The Legacy of a Writer

by Dianna L. Gunn

Ordinary people will be lucky to be remembered by their grandchildren and great-grandchildren after they die. Great artists and writers, who often began as ordinary people, are luckier: they will be remembered by their fans and their fans' children. Some are even remembered by the whole world—I mean, who hasn't heard of Tolkien or Da Vinci?

One writer likely to be remembered for generations—and who has already touched lives in multiple generations—is Ray Bradbury. Even I, who have read only a small portion of his large body of work, will remember him until the day I die. Every member of my family loves books, and both my grandmother and my mother have greatly enjoyed Ray Bradbury's fiction.

There is a long tradition among writers of honouring our greats by writing stories inspired by them and articles about them. The honours bestowed upon these masters of our craft can take many forms. Some are honoured with books of essays about their work. Others are honoured by a commemorative edition of their book with an intro by a current writer. Some have contests run in their name. Others are honoured by a themed issue of a magazine, such as this issue of Penumbra. The greatest authors get several of these honours.

This is the writer's dream: to be remembered, to make their mark on the world, to inspire others. The loss of Ray Bradbury in June of last year was enormously sad to all fans of speculative fiction, but his work shall live on, keeping his memory alive. So it is that no great writer truly dies: they live on in the hearts of others for hundreds of years. While it can be said that our lost loved ones live on in our hearts, when we die, their memories are usually gone for good—but great writers and artists live much longer in just the same way.

As a writer myself, I can only hope to be remembered half so well, that one day I will be honoured as I honour Ray Bradbury today.

Dianna L. Gunn is a young Canadian fiction writer who specializes in dark fantasy. She also writes poetry, generally dark, which is her way of dealing with life. This insightful author hosts a website covering every aspect of fiction writing and interviews with noted guest authors.

Learn more about Dianna L. Gunn on her website and follow her on Twitter.