I was reading a post on an SFF site I like and the author mentioned in passing that one of the writers I have loved since I was in 4th grade in the same sentence with Bill Cosby. I was deeply confused by this because Marion Zimmer Bradley opened my eyes to feminism and the concept of a complex protagonist who wasn't a straight man. I felt my heart sink a little, but I knew I needed to find out what was going on.
After Googling, I found out she and her husband were serial child molesters. He went to jail for it a while back, but no one said anything about her . . . because she was too famous, because she was a woman, for a lot of reasons, I guess. Recently her daughter came forward and talked about the abuse she suffered at her mother's hands, from age 3 to 12. She said she wasn't the only one. It seemed that both of her parents caused a lot of harm to children.
I have to admit, this is hard for me to process. MZB has always been a hero of mine. I learned more about writing from the introductions she would put in her anthologies than from anywhere else. She taught me about world-building. She created my love for complex histories, complex politics, and plotlines that can last for generations. I love some of her characters as much as I love living, breathing humans. I accept her version of Avalon as truth.
People are flawed. Some of the most talented people in the world are also some of the darkest people. It disturbs me that while I was reading her work, she was probably hurting someone. It disturbs me that when I started reading her work, I was the age of the kids she would hurt. I feel like something large inside me has been ripped apart.
My heart goes out to the people she harmed. I'm sorry this happened to you. It should not have happened to you. I'm glad you broke your silence.
No comments:
Post a Comment