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All the Lies That Are My Life
Underwood-Miller, 1980. Limited edition of 660 copies, 220 of which were signed and numbered. Story by Ellison, with essays about the story by Robert Silverberg, Norman Spinrad, Vonda N. McIntyre, Robert Sheckley, Philip José Farmer, Thomas M. Disch, Edward Bryant.
132 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1980
105 people want to read
About the author
Harlan Ellison
467 books2,819 followersHarlan Jay Ellison (1934-2018) was a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism.
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
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February 8, 2017Contents:
015 - Introduction - Robert Silverberg
021 - "All the Lies That Are My Life" Harlan Ellison
087 - Afterword - Norman Spinrad
095 - Afterword - Vonda McIntyre
099 - Afterword -Robert Sheckley
103 - Afterword - Philip Jose Farmer
115 - Afterword - Thomas M. Disch
119 - Afterword - Edward Bryant
127 - About the Illustrator
Illustrated by Kent Bash
February 15, 2016
Harlan Ellison’s “All the Lies That Are My Life” was nominated for the 1981 Hugo Award-Best Novella. This is surprising because it has no science fiction elements in it. It was nominated solely on its perceived strength as a powerful story by a science fiction author. It is probably not surprising it eventually lost to “Lost Dorsai” by Gordon R. Dickson.
I found “All the Lies That Are My Life” to be very absorbing despite a rather banal storyline. Ellison is clearly writing about himself in the character of Jimmy Crowstairs, and this narrative focuses on the aftermath of his death and the reading of his last will and testament. Ellison seems to be having some fun at his own expense, describing the very important people who will attend his funeral and recounting various affairs with beautiful women. He is also trying to make some important statements about the ability of Art to outlast its creator and the potentially damaging effects of trying to manipulate close personal friendships after one’s death.
The core of the story is this question: What is the single great lie at the center of Jimmy’s life that defines his entire existence? We are never given a straight-up answer, but several possibilities are openly hinted at.
The story first appeared in its full unabridged form in the 1980 short story collection SHATTERDAY. That same year it was also published separately in a slim hardback that included 50 pages of bonus material (about the same length as the tale itself) in the form of essays by other authors discussing the story and its author’s impact on the literary world.
The bonus material is particularly informative to this novella. Silverberg’s essay is the most interesting. Many readers want to equate Johnny and his friend Larry Bedloe with Harlan Ellison and Bob Silverberg respectively. In his essay, Silverberg argues that one should instead read Johnny as Ellison’s personal view of himself, and they should interpret Larry as Ellison’s view of how he (Ellison) would have turned out if he had been born with Silverberg’s looks, talent, and personality.
Ed Bryant’s afterword is a surreal imagining of one hectic morning at Harlan’s house. Other authors highlight funny Ellison anecdotes.
It becomes clear when reading the words of Robert Silverberg, Phillip Jose Farmer, Norman Spinrad, and others that the science fiction literary community held Ellison in high regard during this time period. He had cultivated a public image that was gregarious, volatile, and larger than life. Many felt he was the genre’s best hope for ‘going mainstream’.
This perception is illuminating in light of what actually happened. Ellison continued to garner acclaim and awards in the 1980’s, up through the release of Angry Candy, but his creative output curtailed significantly in the 1990’s and 2000’s with only one significant original collection of stories (SLIPPAGE) published during those 20 years. Ellison has recently made a comeback in the 2010’s with a couple of graphic novels on the New York Times Bestseller List and a handful of new short stories recently collected in CAN AND CAN’TANKEROUS. He has also published some retrospectives and previously uncollected writings.
I found “All the Lies That Are My Life” to be very absorbing despite a rather banal storyline. Ellison is clearly writing about himself in the character of Jimmy Crowstairs, and this narrative focuses on the aftermath of his death and the reading of his last will and testament. Ellison seems to be having some fun at his own expense, describing the very important people who will attend his funeral and recounting various affairs with beautiful women. He is also trying to make some important statements about the ability of Art to outlast its creator and the potentially damaging effects of trying to manipulate close personal friendships after one’s death.
