Disch had to go to Spain to get hepatitis. When he wrote about his writing, publishing, and travel plans he added sadly: . . . for the next year I am going to be the only teetotaling swinger in Europe. Doctor’s orders. Germany, Spain, England, France/ bier, Jerez, ale, vin, kaput. . .)

Some of the other topics treated in Professor Lehrer’s latest lesson on contemporary culture are New Math, National Brotherhood Week, the folk-singing rebels, how-to-sell religion, the U. S. Marines, and World War III in a song called “So long. Mom ...” which echoes some of the more reassuring sentiments of “The Survivor”: . . . But while you swelter,/Down there in your shelter,/You can see me/On your TV . . ./Watch Brinkelly and Huntilly/Describing contrapuntally/ The cities we have lost./No need for you/To miss a moment/Of the agonizing holocaust. . .

Which should set the mood for “Game,” a story less gentle than it may at first appear—as anyone familiar with Barthelme’s earlier work will understand. (Come Back, Dr. Caligari, Little, Brown, 1964. His first novel, Indian Uprising, is forthcoming from Atheneum.)

And my thanks to Tom Disch, for suggesting the story.