Letter
A. Bertram Chandler

Dear Ron,

Thank you for THE MENTOR,No 16.

In re the review of FALSE FATHERLAND by Brian Richards in this issue there are one or two corrections I’d like to make.

To quote: “After you buy it and read it, write to Horwitz and tell them what a marvellous job they have done in giving us a modicum of this native Australian talent…”

Sorry, Brian, but it’s not “native Australian talent”. I hate to have to confess it, but I’m an Aussified Pom. I’ve nothing against Australia at all, mind you, and on the occasions when I’ve obliged to sail under the Kiwi flag am even more Australian than a real Australian. And no matter where I was born and drug up, I regard myself as a Paddingtonian.

Then there’s a little confusion regarding titles. FALSE FATHERLAND was written as FALSE FATHERLAND. It was published as a serial by FANTASTIC, of which magazine Harry Harrison was then the editor. It was with Harry that I had the correspondence about an alternative title, starting off with the “twin turreted androids” and getting more and more obscene. Finally, with regret on both sides, we settled on SPARTAN PLANET.

The book was published by Horwitz under the original title - FALSE FATHERLAND - in FANTASTIC as SPARTAN PLANETI and by Dell as SPARTAN PLANET.

Finally, both my wife and I are somewhat miffed because Horwitz didn’t print in the dedication. - “For Susan, whose idea it was”. This appears in the Dell version.

It all started, of course, when the everloving said, “Isn’t it time you wrote something?” I counted with, “I’m out of ideas.” She came back with, “What about a planet with an all male population?” I said, It’s been done far too many times with worlds with an all female population - Virgin Planet, Amazon Planet, and Gawd knows what else…” She said, “I said an. all male population.” I said, “It’s biologically impossible.” She said, “You’re the science fiction writer of the family. Make it possible.”

Never underestimate, &c.

- A. Bertram Chandler.

© 2004 Used with kind permission of Susan Chandler and her agents, JABberwocky Literary Agency, PO Box 4558, Sunnyside, NY 11104-0558 USA. The "John Grimes" novels of A. Bertram Chandler are available in electronic form for your Palm OS handheld at Palm Digital Media. They are also available through the Science Fiction Book Club to readers in the US and Canada and forthcoming from Wales Publishers in the Czech Republic.

Originally Published in The Mentor #34, October 1981 © Ron Clarke

© www.bertramchandler.com, David Kelleher 2004