About the story and the author, Julian West
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| Sinead Larkin and Julian West |
On pages 159-160 of Science Fiction - The 100 Best Novels, James White Award Judge and Interzone editor David Pringle writes "Julian West... has himself 'frozen'. ...He awakes just over thirty years later, at the beginning of the 21st century. ...It is a free and equal and materially bountiful society, but its intellectual demands prove daunting to the unfortunate Julian West." These prophetic words describe my life precisely. Born in London, I have lived in England, Saudi Arabia, the USA and latterly Ireland, earning a living as a software engineer. I have been an irregular attendee at Octocon, and met James White on several occasions. The similarity of our initials led me to the conviction that I was certain to be a successful Science Fiction writer. Eventually it dawned on me that I would need to write a story to succeed in this endeavor.
The seeds of Vita Brevis, Ars Longa were sewn when I saw a Janine Antoni exhibit at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. This included statues carved out of chocolate, a body cast in lard, a room that she painted with her hair, and golden casts of her nipples. I was impressed with the fact that the boundaries of art were being constantly extended, and thought about where this might end up. When I had considered where it would end up, I had to think about how it got there. I thought about this for two years, and then I wrote it down, printed it, and posted it by hand through the administrators letterbox one day before the deadline. I now find myself a professional writer just as destiny had planned.
