78:
manufacturers and oil refining companies paid him to bury it. He is angry that society is unwilling to accept this and many other solutions he has developed to the world's problems. He also admits to being frightened of close relationships. The woman suggests that he should treat humanity like a bonsai, guiding them towards his ideas rather than ordering them to accept them, and that relationships should be treated similarly if they are to be made to work. The story ends with the man asking the woman her name.
74:
legal action to save himself from accusations of medical malpractice. He asks the woman to leave without either of them knowing the other's name. The next morning, she appears to have left and the man goes to tend his bonsai. He understands the tree and that it cannot be ordered to grow in a particular way but can only be given gentle guidance as part of a long, slow sculpturing process which could sculpt the man as much as the tree.
70:. He administers the substance and stands the woman on a glass bowl to insulate her from surroundings as she builds up a charge of 80,000 volts. The man identifies the presence of a malignant tumor and the woman, unable to deal with this confirmation of her worst fears, faints. The man catches her to keep her from injury but suffers burns to his arms as she discharges into him.
86:
A common theme throughout
Sturgeon's work is an individual's ability or inability to communicate with others. Lahna Diskin wrote in her biography of Sturgeon that this theme rings out in "Slow Sculpture" where the young woman compares making a relationship work with handling a living thing, such as a
65:
On reaching his laboratory, the man explains his theory that electrical imbalances in individual cells can cause these to function improperly, leading to cancer. He has developed a substance which distributes the excess electrical charge between many cells so that each has only a slight imbalance and
73:
When the woman regains consciousness, the man tells her that she has been cured of her cancer. She begins to thank him, but he suddenly becomes angry saying that he does not want to hear speeches about how he owes it to the world to share his cure and warns her against telling anyone or he will take
77:
The woman, who has been observing the man in secret, accuses him of being angry and frightened. He explains that years earlier he had developed a new car exhaust which reduced pollution and increased mileage. He had become wealthy as a result, not because of the success of his idea but because car
56:
A young woman comes across a lonely older man performing scientific experiments in his orchard. She has arrived there by chance after finding a lump in her breast and, panicking, taking an aimless walk. He tells her that he can fix her and she follows him to his house, passing a large
61:
tree. She asks about it and the man is pleasantly surprised by the courteous nature of her query, while the woman observes that some of the strongest and most interesting bonsais are those that have gone overlooked because they were oddly shaped or suffered other problems.
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bonsai. While it is a story about the power of love, it also suggests that industrialists and politicians will suppress technological advances if it serves their own interests by maintaining the status quo.
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Reservations on the Structural Road, TJ Remington - Science Fiction Studies, 1977
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Structural fabulation: an essay on fiction of the future by Robert E. Scholes
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can function normally. One side effect is that the subject builds up a large
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The Nail and the Oracle By
Theodore Sturgeon, Paul Williams, Harlan Ellison
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Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast
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Slow
Sculpture: Volume XII of the Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon
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176:. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Archived from
363:
58:
1483:
If All Men Were
Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?
470:
The Beast that
Shouted Love at the Heart of the World
1647:
Works originally published in Galaxy
Science Fiction
107:
for Best Short
Fiction, ultimately finishing sixth.
691:
752:Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones
481:Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones
1613:
1632:Nebula Award for Best Novelette-winning works
1627:Hugo Award for Best Short Story winning works
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712:The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth
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1167:"That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made" by
437:"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman
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853:"A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye" by
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40:issue of February 1970, it won the 1970
205:
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1199:"A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" by
1324:
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1140:The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
1059:"'Mars is No Place for Children", by
665:
337:
286:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
174:"The Nebula Awards: Previous Winners"
137:
133:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
103:. It was also nominated for the 1970
944:"The Girl who Fell into the Sky" by
117:
13:
1622:Short stories by Theodore Sturgeon
537:The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
459:I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
14:
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1045:"The Flowers of Adult Prison" by
273:
16:Short story by Theodore Sturgeon
1401:Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
1206:"Our Lady of the Open Road" by
1038:"Lifeboat on a Burning Sea" by
152:. World Science Fiction Society
101:Hugo Award for Best Short Story
97:Nebula Award for Best Novelette
46:Hugo Award for Best Short Story
42:Nebula Award for Best Novelette
216:
95:"Slow Sculpture" won the 1970
1:
1637:Science fiction short stories
1229:The Only Harmless Great Thing
1102:"The Empire of Ice Cream" by
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796:Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand
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603:The Way of Cross and Dragon
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248:Diskin, Lahna F. (1981).
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34:. First published in the
1504:The Man Who Lost the Sea
1394:The King and Four Queens
1591:Theodore Sturgeon Award
1436:Short story collections
1192:"The Waiting Stars" by
882:"The Ugly Chickens" by
822:San Diego Lightfoot Sue
1525:A Saucer of Loneliness
1518:The Pod in the Barrier
1213:"The Long Fall Up" by
1185:"Close Encounters" by
201:Diskin 1981, pp. 12-13
91:Awards and nominations
37:Galaxy Science Fiction
844:The Screwfly Solution
807:If the Stars Are Gods
284:title listing at the
131:title listing at the
1109:"Basement Magic" by
1084:"Louise's Ghost" by
1040:Bruce Holland Rogers
968:George Alec Effinger
964:Schrödinger's Kitten
833:The Bicentennial Man
734:Gonna Roll the Bones
559:Catch That Zeppelin!
