Revered science-fiction author and UC Berkeley alumnus Jack Vance passed away May 26. He was 96.
Vance began his writing career at The Daily Californian and went on to publish more than 60 books. One of his works, “The Dragon Masters,” won him the Hugo Award in 1963, leading to his induction later in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2001.
Though Vance never quite reached the celebrity status of other authors in the genre, such as John Varley or Dan Simmons, he gained a devoted following for his skillful prose. His work influenced best-selling authors like Stephen King and George R.R. Martin.
“His work has distinctive elegance,” said Michael Dirda, a Pulitzer-Prize winning book critic for the Washington Post, describing his style as “witty and ingratiated with rhythm.”
On meeting Vance, Dirda noted the difference between Vance’s image on and off the page. “In person, he was extremely down-to-earth, dressed very ordinarily and played the ukulele. But his style was urbane and sophisticated. He wrote like a dandy, like Oscar Wilde and P.G. Wodehouse.”
A Bay Area native, Vance grew up in Oakley, Calif., and lived in Oakland for most of his life. He enrolled in UC Berkeley in fall 1937 as a physics major but changed his major to English after developing an interest in journalism working for the Daily Cal.
According to his memoir, “This is Me, Jack Vance!”, Vance was a student of the Great Depression and began working at the Daily Cal his freshman year as a part of the Works Progress Administration, earning $60 a month.
Vance quickly formed a group of friends who shared an inclination for revelry that included “beer-drinking, jazz music and staff parties which occurred at an isolated site in the hills east of town.”
Vance left campus in his junior year to work for the Navy at Pearl Harbor. Though he returned to UC Berkeley and enrolled in classes, he never completed his studies.
“He just liked learning and was interested in self-education,” said Carlo Rotella, director of American Studies at Boston College who interviewed Vance for a piece in 2009.
For the remainder of World War II, Vance worked with the merchant marines and began writing fiction in the 1940s on decks of ships while traveling the Pacific.
Aside from his writing, many remember Vance for his friendly, boisterous personality.
“Vance and [his wife] Norma were always so great to work with because they made me feel like I was doing a good job,” said Beth Meacham, Vance’s publisher and former editor in chief of Tor Books.
Vance’s wife Norma passed away in March 2008. Vance is survived by his son, John Holbrook Vance II.
Contact Hannah Lee at [email protected]