Ad Astra
| Mildred Virginia (Kidd) Blish Ad Astra |
| Generation: | 10 |
| Born: | June 2nd, 1921 |
| Birthplace | Germantown or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Died: | January 11th, 2003, at about age 82 |
| Cause of death: | Age |
| Died at: | Milford, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Burial: | Cremation, Milford Cemetary, Milford, Pike county, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Father: | Charles Lemuel Kidd, Sr. |
| Mother: | Zetta Daisy (Whorley) Kidd |
| Occupation(s): | Literary agent, editor, author (SF, poetry, criticism) |
| Marriages: | • James Benjamin Blish, B.Sc., Ed. (***)
• Major Jacob Bernard Emden |
| Children: | Karen Anne Emden Asa Benjamin Blish Dorothea Elisabeth (Blish) Genly, RN, CNM, B.A. Lit., M.S. Nursing Master Charles Benjamin (Blish) Williams, 5th dan |
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In 1923, at the age of two, Virginia Kidd contracted polio; it left her paralyzed below the waist and resulted in the shortening of one leg. While she recovered from the paralysis, the damage to her leg was permanent. Her parents were very supportive and protective which saw her through this difficult period of her childhood. With the discovery of science fiction, or SF, in 1930 at the age of nine, she began a lifelong fascination which developed into her professional career, that of a literary agent specializing in the genre. She was a founding member of the Baltimore Science Fiction League in 1939. She was a Futurian who rubbed elbows with Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim, James Blish, Cyril M. Kornbluth, Damon Knight, and Judith Merril, deeply involved with some of the people who became some of the most respected SF writers of the era. She eventually married James Blish, whom she met via the Futurians. She also was involved with the establishment at Milford Pennsylvania of the Science Fiction Writers of America. She attended the Berlitz school of languages, studying French, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish. Her children Karen, Beth and Ben all developed some familiarity with Spanish and French from exposure to her fairly casual use of the latter around the home, and Beth went on to earn a B.A. Summa cum laude in French literature from Colgate university, while later adding Spanish to her own language skills which served her well in her medical career. In 1965, She founded the Virginia Kidd Literary Agency, the world's first literary agency dedicated to SF and fantasy. She used her considerable influence and literary business savvy to build the careers of skilled clients from the these communities. Among them, to name just a few, were Alan Dean Foster, R. A. Lafferty, Ursula Le Guin, Murray Leinster, Anne McCaffrey, Walt and Leigh Richmond, E.E. "Doc" Smith, and Gene Wolfe. She was known simply as VK to most in her social circle and within the agency itself, and just Virginia to everyone else. The Virginia Kidd Literary Agency continues to hold a premiere place in science fiction representation. In addition to working as a literary agent specializing in SF, she was also a highly respected writer in and out of the genre. Here are some of her works:
She was editor of the following:
She translated this work from French to English:
VK served as a perfect exemplar of Mark Twain's advice: Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Politically, she was progressive and inclined to donate to charitable groups who shared her views and goals. Among her friends and family, she was known as an absolutely piratical card player, a very good chess player, a great cook and most assuredly a gourmet, as well as a gracious and generous hostess. She delighted in playing Scrabble with friends and family; her rules allowed words in any language. She kept her home open to visitors to such an extent that in the 1960's and early 1970's, it sometimes resembled a commune, with sleeping bags on the porches, musical events in the evenings, and often one or more SF luminaries leavening the mix. Felicity Joinson, AKA Fluffy, a wonderful folk artist entertained from time to time. There was even a band in the basement: her son Ben was a rock musician, and the music of then-contemporary rock bands was oftentimes loud and clear under it all. Her taste in music was wide ranging, encompassing classical, rock and hard rock, folk, and some truly eclectic artists such as Tom Waits. She loved pets, and served as a dedicated guardian for quite a number of dogs and cats over the years. She had the most amazing hobby: annotating her (eventually grievously tattered) copy of Finnegan's Wake in her beautiful copperplate hand. This is James Joyce's famously complex and experimental novel, published in 1939, known for its dream-like narrative, cyclical structure, and unique, pun-filled language that blends multiple languages and allusions. It is difficult to imagine anyone else, anywhere, spending more intellectual energy on that work than she did. The volume's margins (which were copious) were filled front to back with her notes, expansions, counter-puns and more. The book's tattering was due to her constant handling, though she was certainly careful and respectful of it. |
Mildred Virginia (Kidd) Blish1921 through 2003
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