Knygatin Wrote:
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> I think he didn't want to come across as a dreamer
> of fantasy, but as a capable and practical man
> with both feet on the ground. So he presented his
> profession as something he did to make money, not
> as a hobby or simply for the joy of it.

I think Vance was who he was, told the simple truth about himself and was not trying to come across in any particular way. Houseboating with his buddy Frank Herbert was not for him a practical occupation. Jazz playing with his band was not a practical occupation. These are things that dreamers do. The difference was he could actually make a bit of money from sci fi and fantasy.

Sci Fi was how he earned his living; how he supported his wife and children. If he had said "I write sci fi simply for the joy of it and not for any other reason", he would have been lying. But I would say there are reasons he ended up earning his living as a sci fi writer and not as an accountant. And those reasons have to do with who he was.

Yes, he was who he was, and I am thankful he was the man he was.