Paul Barnett tells us that British author Barrington John Bayley died 14 October 2008. The cause of death has not yet been determined, although he had recently undergone surgery for bowel cancer. Born 9 April 1937 in Birmingham, England, he was the author of at least 15 novels and three collections of shorter fiction (including the forthcoming Gnostic Endings). Fantastic Fiction says that his "works in both novel and short story form weave profound metaphysical topics with more traditional science fictional fare."
His first published fiction appears to have been "Last Post", which appeared in the April 1955 issue of The British SF Magazine, though he had several other stories appear in print that same year. This site has much information, though it appears to have not been updated recently, and combined with this page seem to provide a nearly comprehensive bibliography of his work, from his first novel, The Rod of Light (1958) to Collision with Chronos (2001).
Barnett says of him, "I knew him only slightly… but liked what I knew. He was one of those authors who, alas, fail to receive the popular attention they so much deserve; his work was far, far better than the people who thought themselves chic to ignore it."
|
