Review of Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008) by Niklas S — 29 Apr 2012

American short-story writer and essayist Harlan Ellison has more in common with old-school Jewish comics like Lenny Bruce, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen than with the science fiction masters he's usually lumped in with, like Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke and Dick.

With a raging social conscience, an utter disdain for pretension, bad writing, and those who tolerate mediocrity and intolerance, there's nothing he won't say. Ellison's larger-than-life persona and willingness to walk the walk have made him a legendary and contentious figure albeit, oddly, one not widely known outside lovers of genre fiction--probably because he's never had a major, popular film officially adapted from his stories, and his books are maddeningly difficult to find in bookstores.

In DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH we get to see Harlan read--from memory--portions of his most famous stories; hang out in his astonishing LA home, dubbed Ellison Wonderland, with fellow motormouth Robin Williams; relive misadventures from his 50-year career with old friends and fellow writers; and see terrific vintage clips of him from the '60s and '70s talking about his love of vengeance and the revolutionary powers of fiction.

Long a crusader for the property rights of writers everywhere, he's been the bane of existence for producers, editors and, indeed, other writers, for decades. His rejection of religion and spirituality in all its forms is truly inspiring, and his contempt for barely literate bestseller pop fiction and the mind-numbing effects of bad TV is unparalleled.

Ellison may write books that historically have been shelved in the science fiction section but he is as committed and passionate about the real world as any political activist. "No, you don't have the right to your own opinion," he says, "you have the right to an *informed* opinion.

Anything else is just farts in the wind." Ellison reveals writing for the hard yet simple work it is and sneers at those who would relegate this necessary social function to some ethereal elitist plane.

DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH is a rare glimpse into the too-often unseen world of those who create with words and have the courage and conviction to back that up.