[VIDEO] Have you heard about Octavia Butler?
Science fiction is one of the most popular genres in modern society. From Star Wars to Doctor Who, audiences loved being transported away by science fiction books, stories, and films. Today, let’s look at one of the most influential science fiction writers, novelist Octavia Butler, who helped spur the imagination of millions.
Octavia’s life began simply. Her mother was a maid and her father shined shoes. Young Octavia was terribly shy, and suffered from dyslexia, a combination that often found her ostracized at school. To escape, she often hid herself away at the Pasadena Central Library, nestled safely in a corner with a big book.
Soon, Butler grew restless with simply reading stories. She pleaded with her mother to buy her a typewriter, a Remington, and received one when she was only ten years old. Soon, she began dutifully crafting tales of her own, pecking at the keys two fingers at a time.
However, Butler knew from an early age that writing would be an uphill battle. She later recalled a well-meaning aunt telling her “Honey, negroes can’t be writers.” Despite this, Butler pushed on. She loved writing and had a passion to tell stories.
Her ambition grew a couple years later after she watched the movie “Devil Girl from Mars.” Unimpressed by what she’d seen, Butler decided that she was capable of writing something much better. A few years later, she enrolled at Pasadena City College, where she won a school short story contest which earned her the first $15 of her career.
After graduating, Butler worked a series of Joe jobs as she focused on getting her short stories published anywhere she could. All the while, she was also working on larger projects. Soon, she had published several novels, and Butler decided to be a writer fulltime. These early novels sold just well enough for her to be able to quit her other jobs.
One her most important books was written at this time. Kindred, which was published in 1979, tells the story of a woman transported from the present day to a plantation back in the early 1800s, following this modern woman as she struggles to survive the horrors of slavery and escape back to her own time.
Butler’s critical acclaim increased as she won the prestigious Hugo Award, the highest honor among science fiction writers, for some of her short stories.
By the mid-80s, Butler’s work became more commercially successful. She wrote what is arguably her best-known work, the Xenogenesis trilogy after traveling to the Amazon rainforest. These stories, like much of Butlers work, deal with racism, the hierarchical nature of society, and the underpinnings of what it means to be human.
Butler’s work speaks powerfully to the black experience, allowing readers of all races to empathize with its evocative characters and the their frustration at feeling lost or powerless. She examines concepts like violence and exploitation, as well as humanity’s perceived march towards self-destruction.
Butler continued writing throughout the 90s and early 2000s. Her final novel, Fledgling, was a book about vampires living in a complex symbiosis with humanity, and brought Butler’s dynamic ideas to an entirely different audience.
In 2006, Butler passed away at the age of 58. She left behind a rich legacy of interesting stories and profound ideas. Her blending of Afrofuturism and socially-aware writings are truly unique, and the way she wrote about alternative communities has led many people of all backgrounds to find comfort and strength in her works.
If you decide to read one of Butler’s books, expect to find yourself not only looking up at the stars, but inward as well.
# # # C. Richards