Suzette Haden Elgin
| Suzette Haden Elgin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Patricia Anne Wilkins November 18, 1936 Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 27, 2015 (aged 78) |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Diego |
| Occupation | Science fiction author, linguist |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Haden (married 1955; he predeceased her) George Elgin (married 1964; he survives her) |
Suzette Haden Elgin (born Patricia Anne Wilkins; November 18, 1936 – January 27, 2015) was an American science fiction author. She founded the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and is considered an important figure in the field of science fiction constructed languages. Elgin was also a linguist; she published non-fiction, of which the best-known is the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense series.
Born in 1936 in Jefferson City, Missouri.
She attended the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the 1960s, and began writing science fiction in order to pay tuition. She gained a PhD in linguistics, and was the first UCSD student to ever write two dissertations (on English and Navajo). She created the engineered language Láadan for her Native Tongue science fiction series. A grammar and dictionary was published in 1985. She supported feminist science fiction, saying "women need to realize that SF is the only genre of literature in which it's possible for a writer to explore the question of what this world would be like if you could get rid of [X], where [X] is filled in with any of the multitude of real world facts that constrain and oppress women. Women need to treasure and support science fiction."
In addition, she published works of shorter fiction. Overlying themes in her work include feminism, linguistics and the impact of language, and peaceful coexistence with nature. Many of her works also draw from her Ozark background and heritage.
Elgin became a professor at San Diego State University (SDSU). She retired in 1980 and lived in Arkansas with her second husband, George Elgin. She died at age 78 in 2015 from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her husband. Her son Michael pre-deceased her.
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