302:North Atlantic Books
226:. Locus Publications
1546:The World Well Lost
1418:Pseudonymous novels
1341:The Dreaming Jewels
1238:"Carpe Glitter" by
1220:"A Human Stain" by
1079:Walter Jon Williams
1077:"Daddy's World" by
973:"At the Rialto" by
939:George R. R. Martin
866:George R. R. Martin
607:George R. R. Martin
415:No Truce with Kings
224:"1971 Locus Awards"
30:by American writer
1642:1970 short stories
1451:E Pluribus Unicorn
1369:Some of Your Blood
1201:Alaya Dawn Johnson
1011:Georgia on My Mind
1000:Danny Goes to Mars
404:The Dragon Masters
382:The Longest Voyage
292:Sturgeon, Theodore
212:Diskin 1981, p. 52
180:on January 7, 2009
150:"1971 Hugo Awards"
1609:
1608:
1326:Theodore Sturgeon
1292:
1291:
1215:William Ledbetter
1194:Aliette de Bodard
1118:The Faery Handbag
1033:Ursula K. Le Guin
1022:The Martian Child
1015:Charles Sheffield
800:Vonda N. McIntyre
767:Theodore Sturgeon
727:Gordon R. Dickson
659:
658:
541:Ursula K. Le Guin
496:Theodore Sturgeon
430:Gordon R. Dickson
311:978-1-55643-834-9
251:Theodore Sturgeon
32:Theodore Sturgeon
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1052:"Lost Girls" by
982:Tower of Babylon
855:Charles L. Grant
848:Raccoona Sheldon
756:Samuel R. Delany
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485:Samuel R. Delany
426:Soldier, Ask Not
369:Best Short Story
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1355:The Cosmic Rape
1348:More Than Human
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1133:Peter S. Beagle
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991:"Guide Dog" by
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397:Brian W. Aldiss
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946:Kate Wilhelm
837:Isaac Asimov
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738:Fritz Leiber
693:Nebula Award
651:2021–present
574:Joe Haldeman
563:Fritz Leiber
548:The Hole Man
514:Eurema's Dam
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448:Neutron Star
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178:the original
154:. Retrieved
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1559:screenplays
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1180:Geoff Ryman
1151:John Kessel
1047:Nancy Kress
913:Blood Music
552:Larry Niven
522:The Meeting
507:Larry Niven
452:Larry Niven
371:(1961–1980)
105:Locus Award
28:short story
1616:Categories
1497:Killdozer!
1144:Ted Chiang
1129:Two Hearts
1122:Kelly Link
1097:Ted Chiang
1086:Kelly Link
1054:Jane Yolen
986:Ted Chiang
957:Pat Murphy
924:Bloodchild
902:Fire Watch
408:Jack Vance
365:Hugo Award
230:2010-07-28
184:2010-07-28
156:2010-07-26
111:References
1574:Amok Time
1557:Star Trek
1240:Cat Rambo
1071:2001–2020
917:Greg Bear
876:1981–2000
862:Sandkings
826:Tom Reamy
785:Goat Song
704:1966–1980
646:2001–2020
641:1981–2000
636:1961–1980
631:1955–1960
592:Cassandra
1272:John Chu
393:Hothouse
294:(2009).
52:Synopsis
1376:Godbody
242:Sources
23:" is a
1333:Novels
1285:(2024)
1274:(2023)
1267:(2022)
1260:(2021)
1242:(2020)
1235:(2019)
1224:(2018)
1217:(2017)
1210:(2016)
1203:(2015)
1196:(2014)
1189:(2013)
1182:(2012)
1171:(2011)
1164:(2010)
1153:(2009)
1146:(2008)
1135:(2007)
1124:(2006)
1113:(2005)
1106:(2004)
1099:(2003)
1088:(2002)
1081:(2001)
1063:(2000)
1056:(1999)
1049:(1998)
1042:(1997)
1035:(1996)
1028:(1995)
1017:(1994)
1006:(1993)
995:(1992)
988:(1991)
977:(1990)
970:(1989)
959:(1988)
948:(1987)
941:(1986)
930:(1985)
919:(1984)
908:(1983)
897:(1982)
886:(1981)
868:(1980)
857:(1979)
850:(1978)
839:(1977)
828:(1976)
817:(1975)
809:", by
802:(1974)
791:(1973)
780:(1972)
769:(1971)
758:(1970)
747:(1969)
740:(1968)
729:(1967)
718:(1966)
609:(1980)
598:(1979)
587:(1978)
576:(1977)
565:(1976)
554:(1975)
543:(1974)
532:(1973)
509:(1972)
498:(1971)
487:(1970)
476:(1969)
465:(1968)
454:(1967)
443:(1966)
432:(1965)
421:(1964)
410:(1963)
399:(1962)
388:(1961)
308:
262:
82:Themes
59:bonsai
1281:" by
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725:" by
714:" by
626:Retro
605:" by
594:" by
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395:" by
384:" by
813:and
695:for
528:and
367:for
306:ISBN
260:ISBN
1490:It!
520:/ "
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304:.
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