Bradley, Marion Zimmer: Mists of Avalon

[Curupira]

Mists of Avalon

This has probably already been discussed but I can't seem to find the thread so I made a new one Has anyone read this book or it's sequeals...or many prequels? I'ts my favorite book in the world and I love it. It's being made into a movie. I just hope the producers do justice to MZB's work

 

[cyan]

I adored this book. It's been a very long time since I've read it, so some of the details are getting a bit fuzzy, but I was very emotionally attached to the characters, particularly Vivian and Morgaine, which is something that I look for in a book.

I saw the movie that was made, and it was mediocre, in my opinion, but I think that a book like the Mists of Avalon would be difficult to successfully translate into a movie format.

 

[BAYLOR]

Read the first two chapters and gave up on it. It was adapted for tv some years back.

 

[Lew Rockwell Fan]

Not a fan of this sort of thing myself, but I'm curious:

Are you aware of the allegations that have been made against her, including those by her daughter?

Do you assume the daughter is telling the truth or is the drama-queen hypothesis plausible?

If you believed all the allegations were true, would it affect your enjoyment of her work? This isn't an ethical question - after all the woman is dead and I presume the daughter gets the royalties. Or if you believe the daughter is inventing things to get attention (which sadly, does happen), maybe it WOULD be an ethical issue of a different sort.

 

[Lew Rockwell Fan]

Oops, didn't mean to necropost. OP and the second poster haven't been here in more than 8 years. Baylor, you leadeth me into error.
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Added: But as long as I'm here: I looked at the links that appear at the bottom of the page and then looked up MZB with the search function. Interesting. Either posts/threads have been deleted or she isn't at all popular here. Which is a good reflection on the crowd here. Not saying that because of the allegations but just because her books strike as goofy. I'm sorry for people who coauthored with her. Truth, lies, exaggerations, right, or wrong - they probably got royally fastened with a helical inclined plane, because I'm sure that stuff hurt her sales. Mercedes Lackey did at least one with her, and while I haven't read any of ML's books, I do like her music, and from what I read she's a pretty nice lady.

I think the only reason I recognise MZB's name is beacuse it is kind of unusual, and for the longest time I had her confused with Zane Grey who wrote in another genre I don't pay much attention to. Then I read something that implied she was a female fantasy writer and went "Huh?!?" and looked her up 'cause I was startled he was a she and didn't write westerns.

 

[BAYLOR]

Sorry Lew I was looking though the topics and I happen to see this one on MZG . I thought maybe it might a discuss going on her .

 

[Lew Rockwell Fan]

Sorry Lew I was looking though the topics and I happen to see this one on MZG . I thought maybe it might a discuss n going on her .

NP. My chronic smartassery is not to be taken seriously.

 

[The Big Peat]

Last I checked, Lackey had enough books out that I'd say she's doing okay.

Remember being pretty awestruck when I first read Mists of Avalon. It was not fantasy as I knew it and to an extent, still isn't.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

The thing about MZB* is you're not dealing with rumours but her own testimony. On that level, she is ruined as an author for me (and I once loved her) - and the reason for that is that her personal morals were reflected in her writing.**

* for those who aren't familiar, MZB was married to a paedophile with a penchant for boys around 13 years of age. She knew it, she facilitated him. This is all in her own testimony. Since then, her children have made further, horrific, allegations about her personally as well as him.
** she wrote a book called The Catch Trap, non genre, about trapeze artists in the 1930s/40s sort of era. It was, as I grew up, just about my fav book. I read it so many times I had to buy a new copy when mine fell apart. In it, a man in his 20s effectively seduces a young lad of - you've guessed it - around 13. It's presented as a love story (and is well done) but, once you know the above context, it's hard to see it that way. So, yes, she's ruined for me.

 

[Lew Rockwell Fan]

Children? I thought it was just the daughter. My impression was that her sibling seemed to doubt her story. But it has been a while since I read about it.

Anyway, thanks for responding on the point I was curious about. I THINK if one of my favs was caught torturing kittens, voting for Communists, and putting sugar in cornbread, it pro'ly wouldn't detract from my enjoyment of his/her books. It would stop me from buying any more, but I think I would enjoy them just as much. But fortunately I haven't had the experience.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Children? I thought it was just the daughter. My impression was that her sibling seemed to doubt her story. But it has been a while since I read about it.

Tbh, I'm not sure - because I've never felt the need to delve into the allegations side of it because allegations are just that and disputable. As I said in my post above, it was her own testimony that I read and which was enough for me.

Excerpts from MZB's Depositions

 

[kythe]

The Mists of Avalon is one of the few books I have read which has affected me profoundly. I've read it 3 times at different points in life and have taken away different messages each time. I don't know what it is, it just speaks to my soul.

I have not re-read The Mists of Avalon since I first heard of MZB's rather perverse personal life in 1999. Her daughter has been quite consistant in her sexual abuse allegations and has gained support from some other fantasy writers. Her son has been quiet and private but hasn't denied anything. MZB testified in her husband's trial, and strongly supported his long-term sexual relationship with a prepubescent boy as normal and consentual.

What makes this situation worse is that her children are not recieving royalties from hed works. Her girlfriend is. She is also a fantasy author who has published under the pen name "Elisabeth Waters" and is referred to as Lisa in court transcripts. She has supported MZB for many years and continues to blame angry former fans for stress leading to MZB's fatal heart attack. Ironically, her book "Changing Fates" used to also be one of my favorites, and that was long before I ever knew the connection between her and MZB.

I am also a sexual abuse survivor and I believe this is connected somehow, though I can't really explain it. Many women have said over the years that The Mists of Avalon gave them hope, a sense of empowerment, and even a reason to live. I still don't know how to reconcile relating to the strong characters in a positive way when the author is not someone who intends to help others out of abuse, but she is very abusive herself.