Myth me a story of the 'up and out'
Cordwainer Smith, nom de plume of Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, is a man you would have wanted to live longer. At that, his life was lived to the most full. There are so many highlights to mention that influenced his writing style; suffice it to know that he was the godson of Sun Yat Sen, founder of the Chinese Republic, that he himself was Professor of Far East politics, that he spoke six languages, that he could sit informally in a room at the Pentagon -- the list is vast.
It all adds up when reading each and every one of his short stories, a field in which he excelled in sci-fi. That background of his would get him employed any time and anywhere, but it also put the potency of the exotic into all his stories (with the exception of one sci-fi novel, there were all those tales to love and enjoy).
His sensitive nature nature he reserved from people and poured into his craft. The aphorisms were a compilation of his knowledge derived from his acquaintance with those six languages.There is not one story derivitive of all his output. Be aware, though, that his output spoke of love of mankind and its evolutions over millennia - it's all there in his timeline. His was a truly unique and highly lauded voice in this genre.
When we read an author we meet him mind to mind. Dr Linebarger gave us 38 years out of his 53.
