Thomas Disch died by his own hand on July 4. He will probably be remembered for Camp Concentration, a complex and disturbing novel about enhancing human intelligence, the short-story “The Brave Little Toaster”, and his critical review The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. This is not the sum of the man; he won awards and nominations and high praise for many other works besides these.

Via LOCUS Online, Ellen Datlow had this to say:

I’m shocked, saddened, but not very surprised. Tom had been depressed for several years and was especially hit by the death of his longtime partner Charles Naylor. He also was very worried about being evicted from the rent controlled apartment he lived in for decades…

Tom wrote wonderful stories (I only read one or two of his novels but kept meaning to read more) and if you haven’t ever read the collections Getting into Death or Fundamental Disch you need to find and read them.

Such a damned waste.

Tags: brave little toaster, camp concentration, death, dreams our stuff is made of, ellen datlow, locus online, suicide, thomas m. disch