Some of Long’s particularly pithy proverbs? Browsing the web, I immediately liked both “An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications,” and, “Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.” Long is known for numerous bon mots that readers generally take to represent Heinlein’s opinions. Long wasn’t afraid to rush in where Marty McFly was afraid to tread and actively seduced his own mother-not, I’m told, resulting in his own conception. He does appear to be a colorful, larger-than-life character-altogether fitting, considering that he is the result of a generations-long program of selective breeding with a lifespan covering at least two centuries. Whether Long is all that bad, I can’t judge. Neil Barron’s assessment of the character (in his capsule review of Heinlein’s 1973 novel Time Enough for Love) seems to strike a somewhat more critical note: “An extravagant exercise in the production of an idealized fantasy self, drawing on the repertoire of science fiction ideas to support and sanction an extraordinary form of imaginary self-indulgence” ( Anatomy of Wonder, 5 th ed., 2004, p. I can only plead that I’ve read embarrassingly little Heinlein-far less than any respectable science fiction fan should-and none of it featuring this pivotal person in Heinlein’s elaborate “Future History” and, according to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Heinlein’s “final-and most enduring-alter ego” (p. No doubt Heinlein devotees will fault me for placing this classic character so far down on my list. Heinlein character, first introduced in Methuselah’s Children, 1958) (By the way, this list does not claim to be exhaustive! Feel free to add your own favorite sci-fi Lazaruses-Lazarim? Lazarot?-in the comments!)ĥ. We just may discover a few connections to the biblical ones along the way. On this eve of Saint Lazarus’ Day, let’s count down my top five Lazaruses (Lazarae? Lazarii?) in sci-fi. (Like I said, it’s not a name you easily forget!) Of course, since I am not only a Presbyterian but also a geek, when I hear the name “Lazarus,” my first thought is just as likely to be of neither the revived brother nor the run-down beggar, but of one of the name’s several occurrences in science fiction. Saint Lazarus’ Day is intended to honor the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from death, although sometimes, thanks to conflation, the leprous beggar is also remembered on this day (as, for example, in Cuba). Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11.25-26). Lazarus’ resuscitation, his miraculous return to earthly life, serves as a sign of resurrection: the qualitatively new and unending life that Jesus promises to those who believe in him: “I am the resurrection and the life. This Lazarus also dies-but, in the last great sign he performs before his crucifixion, Jesus raises Lazarus to life, dramatically calling him from his tomb (John 11.38-44). The factual Lazarus was Lazarus of Bethany, brother to Mary and Martha. The fictional Lazarus represents the all-too-real suffering of so many people in poverty and Jesus’ parable remains a stark warning to those who are content to enjoy comfort at the expense of the poor. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to comfort him with even one drop of cool water, but Abraham replied, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things” (v. In contrast, when the rich man died, he was consigned to eternal flames. 22, KJV), to rejoice with the patriarch in heaven. When Lazarus died, angels carried him “into Abraham’s bosom” (v. Jesus told a story (Luke 16.19-31) about a poor beggar named Lazarus, who languished outside the locked gates of a rich man, his only companions the stray dogs that licked his open sores. Readers of the New Testament will remember not one, but two men named Lazarus: one fictional, the other factual. “Lazarus” is not a name you easily forget. Tomorrow, December 17, is the feast day of Saint Lazarus, at least according to some versions of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints’ days.
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