（外文电子版资料）Knight, Damon - The Handler.pdf

THE HANDLER THE HANDLER by Damon Knight from Rogue In one of the two very small towns where both he and I live -Milford, Pa., a river valley resort on the edge of the Poconos-Damon Knight is known as, You know, the one who always walks down Broad Street reading! Milford, with more than a thousand year-round regular residents can, and does, offer a sort of pleased, affectionate, perhaps slightly proud, understanding to its reckless-reader street-crosser. The other (and much smaller) town we both live in-the curiously close-knit community of science-fictionists-is less indulgent by far: not that anyone minds how much reading he does; its what he says afterward that hurts. When Anthony Boucher retired as reviewer for Fantasy and Science Fiction, the only logical successor to the post was Damon Knight, then already firmly established as he other critic in science fantasy. (I do mean critic. Damon has been known to like a book-but rarely to say so. All in all, he has probably poured more vinegar on troubled authors than any other monthly columnist ever thought to keep in stock). It is a double pleasure then, to an author-editor like myself, to see him turn his acerbity, auctorially, on a field once-removed from publishing-the world of entertainment. When the big man came in, there was a movement in the room like a lot of bird dogs pointing. Piano player quits pounding, the two singing drunks shut up, all the beautiful people with cocktails in their hands stop talking and laughing. Pete! the nearest women shrilled, and he walked straight into the room, arms around two girls, hugging them tight. Hows my sweetheart? Susy, you look good enough to eat, but I had it for lunch. George, you pirate-he let go both girls, grabbed a bald blushing little man and thumped him on the arm- you were great, sweetheart, I mean it, really great. Now HEAR THIS! he shouted, over all the voices that were clamoring Pete this, Pete that. file:///