The core of the story is this question: What is the single great lie at the center of Jimmy’s life that defines his entire existence? We are never given a straight-up answer, but several possibilities are openly hinted at.
The story first appeared in its full unabridged form in the 1980 short story collection SHATTERDAY. That same year it was also published separately in a slim hardback that included 50 pages of bonus material (about the same length as the tale itself) in the form of essays by other authors discussing the story and its author’s impact on the literary world.
The bonus material is particularly informative to this novella. Silverberg’s essay is the most interesting. Many readers want to equate Johnny and his friend Larry Bedloe with Harlan Ellison and Bob Silverberg respectively. In his essay, Silverberg argues that one should instead read Johnny as Ellison’s personal view of himself, and they should interpret Larry as Ellison’s view of how he (Ellison) would have turned out if he had been born with Silverberg’s looks, talent, and personality.
Ed Bryant’s afterword is a surreal imagining of one hectic morning at Harlan’s house. Other authors highlight funny Ellison anecdotes.
It becomes clear when reading the words of Robert Silverberg, Phillip Jose Farmer, Norman Spinrad, and others that the science fiction literary community held Ellison in high regard during this time period. He had cultivated a public image that was gregarious, volatile, and larger than life. Many felt he was the genre’s best hope for ‘going mainstream’.
This perception is illuminating in light of what actually happened. Ellison continued to garner acclaim and awards in the 1980’s, up through the release of Angry Candy, but his creative output curtailed significantly in the 1990’s and 2000’s with only one significant original collection of stories (SLIPPAGE) published during those 20 years. Ellison has recently made a comeback in the 2010’s with a couple of graphic novels on the New York Times Bestseller List and a handful of new short stories recently collected in CAN AND CAN’TANKEROUS. He has also published some retrospectives and previously uncollected writings.
April 6, 2008
This volume includes Ellison's excellent novella, as well as an introduction by Robert Silverberg, afterwards by a half-dozen famous authors, and wonderful Kent Bash illustrations. It was nominated for awards in the sf field although it has no non-mainstream elements; it's an excellent piece.
January 10, 2024
Regarding all the speculation on who Ellison might have had in mind when he wrote the story, I'll just leave this here... The evening before the science fiction convention where he produced the story, I managed to collar Ellison alone briefly as he was being hosted by the con committee. With the supreme awkwardness of the teenage geek I was, I asked him the burning question in the forefront of my mind: Did he know if Keith Laumer was still writing? (He had collaborated with Laumer in the past, and I learned later Laumer had suffered a stroke years before which severely affected his output.)
He offered me a terse answer, the gist of which was that he no longer associated with Laumer and had no plans to see him again. Two days later, he debuted the story with a reading at the convention, saying he had just written it. If you check the name of the character, well...
He offered me a terse answer, the gist of which was that he no longer associated with Laumer and had no plans to see him again. Two days later, he debuted the story with a reading at the convention, saying he had just written it. If you check the name of the character, well...
May 19, 2025
Well this was unexpected! A very honest and thoughtful introspective on exactly why the title states… the lies that make up the worldly presentations of our lives. I’ve always appreciated and admired Harlan’s ability to take the twists and ugliness of reality and turn it into something fantastical. This one was no different, except for the fact that the fantasy sat squarely on one man’s talent for not only talents for not only deceiving his readers, but those closest to him… including himself. A wonderful and quick read that could resonate well beyond his typical fan base.
June 19, 2024
the last story in this collection is the longest i believe and one of the best. funny, sad, very satisfying.
i haven't enjoyed every story in this collection. i honestly hated a couple of them.
but full credit to the guy. he could write in multiple styles. you could read these stories back to back to back & believe that they were different writers.
i haven't enjoyed every story in this collection. i honestly hated a couple of them.
but full credit to the guy. he could write in multiple styles. you could read these stories back to back to back & believe that they were different writers.
February 1, 2014
One of Ellison's best stories. There's a legend that this is actually a thinly veiled account of his relationship with Robert Silverberg which is nicely debunked by Silverberg's introductory essay to this volume.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews